“This beginning part is for my father. This is your story.”

In many ways, the death and subsequent restoration of the memory of Antwone’s father is at the center of the story of Antwone’s life. Antwone’s developmental journey sees him heal from considerable loss and establish a realistic outlook. His experience of loss is both universal and extreme. Antwone’s is a distinctly Oedipal journey, at the end of which he realizes not that he has killed his own father, but that his father is already dead.

“Through the splintered wood, I can hear wondrous voices inside and the sound of African drums beating in celebration.”

The rhythm of African music connects Antwone with a heritage that stretches back beyond colonial oppression. Yet he is still removed from this state of harmony and community. The party is happening in another room; in fact, the Elkins’ household is right down the road from his lonely life at the Picketts’.

“Ironically, I knew nothing about the racism that was at the heart of this war.”

Racism is an ever-present undercurrent that belies the suffering of many of the people in Antwone’s life. While the Picketts perpetuate the oppression that they have been subjected to, the Fisher family struggle with addiction, and Horace Jr. is sufficiently moved to support the Black Panthers.