The Big Fish has many notable themes in it, but the theme that I believe is most important is the different reactions to storytelling. The father tells his son stories his entire life, as a child his son loved the stories and was begging his father to tell certain stories. However, as the son gets older he grows less fond of his father's fantastic stories, and eventually breaks off his relationship with his father completely after a story is told at his wedding. They didn't speak for three years. Upon return to see his father since he knows his dad could die soon, he seems to act totally different to his father's stories. He is attentive and goes along with his thoughts and stories. The son's wife on the other hand, loves her stepfather's stories and listens closely and asks questions. Certain people enjoy different types of stories at different points in their lives. A good example is at the son's wedding, his father told a story that made the event all about himself, the son broke his relationship with his father for three years over that story. However the people attending the wedding loved the story and applauded him. There are both good times and bad times to tell stories to different types of people.
I don't think there are different types of people who have good times and bad times to tell stories to. Everybody loved the stories the father told because they were exciting, funny, and crazy. The son loved them but after he got older he hated them. He felt like he didn't even know who is father was. He thought he was nothing but a liar and causes him to never speak to his father for three years. And the only reason he comes back is when his father is close to dying, he desperately wants to know the true stories and not the fake ones anymore.
I agree with Dominick that there aren't different types of people who have good times and bad times to tell stories too. I believe the son may have just gotten tired of hearing the same story of what the father was doing the day he was born. The son ultimately realizes while sitting next to his dying father that the three years he went without speaking to his father, were 3 years he will never be able to get back. Those three years his father was absent were years he missed out on commonly told stories and maybe even a few new ones. Despite the stories being a bit far fetched, they were in fact the truth.Ironically when the son is in search of finding the truth about his father's life, he has known it the whole time. Ultimately, I believe that this movie had also given off the idea that you should never take anything or anyone for granted. Treasure each moment and listen closely to everything that you are told because you never know what may be fact or fiction.
In The Big Fish we see a progression in the son. He starts off enjoying these fascinating tales that his father tells him but eventually he starts to think that everything his dad says is fantasy. I think that his father took the art of storytelling too far. He had a gift to make these unrealistic lies seem like the truth. this eventually lead his son to believe that anything he says is a lie. Maybe telling a story has to be used in moderation. If you lie so much, people will eventually believe that anything you say is a lie. This happened here in Big Fish when the father and his son cut off their relationship for three years after the son refused to hear any more of his fathers lies. The art of storytelling is a fragile slope. One has to learn that they cannot constantly lie because they will lose their reliability.
I agree with you Chris at first the son loves the stories his father tells him when he was a child. But when he gets older he hates hearing the stories because he believes they are just lies. He wants to know the truth to the stories because he feels he doesn't even know who is father is.But at the end we find out the stories were true except his father just hyped them up a little bit to be more exciting. And when the doctor told the son about the day he was born we find out that his father wasn't even there, he was away on a business trip. Its better to have some crazy and exciting story about the day you were born than to find out your father wasn't even there. I feel the son finally realizes why is father told him the stories the way he did. He was trying to show his son that you could do things that you think are impossible to happen, to go for your dream. Such an instance is when the father finds the love of his life, the girl he wants to marry, is already engaged. The father never gives up till he does win her over and gets married to her.
I totally agree with you Chris. The father goes to extreme measures when he tells stories and the son can't take it anymore. A perfect example of this is when the son is getting married and after the father gives a speech he takes him outside to yell at him and say how embarrassing he is to him and himself. i can't believe that the father and son lose contact for so long because of a couple of stories. If this was my father I would be mad at him but not mad enough not to talk to him for 3 years. I think at the end of the movie the son is obviously sad his dad is dying but I'm sure that he feels he wasted 3 years with his father and now his father is on his death bed. I hope this doesn't happen to me when I grow older over any kind of incident with one of my parents. It is truly sad what little things can tear a family apart. B'OSu
I also agree with you Chris in some aspects not all, the main reason why the son left his family was because of the exotic stories that his father was telling everybody. Imagine hearing the same story over and over again with the same exact ending, it gets boring and a bit annoying especially when it is a bit exaggerated. However, he was not really "lying" just using exaggeration to make a story more interesting, because his father obviously enjoyed telling stories as it was a main part of his life. In the end, I think the son realizes that leaving his family for 3 years was a terrible mistake because of the fact that he grew further away from his father because of these stories.
I agree with you Chris. Edward was defiantly taking lies to a new level. Will's life was founded on lies that he thought were real. When growing up he still had faith in his father, hoping that some of the stories were true. Until the end, Will saw his father as a crazed liar, and that completely De-idolized him for the rest of his life. Their story is very much like the boy who cried wolf, except the boy wasn't lying the whole time.
In The Big Fish, what intrigues me and what I find most entertaining is this idea of how Edward Bloom views himself as limitless and ambitious. We see this right away when he flashes back to the time as a kid when he went to the creepy lady's door and asked to see the eye. He also believes he is able to do anything after this because he does not have a fear of death. We even see it in his old and sickly character, he seems calm and at ease, not really concerned with his soon to be death. His ambition is seen in his love for his wife. When he sees her at the carnival, he volunteers to work for 3 years just to learn more about her and vows he will marry her or "die-trying" showing he will never give up. Whether the stories he tells are fully true pr not, one can learn from Edward Bloom, that maybe we all should be more ambitious and limitless at times.
