Owen Janes

In psychology class weve discussed an entire semester about the stages in human development.
What Ive taken away from the class is an understanding of the importance of infant and childhood
development and how it impacts the individual throughout life span. In the book Finding Fish a boy
named Antwone Fisher re-accounts his life through his eyes and from case reports written about him
growing up in a foster home and ending in his adult life. Antwone faces many hardships and adversity in
his young life and the impact of the foster system and foster family can be analyzed from what we have
learned in class. The book includes many themes we discussed as well as his personal identity search,
the impact of abuse, his self-image and self-esteem, and his resilience beyond a negative environment.
Although he is raised as an infant away from his mother, the case reports written by the social
workers describe a normal upbringing. In class we learned about a crucial stage in development and
how important the mother and baby relationship is. Breast feeding is the best way for a baby to get
proper nourishment and build an immune system. The mother and baby bonding time gives the baby a
calming and safety feeling. Although Antwone received attention as an infant it wasnt the one-on-one
time that normally happens and it seems that from birth Antwone is at a disadvantage from the
beginning due to the lack of his biological mother.
Throughout the book Antwone is naturally curious about whom his real parents are and his
identity search is a common theme. Antwones earliest memories are growing up in his foster home
with Mr. and Mrs. Prickett, and he comes to realize that they are not his real parents. He often
daydreams about what his parents look like and is constantly searching for them when they are out in
public. He imagines the most beautiful people and a successful father and soon they would want to
bring Antwone back into their lives. When he pictures his family it reminds the reader of his innocence
and beauty of a childs mind. It also brings forward the idea of how important a childs mother and

father are and a natural curiosity of the world around him. In class we talked a lot about working with
children from a young age to develop their minds and we also learned about learning disabilities
associated with non-stimulated children. There is a part in the book where Antwone decides he doesnt
want to go to church anymore and Mrs. Prickett lets him stay home by his self for hours. He escapes
from the harsh situation by letting his imagination take him on adventures in his solitude. The lack of
attention Antwone receives from his negligent foster parents is discovered when he starts school and
seems to have difficulty learning and social interaction.
Antwone continues to grow and his self-realization of the world around him develops. When he
meets his mother and learns about his father his innocence grows into logic and concrete operational
thought. We talked about stages in the development of children and I think Antwone reached this stage
faster because of the maturity level he was forced into. At an early age Antwone faces verbal abuse,
sexual abuse, a family members death, and people constantly coming in and out of his life.
Mrs. Prickett has the most impact on Antwone from her verbal abuse and her favoritism to
other foster children. Antwone is constantly being told about how awful of a person he is he begins to
believe it. He also learns about the unfairness of the reality he lives in. One example is when he gets his
halloween candy taken away from him by Mrs. Prickett. There is also a part in the book where he
realizes that being a black kid has a negative implication and he wishes he wasnt black. The way he is
treated in the Prickett household also influences his self-esteem and self-image. There are several
references in the book where Antwone finds himself and he sees his true voice. In school his teacher
influences him and makes him realize that he is smart and creative. He also discovers an appreciation of
art and learning. A huge impact on his life is when he stands up for himself to Mrs. Prickett and she
kicks him out of the house. He also learns that he no longer needs to fear her and stands up again and
sticks up for himself in front of his social worker.

Antwones new found confidence is important when he is having to live at the YMCA and later
finds himself homeless. Antwone often reflects on his childhood and the reader is able to see the
impact his experiences has on him. For example when he is back in his hometown and works for his
friend selling the phone numbers on the deck of cards. He realizes that he creating sexual abuse and
prostitution of young children and wants no part in it because he was a victim of sexual abuse. The best
part happens when he joins the Navy and again finds himself good at what he puts his mind to and
discovers his passion for poetry.
Antwone continues his social identity search when he reaches adulthood and wants to
reconnect with his family. He ends up tracking down his fathers side of the family first and finds a part
of him that he had been longing for. He also finds his mother and handles the situation differently than
how first approached the situation.
What I have learned in class is that human development can be analyzed through stages. Each
stage in life builds upon the stage before it and they influence each other. Reading Finding Fish was
had a good way of looking at this characters developmental stages. Although Antwone experienced a
significantly greater hardship and adversity than many people do it showed how each stage of his life
influenced him as he grew up and allows the reader to relate to that idea. I think that an important
concept to gather from the book is that although there are many influences contributing to the journey
in life, a persons own will is the most powerful. Although Antwone grew up in his negative
environment he was resilient because of his self-empowerment.