Fire from the Rock

Sharon M. DraperFiction | Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2007

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-15

Chapters 16-18

Chapters 19-21

Chapters 22-24

Chapters 25-27

Chapters 28-30

Chapters 31-33

Chapter 34-Author’s Note

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 28-30Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 28 Summary: “Saturday, August 17, 1957”

Sylvia wakes up late the next day and joins her family in the kitchen just as they finish breakfast. She almost tells them the truth about the fire, but then Reggie shows up at her house. He asks to speak with her. Sylvia gets upset that Reggie is at her house when both of them look a mess. She thinks about how she wanted to invite him to Sunday dinner and make a cake. Reggie confesses that he accidentally set the store on fire. Reggie was on a mission to firebomb the barbershop of a local racist, but his aim was poor, and he hit the grocery store window instead. He tells Sylvia he might go stay with relatives in Cincinnati. Sylvia is angry because he almost killed her and he did not stop to get her out of the store after the explosions. She is even angrier that he wants to run away and not take responsibility for his actions. Sylvia thinks this will only reinforce the stereotypes that the white people hold about them.

Her father convinces Reggie to stay and confess to the police. The Zuckers don’t press charges, but Reggie has to drop out of school and work to repay them for the damage. Sylvia knows he is out of her life for good. She writes in her diary that she is hurt but looking ahead. She writes about how the community, both Black and white, have come together to help the Zuckers rebuild. She also writes a poem about dancing through agony.

Chapter 29 Summary: “Wednesday, August 21, 1957”

Sylvia is happy to receive a new back-to-school suit from her mother. She and her mother have a nice talk about romance and finding the right person to marry. Mrs. Patterson tells the story of how she met her husband at a dancehall where she wasn’t supposed to be. Sylvia is shocked to hear that her mother was once a young person like herself. Sylvia jokes about running away to join the circus instead of trying to integrate Central High.

Chapter 30 Summary: “Friday, August 23, 1957”

After a family dinner, Sylvia tells her family that she has decided to take her name off the list for Central High School. They are very supportive of her decision. She tells them that she wants to go to college so she can be a teacher like Miss Washington one day. She says she needs to soak up all the dignity and pride she can before she goes off to college, and she insists that Central can’t give her that. She explains that she knows schools will eventually integrate and so she wants to take advantage of the time she has to go to school with “just us.” When Sylvia writes in her diary, she includes the names of all nine students who plan to integrate Central High School in the fall.

Chapters 28-30 Analysis

In a strange twist of events, it turns out that Reggie is responsible for the fire. Despite her feelings for him, Sylvia has a new perspective on Reggie and his character. Sylvia has grown up as a result of this incident, and she is clear about her priorities. The problems of real life make losing her first boyfriend a little less painful than it might have been otherwise. In the closing poem she writes in her diary, Sylvia expresses the pain and agony of growing up in a scary but beautiful world.

Sylvia is growing up and becoming more aware of her world. She sees her mother as a person who has had a full range of experiences. Gary has calmed down and is actually focused on graduating from high school. In a twist of the plot, Sylvia pulls her name off the list of students who will attend Central in the fall. Her explanation for her decision includes a warm embrace of the pride and dignity in the Black community and its schools. She demonstrates insight and clarity as she reflects on who she is and what she needs while still supporting the nine students who will be brave enough to go after what they all should have a right to in the first place. Sylvia also shows that she has learned powerful lessons about herself from the horrible firebombing incident. This growth brings her to the final stages of her hero’s journey, when Sylvia returns to the comfort of family, friends, and community.