Finding Fish

In this act, Antwone takes control of his life, identifying with the Dramatics’ lyric “I’m the captain of my life, the master of my destiny…” Though still “at sea” in terms of his familial identity, Antwone reinvents himself in the navy. In this institution, he learns new values and a sense of worthiness that helps him rewrite his life’s story, something he will literally do later: “In the book of my new life, I am not only able to be responsible for myself, but I can be responsible for others—for their lives” (293). Antwone also discovers literature while in the navy, which will be his superpower: “This was more than a lesson about saving receipts. It was much more. It was the discovery of the power of words (310).

Antwone’s new identity as a writer is consolidated when he gains a nickname. Just as it did at school, nicknaming in the navy signifies a moment of social cohesion and personal agency: “my reputation as a writer of romantic poetry swelled to such an extent that the chief storekeeper on the U.S.S. St. Louis dubbed me Sweet Mouth” (313). Forever seeking connection, whether it be through language or through lineage, Antwone finds fulfilment through the autobiography genre: “If there’s nobody there to learn what you’ve learned, then your life is without consequence, no matter how much wealth of wisdom you’ve attained” (311). By passing his experience on in written form, Antwone prevents further “orphaning.”

One summer night in Los Angeles, Antwone is daydreaming when the memory of his early recurring dream of having a family returns to him. After three years as a federal correctional officer, he has just started a job as a security guard at Sony Pictures Entertainment. He encounters lots of famous people, including Danny DeVito, Tom Hanks, and Dustin Hoffman. Antwone reads the screenplays that are lying around. He calls Cleveland and requests a copy of his social services file. Antwone then searches for Eva Fisher, his mother, and discovers that his father, Edward Elkins, was killed two months prior to his birth.

Antwone finds the address of his father’s next of kin in the neighborhood where he grew up. He traces his aunt and reconnects with his long-lost family. He discovers has relatives two hours away and that his own literary talent runs in the family. Antwone promises to visit his aunt Eda in Cleveland and visits his uncle Raymond who lives nearby. Antwone realizes that he has walked past his grandfather dozens of times in Glenville, and Raymond even remembers seeing Antwone as a child.

At Thanksgiving, Antwone returns to Cleveland to celebrate with his family, a time that replicates the scene in his recurring childhood dream. The characters in the dream materialize into his aunt and uncle. When asking for vacation leave, Antwone tells his employers his story. Antwone is given photographs and presents and visits his father’s grave at Cavalry Cemetery. Antwone also meets Frances, his father’s girlfriend and killer.

Antwone’s maternal uncle Jess Fisher is a family friend of the Elkins’ and takes him to meet his mother. Despite his painful feelings of abandonment, Antwone has compassion for her, as she has evidently led a hard life. She is ashamed and cries. Jess tells Antwone about the difficulties he and his sister faced growing up. Antwone gets to know his mother, but he feels she is a stranger, so his curiosity lessens. Antwone reconnects with his old friends, visits Dwight in jail, and finds peace.