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
When Edward left Ashland, he vowed to see the world, and he does. Edward explores far and wide, and he travels to every continent, making “cameo” appearances in William’s life in between, occasionally saving William from dying while urging him towards “manhood.” No matter where he goes, however, he always wants to leave William “laughing.” This is how he wants William to remember him, and how he wants to remember William. William says Edward’s ability to make him laugh is Edward’s greatest power.
William wrestles with Edward’s lengthy absences and “cameo” appearances, but also acknowledges that Edward is still present as a father figure who tries to help William grow up. William starts to understand the value of humor in Edward’s life—Edward wants to be remembered with joy, not pain. William finally starts to understand that laughter is not as trivial as he thinks.
Themes
William tells a joke about a man named Roger who’s shocked when his neighbor calls to say Roger’s cat died. Roger is horrified that his neighbor is so blunt, and scolds him to break the news more gradually next time, perhaps beginning with saying the cat’s on the roof, then saying the cat looks sick, then saying the cat’s at the vet, and so on. The next time Roger gets a phone call from his neighbor, the neighbor begins to say “Your father’s on the roof…” This is how William likes to remember Edward. On the roof, well dressed, looking around, smiling and winking at William as he falls—in his “mysterious, mythic” way.
In retelling one of Edward’s jokes, William starts to accept and embrace Edward’s quirky way of dealing with difficult situations, which is to lighten the emotional burden with humor. Even though William still feels like doesn’t fully understand his “mysterious” father, he begins to shift his mindset towards accepting Edward, rather than wanting Edward to be a different person. William’s description of Edward as “mythic” alludes to the overarching picture of Edward as a legendary hero.
Themes
