40 pages • 1 hour read
Sharon M. DraperForged By Fire
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1997A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 13-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary
Jordan is put on trial, and Angel and Gerald speak before the jury. Monique is present, but she is still upset with Angel and Gerald for turning Jordan over to the police. Mr. Washington attends the trial, and Gerald is happy to see him.
Gerald speaks first before the jury and shares accounts of Jordan’s abusive behavior. Then, Angel is called to speak, but she is very nervous. She’s given a doll to show how and where Jordan touched her. Jordan is found guilty and is given six to ten years in prison. When Gerald and Angel leave the court room, Monique does not acknowledge them. Mr. Washington takes them out for lunch.
Chapter 14 Summary
It has been six years since the trial. Angel is 12 years old and is interested in dancing. Dancing helps her heal from the painful memories. Monique neglects her children, but Gerald has learned to cook, buy food with food stamps, and wash clothes. He’s now 17 years old and takes care of Angel. Gerald is on the basketball team and has many good friends at Hazelwood High School. Mr. Washington still checks in on Gerald and Angel to make sure they’re okay.
Angel wants to take dance classes, but she is scared that Monique will say no. Gerald offers to quit the basketball team and work afterschool as a dishwasher at a chicken restaurant to pay for the lessons, but Angel doesn’t want him to quit the team. Monique has stopped using drugs, but she is often drinking. She has a new job answering phones at the YMCA.
Although Monique is reluctant at first, she allows Angel to take dance classes since the month’s rent has already been paid. The Dance Theatre of Harlem is coming to school and will select 20 students to dance in a show. Angel dreams about being selected, but she doesn’t share it with Monique or Gerald.
Chapter 15 Summary
Chapter 15 introduces more information about Gerald’s friend group on the basketball team. He notices that some of them come from wealthier families with supportive and caring parents. His friend Andy has his own car and often gives Gerald and his friends rides home after practice.
While Gerald has been settling into the basketball team, Angel has been thriving in dance class. She tells Gerald that she has been picked to be the lead in the show next month. Angel is ecstatic, and Gerald is very happy for her, but their happiness is cut short when they come home to find Jordan sitting on the couch.
Chapters 13-15 Analysis
In Chapter 13, Angel and Gerald’s circumstances start to change for the better. Although Monique still resents them for reaching out to Mr. Washington and the police, she slowly “[stops] calling the children liars,” but never “[admits] that she was aware of Jordan’s abuse” (88). In his absence, she does seem to be more caring and involved in her children’s lives since she has a new job at the YMCA and allows Angel to take dance classes. Gerald, having had six good years of parental support, becomes Angel’s parent.
In Chapter 14, Gerald and Angel find new communities outside of their home, which preoccupies their time, allowing them space to heal from their difficult pasts. On the basketball team, Gerald has a solid and supportive friend group. Though he recognizes the differences between their class backgrounds, he appreciates that they do not treat him differently.
Although everything seems to be going smoothly after the trial, there are some subtle moments of tension and lingering fear within Gerald. After Monique tells her children she has gotten the receptionist job at the YMCA, she plans to spend the night celebrating. “The click of her high heels [reminds] Gerald of that day long ago, and he suddenly [feels] a little dizzy” (94). Though he is settling into this new life, “Gerald [wrestles] with memories of pain” (94). These chapters offer reminders that trauma does not go away with time. Gerald is still haunted by the fire and abuse of his childhood, and this moment takes on a foreboding quality.
Chapter 15 gives the impression that the novel will be taking a positive turn, but it is quickly shattered when Angel and Gerald find Jordan out of prison and back in their home, revealing that the central conflict of the novel has not been overcome and that there are more struggles to come. Monique’s consistent disapproval of the children following Jordan’s arrest foreshadowed this moment, as she still sees Jordan as the innocent party.
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By Sharon M. Draper
