¶ … Fish

Elizabeth Bishop's poem, the Fish, incorporates a very interesting message in its text. Thus, the frame of the poem is constructed around a single, main metaphorical event: the speaker describes a brief moment of fishing. The imagery and the event are symbolical and they transmit a significant morale. Thus, the speaker proceeds to describe in detail the body of her victim, where the marks of the fishing lines have been inscribed. What is interesting is the fact that the contemplation with its insistence on details leads to a swift realization of the actual meaning of her act. The poem alludes therefore to the importance of life and the right of everyone to enjoy it. The fishing line marks inscribed on the body of the fish are a symbol of its fight with death. As a hunted creature, the fish has escaped death a number of times, but breaking loose. Not accidentally, the word 'wisdom' is used to depict the fish. Moreover, the speaker seems to establish a certain eye-contact with the fish and thus observes that her eyes are similar to those of the fish. Upon looking at these marks on its body, the speaker of the poem suddenly shifts to a different state of mind. The marks seem to impress her with the power of a revelation. Symbolically, the right to live wins the victory over the initial act of murder. The images are very telling, as the light and reflection seem to propagate from one line to another, until everything is a rainbow: "from the pool of bilge / where oil had spread a rainbow / around the rusted engine / to the bailer rusted orange, / the sun-cracked thwarts, / the oarlocks on their strings, / the gunnels -- until everything / was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! / and I let the fish go."(Bishop) the rainbow is a very symbolical image, as it has always been the equivalent of peace. As the sign of the great covenant, the rainbow is used here to represent the importance of life and the triumph of good over evil. Through a simple event of fishing thus, the author represents the act of murder and importance of life.

Works Cited

Bishop, Elizabeth. "The Fish." Poem Hunter. http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-fish