The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop - Book Report/Review Example

The poem, "The Fish," written by Elizabeth Bishop, describes the experience that one might have while out at sea. The experience, like any other, starts out by being thrilled over catching a large fish. The speaker is ecstatic, as she now has something to talk about. However, as time goes on, and as she takes a deeper look at the fish, she develops a feeling of sympathy for the creature, thus setting it free. Her strong desire to consume her prey then vanishes when she takes a closer look at the fish and realizes his pitiful, sickly state. While there is some confusion as to the gender of the speaker, several scholars have concluded that it is a woman based on the imagery that is used when describing various aspects of the fish's appearance, such as rose patterns on wall papers. One might draw the conclusion that if the speaker were of the male persuasion, he would not use such imagery. He would more than likely use similes that are of a masculine nature when making comparisons of the features of the fish. Some may even draw the conclusion that the speaker of "The Fish" could be Bishop herself, since according to Ronald E. McFarland; Bishop grew up in a fishing town in Canada. Then, she moved to Key West when in her thirties. This poem was written during her stay in Key West, hence the reason that some scholars draw the conclusion that this poem could be written to tell of one of her own experiences. To add more fuel to this argument, it is also noted in some texts that fishing was one of her pastimes, as she found much enjoyment in this activity (McFarland). On the surface, the poem seems to only be about just an ordinary experience of someone fishing at sea; however, when it is very closely analyzed, it reveals an even deeper message to the audience, as the speaker conveys that the hunter can sometimes have pity, sympathy, and compassion for the hunted. In the first five lines of the poem, the speaker is bragging about the fish that she caught. She is immensely excited that her fish is gigantic in size, which is something to be proud of when one fishes. It is possible that, out of excitement, she is bragging to others who are fishing along with her. As she holds her catch beside the boat, she examines it carefully, while the hook that is stuck in the corner of its mouth is holding it captive for all to see. In the next four lines, she talks about how it is effortless to bring the fish onto the boat. She talks about how the fish does not put up a fight, such as what a fish of this large in size would usually do. She lets us know why this is. She describes the fish as being beaten and battered up. She even compares it to someone who is homely. Such a description suggests that the fish had had enough and would not put up a fight, no matter his fate. Some literary scholars conclude that the reason the fish does not choose to fight is because the fish is made up and is merely a figment of the speaker's imagination. Ronald E. McFarland, in one of his write-ups states that, Richard Moore, a literary scholar who analyzed Bishop's poem in depth says that the fish seems very unrealistic, as it is not a real fish at all. Moore backs up his claim by stating that the speaker never really reveals which type of fish it is, hence there are no conclusions to draw on whether or not the fish is fictional (McFarland). Then, there are the literary scholars on the opposite end of the spectrum. These scholars believe that the fish is, in deed, real and not just a figment of her imagination. To provide ammunition this argument, some have even gone as far as trying to identify the species. For instance, McFarland, in his own article, uses many different resources to try and identify the fish. First, he goes by what he has learned from experience. We learn that Ronald is a Florida fisherman who actually fished in the same waters as Bishop. He states that he has seen fish of this kind, adding fuel to his claim that the fish in the poem does, in fact, exist. To further back up his claim, he refers to the Fishermen's Field Guide. He finds a description from the guide that matches the fish described in the poem, thus he uses this as evidence to refute the opposing claims made by other critics (McFarland.) After expressing her excitement over her catch of the day and bragging about how easy it was to achieve, the speaker then spends a great deal of time describing the fish in intricate detail. It is this description of the fish that gives us even more insight as to why it does not put up a fight. From her description of the fish in the next six lines of the poem, we learn that it is very sickly, old, and weather beaten, and the speaker does a marvelous job at conveying this through her choice of similes. The skin of the fish is compared to ancient wall paper that hangs down in strips. If one has ever walked into an old house and looked at a wall with this type of wall paper, it would suggest that the house is weather beaten, well along in years, and that the wall paper needs to be replaced. To further confirm that the fish is, in deed, well aged, the speaker of the poem likened it to rose patterns that are stained or faded, just the same as would occur on wall paper that is in the kitchen or bathroom. In the bathroom, wall paper patterns become stained after a period of time as a result of the steam from multiple showers or baths. Of course, it takes a very long time for these water stains to occur. Because it takes so long for these stains to occur on the bathroom walls, wall paper with these stains would suggest that it is aged. In the kitchen, wall paper becomes stained after years of smoke and grease splatter from cooking. If one walks into a kitchen seeing these types of stains on the wall paper, he would draw the conclusion that the kitchen is well lived in and that it is time for a new design. Just like the old house with the aged wall paper that looks quite shabby in appearance, the fish is also shabby and beaten