I agree with Joe in how Edward Bloom is characterized in this movie. Edward Bloom had a deep pride in himself from a child. It did not take much convincing to get Edward to knock on the witches door and ask to see "the eye". I believe that after this encounter with the witch and seeing the actual scene of his death that Edward fully becomes ambitous and limitless as JDiC referenced. Edward goes on many adventures after this encounter and shows brilliant calamity through out his years. Edward meets the love of his life and knows it is the woman he will marry just by staring at her. The woman leaves the circus before Edward has a chance to meet her but even with no information about her he makes it his only priority to finally meet his future wife. The circus owner offers Edward a deal that would give him any random fact about his future wife for every month he worked for the circus owner. You can say that Edward wasted 3 years here but he shows how ambitious he is and goes through with it. Also when fixing the ladies house in the town of Spectre all he really owed to her was the door but he continued to find more and more things to renevate and soon gave the lady a whole new home. Edward goes above and beyond with every task in his life. Although these stories can be exaggerated we get the moral of them. We should be determined, ambitious, and limitless in all tasks that come our way.
I agree with Joseph because Edward bloom does feel as if he is invincible after seeing how he would die when looking into the witches eye. I especially see this when he accepts many challenges such as confronting the giant and when he is facing death but isn't scared because he feels he knows how he will die. However when it comes to his ambition I can agree that his three years working for the carnival to try and Mary his wife is a perfect example but I cannot agree that when he says he will die trying shows that he will never give up. This is because in his mind he knows how we will die already so he has no fear of death. However throughout the movie Edward shows his ambition in other ways for example before he even started his journey he was able to create a successful business and receive a key too his town.
Joe I agree with what you have said. I to feel he is limitless. When he works for the guy in the carnival the guy literally tells him one tiny detail a month. Although he is limitless I feel it can be a little unrealistic. One day he just shows up at the girls college and tells her he loves her and wants to marry her. In real life I think the woman would call the cops. I must say weather it is realistic or not he does have a lot of ambition and through novels and movies it is hard to find a lot of ambitious characters such as him. He is also limitless because he gets beat up but its all for her. This is a real passion for love! There is no limitation when it comes to love and that is what he shows. B'OSu
Throughout the film Big Fish, I've identified this theme of being immortal. When Edward Bloom reminsces on his past experiences, he refers to a time when he and his friends visited the old witch in the woods and she predicted the way that would ultimately end their life. During the movie, Edward Bloom says "seeing how you can die is great because it informs you that you can survive everything else." Through this quote, we can acknowledge that Bloom is suggesting his immortal power. Ultimately, this is the reason why he became such a hot shot in Ashton. Bloom gives his absolute all in everything and stands up to face any sort of adversity because he knows that none of these things will kill him. From being the all star football, basketball, and baseball player to winning the science fair to becoming friends with Carl The Giant and to going down that daring forbidden path leading to Spectum. Ultimately, we can link Edward Bloom's reckless behavior and "immortal attitude" to Odysseus and also Macbeth. Odysseus is very reckless in the sense that he continues to do what he wants to do regardless of the situation. When Odysseus and his men approached the cave of the cyclops they requested that he just look for food and carry on, instead he decided to wander off. Bloom is also similar to Macbeth because in the beginning of the playwright, the three witches predict Macbeth's future which ultimately led to his reckless as well as immortal behavior. Just as in the movie Big Fish, a witch shows Bloom how his life will conclude which ultimately leads to Blooms reckless as well as immortal behavior. Therefore, immortality remains an interesting theme throughout the motion picture.
Watching today's part of the movie Big Fish, there was something in particular that was mentioned by the head person of the carnival that really caught my attention. He is the short man with the mustache who turns into the wolf at night (not sure of his name). Tales always convey a message within the story whether its a book or movie, and whether its a hidden message or if its quite obvious. Today when Edward Bloom told the man about the girl, the man told Edward that he had no chance with her. That he might have been a big shot over in the small town of Ashton (i believe thats the name of the town where Edward is from, i could be wrong.) but here he is nothing but a "big fish in a small pond". I take that into relevance with every day life because a big part of life is competition, and no matter what you are doing competition is always a factor. Edward leaves the small town and moves on to the bigger town while going on his journey and the man at the carnival explains to him that although he was a town hero in the small town of Ashton, now that he is in a bigger town, he is one of many people and there is more people that he has to compete with to work himself up to become a town hero like he was in Ashton. Obviously it will be harder here because it is a bigger town with more people and more competition but Edward seems like he is willing to do that after all the deeds he's done for the man at the carnival for the last 3 years. Just like in life in the work force you must compete to work and move yourself up in the ranks. By doing this you put yourself in a better position, higher rank, making more money, having a bigger and better reputation and being well known. Edward used to be a big fish in a small pond but he steps up to the challenge after the carnival man tells him that now since he's come to this bigger town that he is a small fish in a big ocean. Edward does whatever the carnival man says for the next 3 years in order to find out about the woman of his dreams that he is trying to find. He doesn't give up and let his true love slip away, he ends up finding her and does everything he can to this woman to like him the way he likes her. Edward shows a great example of persistence in this part of the tale and how he is competing to no longer be a small fish in a big ocean, but to find his true love and build a bigger reputation in this new town that he's come to.
