111 pages • 3 hours read
Sharon M. DraperFire from the Rock
Fiction | Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 19-21Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 19 Summary: “Thursday, April 18, 1957”
Sylvia goes for her interview with the members of the school board. Eileen Crandall is one of the members. Sylvia is surprised by their questions. They ask her if she thinks she is better than white students, if she has a boyfriend, how often she goes to the bathroom, and if she is aware that her parents could lose their jobs if she integrates Central. Sylvia says she is as smart as anyone else, is not interested in dating, and would not make it through an entire day without having to go to the bathroom. The committee reminds her that she would not get to date any of the white boys, they would have to build a separate bathroom for her, and she would not be allowed to participate in any of the school activities. They also ask her if she has any white friends. Sylvia mentions Rachel, but the committee dismisses the Zuckers as not “counting” as white because they are Jewish. Then they dismiss Sylvia like a “minor irritant.” In her diary, Sylvia writes that she felt “hollowed out” after the interview and she went for a long run.
Chapter 20 Summary: “Saturday, May 4, 1957”
Sylvia and DJ head downtown to the library to get some books. Their mother warns them to be aware of their surroundings because some people in town are not pleased with the current integration efforts. Sylvia sees Reggie at the library, and he kisses her and rushes off to meet up with Gary. When Sylvia and DJ go out to wait for their bus, three white teenage boys approach them and harass them with racist insults, toss their books, touch their hair, and threaten their physical safety. The boys are Bubba and Sonny Smith and Johnny Crandall. Sylvia steps in to protect and defend her little sister and steps on Johnny’s shoes. He slaps the side of her head hard. Another white teenage boy named Jim comes to their rescue and chases the other boys away. He introduces himself and offers them a ride. Just then the bus comes, and the girls head home. They decide not to tell their mother about this incident because it will only worry her.
Chapter 21 Summary: “Saturday, May 4, 1957”
Sylvia and DJ spend the rest of the day helping their mother around the house. She notices that they are unusually quiet, but they do not tell her what happened. Later in the evening, Reggie calls to talk with Sylvia. She decides to tell him what happened. He is furious and says he would have fought had he been there. He also tells her to reconsider the integration. Sylvia said she is thinking about it. She later writes in her diary that she now feels like she can understand Gary’s anger. She wants to smash something she is so angry. She says that writing is the outlet that keeps her from screaming. She writes that she is most upset that DJ had to experience this at such a young age. She worries that DJ may never get over it.
Chapters 19-21 Analysis
Sylvia sits before the all-white school board panel, including the anti-integrationist Eileen Crandall. The Crandall family provides the foil to the Pattersons and represents the kind of racism Black families typically had to face in the 1950s. Despite seeing that Sylvia is completely focused on her studies, college-bound, church-going, and respectful, the committee makes her feel like less than human. In the face of such hatred, Sylvia maintains her composure and shows only resolve to her antagonists. No matter what she does, they hate her and try to make her feel small. This scene is significant in that it shows that when white people dehumanize Black people, no amount of effort or success can change their racist minds.
This scene is also key because it shows how such white Christians perceived white Jewish people in the years after WWII. They view the Zuckers as not really white, though white enough to attend Central High. Sylvia is shocked by this revelation. She has grown up in a society that seems to judge everything by the color of one’s skin. In this situation, she learns that discrimination is more than skin deep. The friendship between Rachel and Sylvia is symbolic of the solidarity between Jews and African Americans throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Both groups faced discrimination, but for different reasons. This commonality allowed members of both groups to often show greater empathy for the other’s position and treatment in American society.
In another escalation of rising action, three white teenagers confront Sylvia and threaten her. They specifically tell her they don’t want her at “their” school. These are the same three boys who beat up Gary not that long ago. They are troublemakers. When Sylvia calls out for help, her calls are answered by another white teenager named Jim, who is polite and offers them a ride home. While white boys terrorized her, Sylvia has to recognize that a white boy came to her aid as well. In either case, Sylvia’s mother warned them at the beginning of the chapter that they can’t let their guard down in this town, and the girls just learned their lesson the hard way. This event foreshadows more scary confrontations for Sylvia and all the students who are on the list to integrate Central High School.
These chapters also show how the author makes Sylvia a character who can stand up for herself and does not need rescuing by a boy, but at the same time, she cannot fight this racism alone. Sylvia stomps on Johnny’s shoes and calls out loudly for help. She is not helpless. While Sylvia feels violated and intimidated, she also stands strong and protects both herself and her sister in a situation that could have been much worse.
Once she is home safe, Sylvia has a chance to process what just happened to her and her sister. This is a big secret to hold onto, and she ends up telling Reggie about it. Sylvia also reflects in her diary that she and DJ could easily have been killed. This comment shows that Sylvia is practical about the dangers she faces, and she questions if this issue is really worth dying over. DJ lost her innocence in this incident. At home, Sylvia notices DJ pretending to read her library book. Experiencing the very real terror of racist violence will likely leave a permanent mark on DJ. This reaction, too, is indicative of the legacy of racist history and violence on members of the African American community today.
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By Sharon M. Draper