and battered in appearance. Comparing the aged and battered fish to wall paper that is ancient, stained, and torn enables her audience to develop a clear image in their minds as to what the fish may look like. It is this imagery that enables her audience to draw the conclusion that the fish is beaten, battered, and aged. In the next six lines of the poem, the speaker uses a number of very descriptive words to help the audience develop a clear picture of the sickly condition of the fish. For instance, she gives us extensive details, such as how the fish is covered in barnacles and has lime deposits all over its body. This is not all of the specifics on the fish's sickly status. She further explains how the fish is infested with sea lice. Usually when we speak of an infestation, thoughts of disgust and contamination comes to mind. Infestation is never positive. Along with being horribly infested with sea lice, the fish is covered in layers of weeds from the sea. The fish being weighed down with the layers of weeds from the sea could be likened to all of the troubles and stresses of life weighing down someone who is up there in years. While a fish may not have the same stresses and troubles as a person, his extensive time of fighting and survival, which will be covered in greater detail later in the poem, could be liken to what a human deals with when trying to fight through life. After she fills her audience in on the appearance and sickly condition of the fish, she sheds light on the condition of it in the next six lines when it is out of the water and hanging beside the boat from the fishing line. The condition of the fish is les than stellar, as it is struggling to breathe, and blood is dripping from his gills. One can draw the conclusion that it was very recently wounded, as she describes the blood as being fresh and crisp. It is this immensely horrific sight that causes her to feel sympathy in her heart for the poor creature. It is this sympathy that dissipates her urge to just take the fish home and consume it. Her sympathy then transforms to admiration. She now admires the fish as she describes its features in explicit detail. For example, she tells us of his skin, which is coarse and white in color. Then, she talks about the color pattern on the fish's body and how it makes it stand out. Notice, when describing the color patterns how she emphasizes it through the use of the term "dramatic." After she speaks of the colors of the fish, she then makes note of the shiny parts on its body, which she refers to as entrails. She also brings the attention to the audience to its swim bladder, which she states is quite large in size. In order for her to describe the fish in such intricate detail, she truly has to have some sort of admiration for the fish. If she has no admiration for the fish and its true natural beauty, she would not be bothered with spending a whole lot of time focusing on all of the minutest of details. Her sympathy and admiration for the creature carry her even further to the point of her assigning human characteristics and behaviors to the fish. Eleven lines out of the poem make it seem as though the fisherwoman is actually interacting with the fish as though humans interact with one another. The fisherwoman says that when she stares into the eyes of the fish, she can see that they are old and tired. She compares them to old and tarnished tin foil. What's more, she says that they are shallow in appearance. By the way she conveys her thoughts in these lines, some could draw the conclusion that she is disappointed that the fish does not seem to be interacting with her and sharing in her happiness. According to one article, one literary scholar, Thierry Ramais, wrote that it is as if she is trying to make a connection with the fish, just as strangers try to make a connection with one another for the first time. However, like the strangers, the fish does not really feel comfortable with her, so it does not interact and share in her feelings of victory. Even though the fish refuses to interact with her, she admires it all the more. She humanizes the fish even further by assigning it a gender, as she now refers to it as a "he." (Ramais) Rather than the fish being her prey, he is now on her level. She takes her humanizing of the creature even further when she states that he has a lower lip, just as one would say when referring to the features of a human face. Her humanizing the fish enables her to further connect with it to the point of not wanting to take it home and eat it. After all, she sees what he, the fish, has been through, and she does not feel right killing that creature herself. Her pity on the poor creature is made evident, as she describes his current state of being from all of his past battles. He has old hooks and wires hanging from his mouth, and he carries with him the scars of those fights. She knows that others will come along, as the old saying goes that there are more fish in the sea, hence she sets him free. It is fair to conclude that though the fisherwoman is excited about her large catch in the beginning of her poem, her heart later causes her to have pity on the fish. Like any other fisherman or fisherwoman, her heart was set on eating her prey and taking it home for all to see. She wanted to show it off like a trophy. However, morality set in, and she thought it better to let him go, as it would not be fair to take advantage of a creature so sick and frail. Contrary to what many choose to believe, the hunter can sometimes have sympathy for the hunted, and an in depth analysis of this poem shows that this is sometimes an occurrence, especially among humans who will sometimes develop sympathy as a result of the condition of their prey. Though they have a strong desire to consume what has been caught in their grasps, they are able to fight this desire and allow the weak to be free. Work Cited McFarland, Ronald. "On "The Fish"." Modern American Poetry Site. 2009. 14 Apr 2009 . Ramais, Thierry. Modern American Poetry Site. 2009. 14 Apr 2009 . Read More