Forged By Fire

“One other lesson that Gerald had learned was never, never stay near Mama when she sniffed the white stuff. She got it from a man named Leroy who smelled too sweet and smiled too much. When he leaves, you hide behind the couch and hope Aunt Queen comes over because sometimes Mama yells and gets her belt or her shoe and hits, and hits, and hits…”

This passage is the first time Monique’s drug use is referenced, which offers an explanation for why she abuses Gerald. From Gerald’s perspective, he learns to not interfere with Monique when she’s high and considers it as a “lesson,” which normalizes Monique’s abusive behavior for Gerald from a young age.

“Since this kid is poor and black and his mother is living alone and unmarried, his father must be long gone. Well, I’m here to tell you that not all black men are like that. There’s zillions of black families with a mama and a daddy and two kids like the ‘average’ American family.”

In this passage, Aunt Queen is talking to the doctor after Gerald sets the apartment on fire. She calls him out on his assumptions and certain stereotypes about black, low-income families. Although it is never mentioned who Gerald’s biological father is, Aunt Queen assures him there are many black families that have supportive fathers, which is confirmed through the Washington family later in the novel.

“Suddenly the memories overwhelmed the boy. The flames, the fear, the feeling of utter desolation were too much for him to handle. He cried, huge body-racking sobs.”

While recovering in the hospital, Gerald remembers the fire for the first time and is haunted by the memory. It marks a turning point for Gerald, since these memories will continue to haunt and shape him for the remainder of the novel.

“‘No use stewin’ about stuff you can’t change,’ she’d tell Gerald. ‘It’s the things we do have control over that I’m worried about.’”

When Gerald is living at Aunt Queen’s house, she offers him this piece of advice, which he embodies as he grows older and gains more autonomy and control in his life—especially when he is debating whether to confront Jordan about his abuse.

“Angel looked at Gerald and smiled. She took a deep breath and bolted up the steps toward the waiting Jordan. At the top of the steps, she ducked to the right, just missing Jordan’s fist. Gerald leaped into the room, jumped between Angel and Jordan and the blow came down on him instead. Gerald was tough and strong, but the force of that punch almost made him lose his breath. It would’ve knocked Angel unconscious. ‘Don’t you ever hit her!’ he snarled at Jordan between clenched teeth.”

This is the first moment Gerald stands up to Jordan, which is transformative for Gerald’s character. He is no longer that “quiet boy” who arrived at Aunt Queen’s house at the beginning of the novel (20). In this passage, he establishes himself as fiercely protective of his sister and willing to break the cycle of abuse within his household.

“Jordan whispered in her ear, his breath hot and foul, ‘You remember our secret game, Angel? It’s been a long time since we played. You remember the rules. Touching is good. Telling is bad. If you tell, your mama will put you out to live in the snow all alone, and you will die. Now, let’s play.’”

This passage illustrates Jordan’s manipulative tactics, which allow him to stay with Monique, Angel, and Gerald. He manipulates Angel by threatening her, which forces her to remain silent about the abuse she endures.

“Monique, eyes flashing, mood destroyed, turned on Gerald. ‘You shut up with that kind of talk, you hear! Jordan took you in and buys you food and clothes and tries to be a good father to you and Angel! You better learn some respect, boy! Who you think you are?’”

This passage is Gerald’s first attempt at confronting Monique about Jordan’s abuse. Her response not only stems from her fear of Jordan—since she has also been on the receiving end of his abuse—but also highlights the family’s need for Jordan to contribute to the household financially.

“‘I’m gonna tell, Angel,’ Gerald insisted. ‘I gotta tell somebody.’

‘Please don’t, Gerald. If you do, I’ll run away and hide in the snow. I’ll say you’re bad and you made it up!’ Angel was almost hysterical.”

When Gerald first wants to tell someone about Jordan’s abusive behavior, Angel is resistant. Although Angel has been the victim of Jordan’s abuse, she threatens to undermine Gerald if he tells anyone. However, Angel’s response clearly illustrates how Jordan’s threats and manipulative tactics have been effective.

“What if they don’t believe me? he asked himself. Will they believe a kid? I don’t really have any proof. On TV, cops need hard evidence or the bad guy gets away. What if I accuse Jordan of abuse or something and they can’t prove it? He’ll be angry and get even more violent and maybe hurt Angel and…”

Gerald contemplates whether to do something about Jordan’s abuse. This internal debate is a major turning point in the novel, leading him to tell Mr. Washington and ultimately get Jordan arrested. Without this pivotal moment, the plot cannot proceed, and Gerald would not be able to grow.

“‘What’s so funny?’ she screamed. ‘You think it’s funny to send a man to jail for something he ain’t done? You lowlife children! I ought to kill both of you! How dare you lie on a good man like Jordan?’”

Monique is upset when she learns Gerald and Angel had Jordan arrested. This particular passage illustrates how Jordan has manipulated Monique into seeing him as “a good man” (78). Although Monique has been abused by Jordan, she needs his validation and uses his presence to measure her worth.

“Monique left, humming the latest song. The click of her high heels reminded Gerald of that day long ago, and he suddenly he felt a little dizzy. The dishes finished, Angel took Tiger into her room and turned on the radio. She danced with her cat and danced with her dreams while Gerald wrestled with memories of pain.”

In this passage, everything seems to be going well. Jordan is in prison. Monique has a new job, but the sound of Monique’s heels brings Gerald back to when she left him alone as a child before the fire. It’s placement in the novel serves as a reminder that past trauma never fully goes away and can reemerge at any moment.

