Charles Bukowski's Poem The Catch '

In Charles Bukowski’s poem, “the catch”, the group of men on the pier are actually trying to identify themselves rather than the creature/fish. The usual everyday lives of the men on the pier are interrupted by the “catch”, and they are left to question themselves on who they really are. The fish has captured all of their attention, and while they are trying to identify it, they don’t realize that they are actually trying to identify themselves however they can’t figure out how to. The moment the fish was out of the water, is the same moment the men start to question their lives on how and what they have experienced. The way in which the men come out with absurd and non-existing names for the fish, clearly shows how they can’t seem to describe or name their own characteristics in themselves. Not knowing who they really are, and what made them this way can only create confusion in a human beings life. As much as they are confused, they are also lost when they are faced with the fish, instead of questioning it’s reality they chose to deny the fact that there

When the fish suddenly acquires human abilities shown in the following passage: “it began to walk down the pier and we followed it. It ate a hot dog and bun right out of the hands of a little girl. Then it leaped on the merry-go-round and rode a pinto. It fell off near the end and rolled in the sawdust.”, the men observed it’s every move, not realizing it is themselves that they see in the fish. They have also lived their lives eating, drinking and living every minute and not caring about the time passing. Whereas, in the end will seem like a ride on the merry-go-round (the fish rides on), and which will also be how they will too fall off the ride (their perfect lives) and be left with death as the only