A Child Called It

Dave Pelzer's A Child Called It is perhaps the most engaging and eye-opening account about abuse ever written. Each chapter is filled with insightful, psychological depth that enthralls the reader into a rollercoaster ride of cognitive, physical and socio-emotional aspects and how each eventually shape an individual. Pelzer's book is illustrative of a child's search for answers and a compelling story of survival.

The first chapter sets the tone for the book itself with the scene that takes place between the child and his mother. The child is emotionally worried as he has to "finish the dishes on time, otherwise no breakfast; and since [he] didn't have dinner last night, [he has] to make sure that [he] gets something to eat" (Pelzer 7). Pelzer's presentation of the expression of worry in the child is key in this scene, as the child knows that he will not be able to eat, if he does not finish the dishes. The child feels guilt if he does not finish the dishes. Socio-emotional development is a key component of who we are and therefore, for the child, he believes he deserves not to eat if he does not fulfill the duty of washing the dishes.

There is also a physical element in the scene between the mother and the child. "Mother hits me in the face and I topple to the floor. I know better than to stand there and take the hit. I learned the hard way that she takes that as an act of defiance, which means more hits, or worst of all, no food" (Pelzer 7). Here, Pelzer's point is to display abuse early on and the damage to the child as a result.

The child's cognitive development is affected during this scene as well. He is accommodating his mother and has made the conscious decision to do this. The definition of accommodation is changing one's thinking, behavior and beliefs to come into a new way of operation (Steinberg et al.). Pelzer seems intent on providing description of the child accommodating his mother by having him "nodding to her threats" (7) and acknowledging that "mother can beat me all she wants, but I haven't let her take away my will to somehow survive" (7). Furthermore, Pelzer wants to elaborate on the mother's understanding and knowing of how the child wants to accommodate by adding the line "mother knows most of my tricks" (7).

In Chapter 2, the child reflects on good times. His socio-emotional development intact at this point, considering this was pre-abuse. He has a self-certainty in this chapter recounting how "mom was truly a gifted cook" (Pelzer 16) and being "blessed with perfect parents" (Pelzer 15) and the holiday celebrations. The child during this time was "squealed with delight" (Pelzer 17) and having so much "excite[ment] during those holiday seasons that [he] couldn't sleep" (Pelzer 18). The child is identifying the good times as a way of being certain about who his family is and wanting the reader to understand that his family at this point in his life was not abusive.

From a physical standpoint, the child is overjoyed in this chapter. His emotions are the result of physiological reactions to events, which is indicative of the James-Lange Theory of Emotion (Steinberg et al.). He relives summer vacations, stating that "mom was always the mastermind behind the trips. She planned every detail, and swelled with pride as the activities came together [...]the most memorable trip to the river for me, happened the year I was in kindergarten" (Pelzer 19-20). Pelzer is driven to ensuring that the child's physical emotions are the result of the externalities of the events he participates in with his family. That they are as "sweet [as the] air from the redwood trees" (20) and "sprinkled with magic" (20).

Chapters 3 and 4 present mostly cognitive concepts as Pelzer moves into the presenting how the child’s mother's behavior changed significantly. First, cognitive dissonance theory is at work. Cognitive dissonance is based upon individual passion and drive to contain any differing attitudes and beliefs of the conventional and traditional in order to satisfy and keep peace (Steinberg et al.). The child realizes that his mother's behavior was the result of control noting that his mother put enacted "corner treatment" (Pelzer 21) and that he "graduated to mirror treatment" (21) when his mother felt the corner was insufficient in having control over him. The observations by the child in this chapter capture the essence of cognitive dissonance especially when he notices how the mother's behavior changes when his father is at home. "Father became my protector," (23) Pelzer states. The child is driven to keeping his mother's version of peace that he lives through a burning incident that his mother orchestrates. "Mother told me that she had read an article about a mother who had her son lie on top of a hot stove. Mother held [his] arm to the orange blue flame," (28) Pelzer writes in order that the reader understands precisely the lengths the child is going through cognitively to keep the peace.

