Big Fish questions

Students worked in groups responding to the following handout: The Power of Symbolism Edward Bloom loved to tell the story of the day his son was born. He said he’d been trying to catch a certain big fish his whole life. On the day his son was born he was out fishing, and he caught sight of the big fish again. He used his wedding ring as bait, and the fish chomped down. He was then in a predicament—his wedding ring was in the jaws of this great fish. What would he do? Finally, the fish tossed back the ring and swam away. [Q] Why does Edward enjoy telling this story? What does it mean to him? Will is angry when his father tells this story at Will’s wedding. He tells his father he’s just a footnote in the story, and anyway, Edward was on a business trip to Wichita, not on a fishing trip, the day Will was born. [Q] Why does Edward tell this story at Will’s wedding? What does the story reveal about Edward’s feelings for Will? [Q] What does the big fish represent? What meaning(s) does it hold for Edward? For each of the following items, provide what you feel actually happened. Consider what the core truth of each story is and why these people were at Edward’s funeral. Carl the giant The first visit to Spectre The werewolf The courtship of Sandra The double torso woman and his experience during the war Norther Winslow (bank robbery) The second visit to Spectre