Myth In Big Fish

What exactly are myths? What are their purposes? According to dictionary.com, myths are defined as traditional or legendary stories that include some type of being or hero or event, concerning the early history of people or explaining some social or natural phenomenon. This definition sounds pretty complicated, however all it’s saying is that myths are fake stories but they usually have some big lesson behind them to teach those who are listening or reading them. Myths are usually used in stories to teach the readers some sort of lesson. Instead of just telling you the lesson, the authors want you to have to think deeper and dive into the story in order to figure out the purpose behind the myth. In this story, “Big Fish” there are many myths

Edward acts like this “big fish” during these myths so that his son won’t have to know about his troubled life and find out about all of the bad things in this world. For example, the text states, “Indeed, the eye had become the focus of some notoriety, and was discussed openly and with great veneration among certain individuals Edward Bloom shrewdly befriended.” (Page 58). This quote from the myth “The Old Lady and the Eye” shows the readers that Edward has gained a lot of knowledge and he has worked hard to gain trust. Edward was willing to fight for this old lady’s eye by becoming one of these kids and risk being hurt or even killed. Edward was teaching William to fight for others but to be smart as Edward had done. This myth is also showing William that his father was a big deal because many people feared him and thought he was this big, important person for outsmarting these kids. To add to that, Edward is showing his son that he can beat anyone or outsmart anyone because he wants to shield his son from fear or danger. Even though Edward is mostly-absent these myths help keep this bond while Edward isn’t

These myths are used to represent the connection between William and Edward as it was their way to bond. As Edward is dying, William retells these stories of his father’s life to remember what his life was like before and during this sickness. William writes different takes on his father’s death to figure out what their last conversation is going to be like. The final and real take expressed the truth between these myths as Edward turned into this big fish. Edward finally knew that William understood his myth and that his son would survive in this real world. Through these many myths William learned new information on his dad and he was finally able to understand who his dad was. These myths truly helped William stay connected to his father, or this big important person while he wasn’t home. Many people may not understand the reasoning behind these myths but Edward was finally able to pass these myths on to his son William as Edward become a big fish. “He was just changing, transforming himself into something new and different to carry his life forward in. All this time my father was becoming a fish.”(Page