Cognitively speaking, the child utilizes the concept of helplessness in the early part of Chapter 4. He feels helpless to deal with the abuse his mother is giving him adding that he "had readymade excuses Mother brainwashed into [him]" (Pelzer 30) and dealing with the fact that his mother was not feeding him. Pelzer is very descriptive here adding that "I visualized every inch of the hamburger. Condiments oozed between the lettuce and tomato. As I brought the hamburger closer to my face, I opened my mouth to devour my prize, but nothing happened. I would wake up with my stomach more hollow than before. I could not satisfy my hunger; not even in my dreams (30).

The burn incident and lack of being fed becomes a central element in the child's socio-emotional development in Chapter 4. He tries to escape the self-stealing food while at school. "I always stole food before school began. The first few times were easy, but after several days, some students began to discover [what I had done]" (Pelzer 31). This escaping from the self in order to satisfy the abuse he receives is quite interesting to read. Pelzer segue ways this into the physical component of the chapter.

The child's mother would "refuse to feed [him] on weekends as punishment" (Pelzer 31). "[He] had become mother's slave" (Pelzer 32) as he endures the abusive treatment his mother gave him. The child tries to turn the tables on his mother however in the middle of the chapter at the vacation when his mother "smears a diaper on his face" (Pelzer 34) that was "soiled" (34). Pelzer wants the reader to understand the significance of the physical abuse that the child is receiving here, but also wants to show that while the child accommodated the mother at the beginning of the book - he is seeking to "switch tactics" (35) and turn the tables on his mother in order to survive the physical and cognitive abuse.

By Chapter 5, the child's cognitive development has reached a pivotal point. "I knew what forms of punishment to expect" (50) Pelzer writes. It could be said that cognitively, the child has encountered the sleeper effect. The sleeper effect is described as a phenomenon where a message is provided to an individual and the individual is in turn persuaded by it (Steinberg et al.). Therefore, the child has been persuaded by his mother that he is undeserving of food and love that every child needs. He essentially is persuaded that this abuse is the norm. This is indicated in the lines "she begun to wave the knife in her right hand. She had done this before" (Pelzer 51) and when he "washe[s] the dishes as fat as [his] body would let [him]" (Pelzer 55). It is important to note that while he has been persuaded that this is what he must physically endure if he is to live with his mother, he understands from a socio-emotional point of view that he can overcome this.

From a socio-emotional point of view, the child's self-esteem has gotten better as the book progressed. Where he was afraid at the beginning, he is stronger now adding that he "was determined not to give in, even to death" (Pelzer 55) and when he states that he "looked at his stomach and saw a red, angry slash - start[ing] to go upstairs and ask mother to clean me up, but stopped [saying] 'I don't kneed that bitch's help" (Pelzer 58).

Chapters 6 and 7 focus on the cognition of the child. He has endured the wrath of his mother, psychological punishment and undergoes a catharsis in the epilogue, which is an emotional releasing of feelings that have been repressed (Steinberg et al.). He is still accommodating his mother in Chapter 6 when he states "with every passing day, my willpower became weaker, I no longer dreamed of Superman or some imaginary hero who would come and rescue me. I gave up," (Pelzer 69) noting how his father did not live up to the promise he had hoped and in Chapter 7, his willpower has eroded so much that he believes "God stood by watching as things went from bad to worse" (Pelzer 89). The catharsis in the epilogue allows the child - now grown to reflect. This is evident by the lines "I broke free...my dark past is behind me now" (Pelzer 91) and "I have a vast appreciation for things that others may take for granted" (Pelzer 92). At the conclusion of the book, he realizes that he will not treat his son, Stephen as his mother treated him nor will he abandon him as his father did.

Dave Pelzer's A Child Called It reveals some harsh truths about abuse, early childhood trauma, and the bitter reality that many children endure as a result of it. While he (the child), now a man survived the abuse and believes he was made stronger by it, other children like him are not so lucky to withstand and live through unthinkable cruelty.

Works Cited

Pelzer, David. A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive. Deerfield Beach, FL: HCI, 1995. Print.

Steinberg, Laurence, et al. Lifespan Development. 1st. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.