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Readings from the Fringes

6
Poem

The Fish
Elizabeth Bishop

INTRO
Elizabeth Bishop (1911 – 1979) was an award-winning American poet and short story-writer.
“The Fish” is a widely read narrative poem. It is full of vivid imagery and figurative language.
The poem first appeared in the 1946 collection of poetry North & South.

SUMMARY
The poet says that she caught a "tremendous fish." She was pulling in the fish, but it
did not fight at all. The poet says that the fish is "battered," "venerable," and "homely." The
poet also gives a detailed picture of the condition of the skin. She compares it to old wallpaper
that is peeling off the walls of an ancient house. The sight of the blood in its gills inspires the
speaker to consider the fish's insides. From past experience catching, killing, and eating these
animals, she knows that the "white flesh" is "packed in like feathers."
The poet notes that there are "five old pieces of fishing line" in the mouth of the fish.
They are all "still attached" to their "five big hooks." She stares at the fish, and begins to feel a
sense of victory. The speaker realises that five people had undergone the same experience
before her. They were all influenced to release the fish back into the water. She also notices
the oil in the boat and the way it is spread into a rainbow. In that moment of realization, she let
the fish go.

ESSAY 1
1. Discuss the theme of the poem “The Fish”

“The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop is a poem that looks simple outwardly but, in fact, contains
different levels of meaning. The main themes are the interaction between humans and animals,
age and wisdom, and appearance versus reality.
The interaction between humans and animals is one of the themes. The poem talks about
the way we humans impose ourselves upon nature. The fishhooks that are stuck in the mouth

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of the fish are evidence. They have "grown firmly in his mouth" and are part of him. The poet
also compares the fish to manmade things such as "wallpaper" and "tinfoil." The manmade has
become so much a part of us that we don’t bother making it a part of the animal kingdom, too.
Age and wisdom is another theme. The fish is extremely old, "battered," "brown," and
"speckled". However, it is clear that it is far from weak. It has successfully resisted five earlier
attempts on its life. The old fishhooks are like "medals" in his mouth, creating a "five-haired
beard of wisdom." Age has taught him everything he knows.
Appearance versus reality is yet another theme. Although the fish at first appears very
old, "infested," and "ancient," and although it does not fight the speaker, a closer reading
reveals that this "tremendous" fish has been a warrior in his lifetime. At the end of the poem,
the speaker takes the fish and lets it go out into the open water.
These various levels of meaning make it a favourite poem of the readers as well as
critics.

SHORT ANSWER
1. How does the speaker hold the fish at the beginning of the poem?
The poet holds the fish beside the boat, halfway out of water. Her hook is caught in a
corner of its mouth.

2. Explain, “He didn’t fight. He hadn’t fought at all”.

The speaker says that as she was pulling in the fish, it did not fight at all. If it had fought,
then it could've broken the line and escaped. Although the fish did not fight, it had a deadweight
which was a different kind of resistance.

3. What is surprising about the fish?

Though the fish is battered, it is venerable and homely. The fish reacts as if it were
something he had already experienced before.

4. How are the eyes of the fish different from the eyes of the speaker?
The speaker notices that his eyes are much larger than hers, but they are also
"shallower" and yellower.

5. Identify the figure of speech used in the phrase “tarnished tinfoil”.

Alliteration’ (use of the same consonant sound at the beginning of adjacent words) is
the figure of speech that is used in "tarnished tinfoil."

6. What does “rainbow” symbolise in the poem?

It represents victory for both the fish and its capturer, but a different kind of victory.
Five people before her had a similar moment. So “rainbow, rainbow, rainbow.”

7. What does the expression “sun-cracked thwarts” refer to?

The “sun-cracked thwarts” are the seats for the rowers of the boats. They are cracked
by the intense heat of sun.

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8. Why did the speaker let the fish go at the end of the poem?
The speaker realises that five people before her had undergone the same experience.
They were all influenced to release the fish back into the water. The fish did not fight either.
In that moment of realization, she let the fish go.

Prepared by:
Prof. MURUKAN BABU C.R.
(formerly) Associate Professor of English
Panampilly Memorial Govt. College
Chalakudy

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