Roar Blog #4: Finding Fish

Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog-Book into Movie
February 17, 2010

Roar #4

Summary:
In the book Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher, the readers learn a little more about Antwone being homeless and how it lead him to joining the Navy. Antwone was forced to go to the YMCA’s men shelter after her graduated from school, because he was not older enough to join the navy. He was only seventeen, but his birthday was coming up. While Antwone was at the shelter there were two men who were trying to sexually abuse him, but Antwone found protection with Butch. Butch was a drug dealer, ran numbers, stolen goods, and ran prostitutes, but Antwone soon became Butch’s protégé. Being the Butch’s protégé did not last long because Antwone made the wrong move and was beat up for his actions. Antwone had to leave the men’s shelter because he feared for his safely and he was homeless again. In this time he happened to miss his eighteenth birthday because he lost track of the days.
One of Antwone’s childhood friends name Jessie seen Antwone on the street and he told him that he could crash at his house. Jessie’s mother didn’t notice that Antwone was living there because she had a lot of kids and she couldn’t keep track of all of them. Jessie was a good friend to Antwone because he let him take showers and gave him clean clothes to wear, but one day that all changed. Jessie wanted Antwone to come with him to the store, but Antwone had to do something first. When Antwone was finish, he seen Jessie in front of the store with an old man and he started walking toward them. The old man pulled out a gun and shot Jessie, because he was sick and tired of people trying to rob him. After this event Antwone took off and he was homeless again, but not for long. Antwone seen Flo, who grew up in the Pickett too, and she brought him to Mercy’s home. Mercy was always nice to Antwone and he lived with her for a little while. Antwone also reconnected with Dwight and this is when he began seeing signs saying to join the navy, so Antwone finally joined.
Antwone joined the navy, so he could see the world because he didn’t want to settle. Antwone wanted more for himself. The Navy was difficult for Antwone at first, but with time it became easier. Antwone learned many lessons while in the navy and Chief Lott taught him the most important ones. He taught Antwone as known as Fish, communication skills that helped him speak up for his self. These skills were helpful, but Fish was still depressed because of his past and he took up a hobby that would help him express himself better. Fish started to write poetry and he was very talented, because many of his peers paid for his work. This helped Fish gain a good reputation along with all of the hard work he put into helping people on the ship.
When Fish changed ships and was able to go to Tokyo he fell in love. The lucky lady was Seiko Fukashima. Fish was so happy because he was finally able to feel the love that he wrote about in poems. They dated for about a year, but they had to break up when Fish’s ship had to leave. Seiko didn’t want Fish to forget about her, so she put a bottle of her perfume in his bag and he was able to smell her for years to come. When Fish came back to the states he was awarded with medals and ribbons, but he also left the Navy after eleven years.
When Fish was in his new apartment in California, he started thinking about the family that he never had, so he decided to look them up. When fish finally found some numbers that might help him, he only decided to call one number and it was Annette Elkins. She was his long lost aunt and Fish was happy that he found his family. Fish decided to meet his uncle that lives in California. After Fish and his uncle reconnected, Fish flow down to Cleveland a few days later to meet the rest of the family. The Elkins family was very proud and happy that they meet Antwone. Antwone realized that he had many similar traits with his father’s side of the family. They were artists, writers, and Antwone looked like them, but he still wanted to meet his mother. Eva Mae Fisher was Antwone’s mother and they found her through a family friend name Jess. Jess was Antwone’s uncle on his mother’s side. When Antwone when to see his mother, some of his family members had came to support him. Antwone’s mother had done through a lot of hard ships and Antwone was finally able to see that when he met her. When she seen him and was told that he was Antwone, she began to cry, but she never addressed him. Antwone had repair a speech to say to his mother, but when he seen how she was he had nothing to say. Antwone had forgave his mother and it helped him realized that his entire struggle and unknowing his family, was just parts of the story of his life.
*Summarized pages: 375-508

Quote:
“Maybe I was naïve and undeveloped, even delayed, but if growing up meant the death of dreams, I chose immaturity” (Fisher 400).

Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that Antwone kept dreaming and he wanted to make those dreams come true. The people around him were just settling for whatever they had and he wanted more. He wanted to see the world and enjoy life to the fullest. He had his dreams come true. I also really like this quote. Antwone Quenton Fisher’s writing style throughout the memoir stayed the same. He had continued to use two different voices to narrate the book. The younger and older voice help the readers view how Antwone had seen things as they were happening. The older voice helped the readers see how Antwone felt about the events in his life, from a mature place and the younger voice allowed the readers to view things while they happened. Fisher’s writing skills gave great details into the setting, characters, and his dreams. This made the readers fell as if they were there with Antwone.