Already I've heard stories, of lives saved and wishes granted, of children carried for miles on his back, of anglers mischievously dumped from their vessels and emptied into various oceans and streams from Beaufort to Hyannis by the biggest fish they've ever seen, and they tell their stories to anybody who will listen. But no one believes them. No one believes a word." (178) In concluding the reading of this work and any literary analysis of it the reader gains a knowledge of the subject matter that drives the story to one the can be called, one of "mythical proportions." It is the desire of all men to be immortal, to leave a legacy that will not be forgotten and potentially will be...

Through this novella Wallace describes in the most fantastic manner a possible way in which any person, regardless of their location, reality or even the mundane nature of their vocation can develop a legacy. Wallace proves that words have the power to transform reality into a group of ideas that leave an impression that does not disappear. The legacy of the author and the character are well expressed in Wallace's depiction of William's expedition to unravel the truth and in his imagery of water as a mythical transforming agent.
Bibliography

Wallace, Daniel, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythical Proportions, Penguin: New York, 1999