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Part 1: In Which He Goes Fishing
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Big Fish, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Ambition, Courage, and Personal Fulfilment
Truth, Myth, and Immortality
Love, Flaws, and Acceptance
The Redemptive Power of Laughter
Summary
Analysis
Edward Bloom has grown into a healthy, strong, well-liked man, who eats and drinks with gusto. His life is like a dream, but he knows he must leave. His mother and father don’t try to stop him, but they’re worried, as the only road out of Ashland passes through “the place that had no name.” Only people who are meant to leave Ashland can pass through unharmed. The others linger there in perpetual limbo.
Although Edward is happy and comfortable in his hometown, he is eager to explore the world. It’s clear that this involves risks, as his parents’ worries show. The “place that had no name” represents the limbo that people linger in when they've outgrown home but are too afraid to move forward into the challenges of the wider world.
Themes
Edward leaves Ashland on a bright day. It grows darker and foggier as he approaches “the place that had no name.” He sees stores like Ashland’s, including the pharmacy and the hardware store, but they’re dark, empty, and have cracked windows. Strange people—with “one terrible thing” different—run to meet Edward. One man has a shrunken arm that was battered in a car accident. A woman who had a stroke has a sagging face. An embittered whore lives at the end of the street. Her son is a brain-damaged boy with a swollen head and no memory who carries a broom around, looking for his father. They all tried to leave Ashland after their mishaps but got stuck here.
Edward’s descriptions of “the place that had no name” show that it is a disfigured version of reality: the people living there are people who get stuck in their lives and start to deteriorate psychologically because they are unable to grow as people. Wallace symbolizes their emotional or psychological deterioration with visual deformities, and he also describes the neighborhood as dilapidated and run-down to further emphasize the absence of life and growth there.
Themes
Edward meets a shriveled old man named Willie. Edward says he’s just passing through, but Willie takes Edward’s arm and shows him around all the same. Willie shows Edward places like the billiard hall and the whore’s house, mentioning how sweet she is—sometimes. It starts to rain, and Edward says it feels like everything’s damp here. Willie says “you get used to it,” explaining that’s what this place is for—getting used to things. Edward says he doesn’t want that. They walk through the growing fog as people with missing fingers gather to watch them. Willie explains that the dampness is like the residue of people’s dreams. Edward responds “not mine,” and Willie says “not yet.”
Willie’s comments highlight what happens to people who lack the courage to go out into the world and seize their dreams: they spend their lives “getting used to” an existence that’s a mere shadow of what their lives could have been. The perpetual dampness symbolizes the lingering “residue” or memory of personal ambitions that go unfulfilled: they’re not forgotten, but hang around in the air, making the environment uncomfortable, dreary, and disappointing.
Themes
Edward spots a generic-looking dog emerging from the fog. Willie smiles, saying the dog has no name so they call him “Dog.” Dog’s a gatekeeper of sorts. Willie tells Edward to call the dog, so Edward kneels hesitantly and calls to it, trying to look friendly. Dog’s hair bristles and he bares his teeth, locking eyes with Edward. Willie forces Edward to stick out his hand as the dog approaches, snarling. Edward’s heart is pounding, but the dog softens, licking Edward’s hand and wagging his tail. Willie looks defeated. Edward wonders if he can leave now and Willie grips Edward’s arm tightly, saying Edward will want a coffee first.
Throughout the novel, Wallace often symbolizes Edward’s fears as vicious beasts that he needs to tame. This is a common trope in Ancient Greek mythology and highlights the transfiguration of Edward’s life into a mythical odyssey. Here, Dog is a metaphor for the fear that people must face when taking a leap into the unknown. Although Edward doesn’t cross Dog’s path the first time, he puts his hand out despite his fear, and thus takes the first step towards conquering his fear or taming the beast.
Themes
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Edward and Willie enter the Good Food Cafe, a gray, lifeless place. The pallid diners smile, eyeing Edward like he’s their meal. A silent waitress serves some steaming coffee and Willie cautions Edward that there were others who saw themselves as big fish and still got stuck here. Jimmy Edwards was going to be a big football star but he’s here all the same. Dog got his left index finger. Edward notices that everyone’s missing some fingers. They get up and crowd around Edward as he spots Dog waiting outside. Edward wonders if he missed his chance to leave.
People who see themselves as “big fish,” like Edward, seek to challenge themselves and grow as a result of the experiences they have. The gray and lifeless nature of the people living in “the place that had no name” shows what happens to such people when they give up: their lives become hollow and lifeless when they are drained of ambition and the desire for personal growth.
Themes
A man even older than Willie warns Edward not to face Dog again, saying he’s unpredictable and it’s better for Edward to sit tight and tell them about his dreams instead. Edward does, and they smile, asking him to come back and tell them again tomorrow. One woman even says she can fix Edward up with a nice girl. Edward shifts uncomfortably and says apologetically that there’s been a misunderstanding and he’s not staying. The diners crowd around Edward, urging him to stay, saying he’ll forget about his dreams.
The ancient man explains that people who are stuck in this place lack the courage to face Dog, meaning they lack the courage to take a risk and leap into the unknown, which is necessary to move forward in life. The people in this place are so afraid of crossing Dog’s path that they even project their fear onto others, including Edward.
Themes
Suddenly, someone screams as Dog approaches, growling, with his “terrible” teeth bared. The crowd back away in fear and Edward jumps at the chance to escape, running into the darkness without looking back. The sky begins to lighten and Dog is running beside Edward. The world becomes green again and Dog rubs against Edward as they approach a giant, endless lake. Dog collapses, and Edward rubs Dog’s neck with soothing tenderness. As the sun sets and the moon rises, Edward sees the river girl emerge from the water in the distance. She waves at Edward and he waves back, saying “Hello!” and then “goodbye.”
Edward doesn’t hesitate and leaps past Dog, crossing the boundary between the comforts of home and the great unknown that lies ahead. This shows Edward’s resilience: if he doesn’t succeed at something the first time, he will try again until he does, much unlike the people who got bitten by the dog at first and then lost hope. Symbolically, Edward conquers his fear, and therefore, tames Dog. As a myth, this story highlights the value of facing one’s fear head on and taking a risk, even if there may be dire consequences. The appearance of the river girl symbolizes Edward’s renewed hope in the opportunities that await him now that he has conquered his fear.
Themes
