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 and Sandra move to Birmingham, Alabama. Though Edward’s reputation as an intelligent, resourceful man precedes him, he knows he must “perform many great labors” to earn his rightful place in the world. His first labor is working for a veterinarian, and he spends his days cleaning out a near endless supply of feces from dog kennels. Edward is undaunted and repeatedly cleans with pride until each kennel is spotless, even though the dogs keep soiling the kennels over and over.
Edward’s “labors” allude to the 12 labors of Ancient Greek hero Hercules. Both Edward and Hercules have to clean feces, and both are successful because they complete the task with vigor, instead of being humiliated by its menial nature. This clear homage to Hercules reinforces the idea that Edward, like Hercules, is a mythical hero.
Themes
Edward’s second labor is working as a sales clerk in the lingerie section of a department store. His colleagues make fun of him for working in a feminine department, but Edward is nonetheless popular and successful with his customers, except for one. A large 80-year-old widow named Muriel Rainwater is perpetually in search of a girdle strong enough to hold her in, but she refuses to be served by a man. One day, Edward hides the newest girdles so that nobody else can help her. Muriel refuses his help but eventually gives in. When she tries on the girdle, she is transformed into a beauty, and declares the “technological miracle” the girdle she’s been waiting for all her life, and thanks Edward profusely.
Edward’s second labor also alludes to Hercules’ ninth labor, in which he has to seek out a girdle under hostile circumstances. Wallace adds a dose of humor into the story, with the comical description of Muriel Rainwater, thus exposing how humor can also render stories memorable. Edward’s success in this labor exposes his optimism, tenacity, and sharp thinking when faced with prejudice (from Muriel Rainwater who doesn’t want to be served by a man, and from Edward’s colleagues who wrongly think a man is demeaned by selling lingerie).
Themes
Edward’s third labor involves a wild dog. Edward has been promoted to manager at the department store, and he’s bought a small white house. Unfortunately, the house’s former resident was a beloved local man named Amos Calloway, and the neighbors are so put off that Amos died that they snub Edward and Sandra, no matter how much they try to honor Amos’s memory. Edward even meticulously trims the hedges in the shape of the alphabet as Amos did, to no avail.
Even though Edward and Sandra face prejudice when they move into Amos Calloway’s house, they don’t give up or retreat, but push forward, embracing the challenge and attempting to resolve the situation with pragmatic solutions (like honoring Amos Calloway’s memory). They persevere through the situation even though they don’t succeed, showing once again, Edward’s (and Sandra’s) drive.
Themes
One day, the neighborhood is invaded by a pack of wild dogs. Animal Control kills them all, except one “crazed, lunatic dog” who terrorizes the locals as if he’s stalking prey. One night, Edward is taking a walk and sees three-year-old Jennifer Morgan wander out into the street towards the feral “Helldog.” Edward scoops up the girl and the dog lurches at them in fury. Edward grabs the dog’s neck and slams it to the ground but the dog gets up, unfazed. Jennifer’s parents come out just as the dog is lunging for Edward’s neck to see Edward grabbing the dog’s heart out of its body with his bare hand, before handing Jennifer calmly back to her parents and walking on.
Wallace’s description of the feral dog as a “Helldog” alludes Hercules’ 12th and last labor, in which Hercules has to capture Cerberus, a hellhound who guards the gates of hell. The description of Edward grabbing the dog’s heart from its body with his bare hands is an embellishment intended to make the story more memorable. Edward displays his courage once again, and his protective nature, particularly towards those (like Jennifer Morgan) who are vulnerable.
Themes
Get the entire Big Fish LitChart as a printable PDF.
