An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. Edward Bloom is a fantastic example of this in Big Fish, a Daniel Wallace novel. The book begins where Edward is dying.
Through larger than life stories about his heroic journeys, he teaches his son about life. In this novel, the author depicts Edward as a hero by giving him attractive attributes. However, does he truly show the characteristics of an epic hero? Edward Bloom is an epic hero because he takes a journey, he possesses bravery, and in the end, he achieves a goal.
Edward Bloom portrays an epic hero when he travels the world in Big Fish. His life begins in Ashland, but after his childhood, he knows he needs to leave to pursue other opportunities. To illustrate, the author writes that he “knew in his heart that he must go.” pg. 37 This example depicts the beginning of Bloom’s journey, because he is departing his childhood home. Even though he loves Ashland, he felt something that made him leave. Over the duration of his existence, Edward continues this journey.
He travels to Specter in the middle of the novel to begin a new chapter of his life.
Furthermore, Edward states that “there is something missing in his
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He stays true to himself by saving the girl in the river from a snake. The author notes that Edward “risked his own life to do it” pg. 26 when speaking of Edward’s rescue of the girl. This exemplification shows an extreme act of courage. Edward also displays bravery when he steals the eye from the college students to return to the old lady. Even though the men said that they would “take one of his eyes as recompense” pg 83 if he failed to return the eye, Edward boldly carries out this task. This displays Edward’s extreme valor because of the risks his life. Through his continued acts of bravery, Edward Bloom achieves his