Imagine surviving a fatal experience only to be punished and blamed for a death you could do nothing about. Now, imagine losing a girlfriend and almost losing a sister and having to live with the grief with no one to share your pain. These are the two situations Sage and Maddy find themselves in after Isabel’s death (Sage’s girlfriend) in “The Isabel Fish” by Julie Orringer. Isabel died in a car crash with Maddy in the passenger seat, and she has felt blamed by everyone, including her brother and Isabel’s friends. Because of Isabel’s death, Maddy 's relationship with her brother became a series of punishments, however, after Sage feels guilty for killing Maddy 's fish, they finally opened up to each other and their relationship strengthens. …show more content…
In “Isabel fish," Sage says, “I’m an asshole, I admit it"(26). This means Sage is at last opening up about his feelings, which shows his relationship with Maddy has gotten better. He is finally realizing his mistakes and showing he was aware of the pain he put Maddy through. By referring to himself as an “asshole” he agrees with Maddy that his treatment towards her has been harsh. Additionally, he is trying to be nice to Maddy and look at things from her perspective. He is finally apologizing for his actions, which showed the change. Sage says, “You went sneaking out of the house, and I didn’t know what you were going to do"(26). Sage was worried about Maddy because he knew how much she cared about the fish. Sage was scared that Maddy might hurt herself because of the traumatizing experience. Sage didn’t know what the emotional consequences of the murder of Maddy’s fish might be so he followed her to make sure he didn’t lose another loved one. Sage opened up to Maddy and told her he cared about her and does notice her. He is showing her that even though he may not act like it; he really loves her. The murder of Maddy’s fish got Sage and Maddy talking again, which is different from their relationship at the