“He wanted to beat something, to cry, to scream, but all he could do was listen to Angel as she threw up the way she used to, the only way she knew to purge the tension of Jordan’s presence in the house.”

This passage depicts Gerald and Angel’s response to Jordan’s return to the apartment after his release from prison. Though it’s been six years, both Gerald and Angel have very visceral reactions to seeing him again, serving as a reminder that these difficult memories do not fade with time and also can be stored within the body.

“The story she danced was about a lost child, a child who feared the darkness but found the light with the help of the wind and the stars. It was as if the dance had been created just for her. As she danced, Gerald could feel her pain; he could see her fear and misery. The music was her voice, and the dance was her only means of escape.”

This passage is the first time Angel’s dancing is described. The story of the dance clearly mirrors her own life. Angel is often very quiet and lacks the language to describe what has happened to her, but through dance she is able to express her emotions, reclaim her body and find her confidence.

“The paramedics were lifting the victim into the ambulance. She did not seem to be breathing. It was Monique. Clutched in one hand was a pack of cigarettes.”

This passage dramatically reveals what Monique was doing before she was hit by a car. “A pack of cigarettes” (117) are the last few words of Chapter 18, emphasizing the futility of Monique’s errand and the fragility of life. The children might’ve been left alone with Jordan had Monique died.

“Well, only when Jordan comes home does it seem she lights up a little. She combs her hair and changes her dress, but then it seems like she forgets why she did it. Then she cries—unless he’s brought her some more pills. Then she’s silly for a couple of hours before she passes out in front of the TV.”

After the car accident, Monique is completely out of it, and Jordan fuels her addiction to pain pills. Jordan’s enabling of Monique’s habit allows him to return to his old ways without Monique noticing and paves the way for the final confrontation between Gerald and Jordan.

“‘Hey, you can tell me anything, girl. Peace.’ No, not everything, Angel thought as she hung up the phone. Some things had to stay in the secret places.”

Angel has a conversation with her closest friend, Kiara. Although she has been dancing and seems to be doing better, there are some things she still struggles to share, which speaks to Angel’s healing process. Just as Gerald is still scarred from the fire when he was three years old, Angel is still wrestles with Jordan’s abuse and struggles to speak about it.

“Monique washes her face obediently. She looked as if she had just awakened from a terrible nightmare. ‘No, I didn’t like that at all,’ she repeated. ‘I don’t think I’m gonna let him hit me anymore. Did he hit you too, Gerald? That’s not good, not very good. No, we’re not gonna let him do this anymore.’”

Not long after the accident, Jordan hits Monique, and she finally starts to see how abusive, manipulative, and violent he is. This moment is a major shift for Monique’s character since up to this point, she has made excuses for Jordan and has failed to recognize the abuse.

“He was tired of being scared and depressed and worried all the time. The beer made him forget. He liked that. Rob’s dad didn’t know and Andy’s dad didn’t notice, so splitting a few beers after a game had become routine.”

In this passage, Gerald admits to using alcohol to help ease the pain of his past. Although Gerald critiques his mother’s drinking, he uses alcohol in the same way she does. The novel does not imply that Gerald is an alcoholic, but it does reveal a complicated contradiction through Gerald’s alcohol use and perhaps a cycle of addiction within their family.

“Gerald couldn’t understand why Rob was gone and he still lived. He started coming home late from games, walking the five miles instead of riding the bus. He felt like he couldn’t breathe on the bus anymore. Walking helped him to think and to clear the confusion in his head.”

After Rob’s death, Gerald struggles with “survivor’s guilt” and believes he should be dead instead of Rob. For Gerald, Rob’s friendship, the basketball team, and the Washington family were his escape from his home life. This passage illustrates Gerald’s loneliness and sense of isolation after Rob’s death.

“Soon the whole stove was covered with hot flames that licked and devoured everything they touched. The apartment had no smoke alarm, so Jordan never even noticed the smoke or the smell.”

Before the final confrontation between Gerald and Jordan, the stage is set with fire, the central symbol of the novel. In this moment, Jordan and the fire become physical manifestations of the traumas Gerald must overcome in his life.

“He wished again that he could live someplace where graffiti didn’t decorate every empty corner, where trees grew thick enough to get lost in.”

In this passage, Gerald recognizes the limitations of his family’s class. His desire “to get lost” in the trees, reflects his dream of ultimately getting out of the cramped apartment and starting his own life with Angel away from Jordan after he graduates.

“Gerald no longer felt fear or pain, only anger over the past—for Aunt Queen’s lost hugs and Angel’s lost innocence, for Monique’s dim weaknesses, Andy’s unbearable guilt, and for Rob’s fiery destruction. All of that was focused into his final lunge at Jordan. He reached for Jordan’s leg and pulled hard.”

In this scene, Gerald summons the courage to stand up to Jordan in their final confrontation. At first, he is hesitant to even enter the apartment because the fire reminds him of the troubles he has gone through in his life, but in this moment, he faces them head on, accepts them, and no longer allows them to hold him back. By facing his past, he gains the strength to stand up to Jordan.

“She wept not for Jordan, whose spark was finally snuffed out, but for all of the flames of pain and hatred he had caused.”

In this moment, Monique finally understands the full weight of Jordan’s harm on her children. Up to this point, she has lived in fear of him, unable to fully believe her children’s complaints. The use of the word “spark” also ties Jordan to the element of fire, which has come to signify not only the literal fire of at the beginning of the novel, but also all of Gerald’s difficult memories.