So, I have been thinking about why people lie as we have read The Odyssey and have been watching Big Fish. In each, we have liars. Some lie through disguise, others through blatant false stories, some use exaggerated versions or small omissions to tweak the truth. Either way they lie, and I could not help but wonder if lying is part of the fabric of being human. Why do we fabricate stories or choose to misrepresent ourselves to others? Then, I remembered an episode of the National Geographic series Brain Games titled Liar Liar. It came out right after the Lance Armstrong exposure. The episode quotes Armstrong as saying we lie because "it works". As social beings, is lying part of survival of the fittest? Do those who lie best do best? This led me to consider the game of Poker and the importance of being able to bluff well. Children probably could not play poker well as they most often have tell tale signs of lying. They fidget, smile, bat their eyes. The episode actually tested to see at what age children start to lie. The directors gave the children cookies or cake, told them not to eat it, and left the room. When they returned, some, the older kids lied if they touched the treats while the younger, toddler age kids readily admitted it. A psychologist explained that children only begin to lie when they become aware of social expectations and the ideas of failure. This brings me back to wondering why Odysseus and Edward Bloom, two fairly admirable characters, are both fully portrayed as liars. I wonder if we are sympathetic as everyone lies and as evident in the game of poker if society actually values good liars.
Like Mrs. Fotinatos stated about exaggerated stories, there was one particular scene in the movie where the viewer experiences the truth about these exaggerated stories. When Edward Bloom is sitting on his death bed, the doctor tells the story of Edward's son's birth to Edward's son. The doctor tells Edward's son about the truth of his birth and how Edward wan't able to arrive for his birth and was in a time where men weren't allowed in the delivery room. The doctor then tells the story that Edward exaggerated which was about Edward "wrestling" a giant catfish to describe the birth. The doctor says that he would rather hear the more exaggerated truth because it gives the listener more excitement while Edward's son would rather hear the truth. It isn't until the end when the son realizes what Edward was doing about his larger than life features. He tells his father the story of his life and that's when he begins to realize that the stories were in fact an exaggerated truth and not a myth in which he believed in at first.
Joe, I deinitley agree with you. I too remeber the scene when the doctor explained to Harry about how he was really born, while finishing off that the doctore would much rather hear the exaggerated story rather than a dull one. All along the son did not believe any of his father's stories but when the son told his very own story to his dying father, he realized how exaggerating a story cannot be that harmful. It can also be very easy to make when exaggerating a story which leaves people amazed. Sometimes lying cannot hurt all that much, unless it is very hurtful, or something really bad, but even somewhat exaggerated stories cannot be very harmful. If anything it leaves people wanting more and amazed by these type of stories. It reminds us all of our great childhood from all the great stories we once heard.
Yes Joe I agree with you when you talked about the birth of Edward Blooms son and how the doctor who told him the truth of the story said he'd rather hear the other story. This is symbolic of how the exaggeration can be better for a child than the straight truth. Hearing the reality of the day of birth and it's normality definitely made William wonder about the validity of his father's stories that he was told when her was young. To see the ending of the movie when all the people of these stories re-appear at his funeral although they aren't the exaggerated people he spoke of, but the reality that the people are real and present stuns William. To see in the hospital Edward Bloom's son tell him a story while he was on his deathbed was depressing, but it showed his son's realization that exaggeration and falsity can be needed at times, especially in a situation like that. Moreover, the movie in its entirety sends a confident message that people in this world should actually lie in certain situations, or even exaggerate in falsity because it's for the betterment of a person. The problem that arises can be the abundance of lying which has to be avoided by all means. Overall, the doctor saying he enjoys the false over exaggerated story better than the truth validates my agreement that the truth is not always the best route. PDeM
As we draw near the conclusion of Big Fish, I am starting to learn a lesson form Edward Bloom about lying. We hear the doctor at Edward's hospital bed tell William how he was actually born. The doctor says that he prefers the version where Edward talks about wrestling a giant fish. This leads me to start thinking that maybe lying should not be frowned upon in society as much as people do. In the case of Edward, lying enhanced his encounters with people. His stories entertained people and made Edward a more enjoyable person to be around. In serious cases, yes the true is greatly needed. But in relation to some stories you may tell people, stretching the truth and adding a little imagination to the story can be nice when socializing with other people, especially people you love.
I definitely agree with you Joe, sometimes you have to exaggerate the truth and add some imagination to make the stories more enjoyable for the people listening. The point when the doctor says he prefers the version where Edward talks about him fighting with the big fish also led me to start thinking that lying is sometimes necessary. Edward's stories made people enjoy him more because they were enhanced with imagination and make up events. Another event that I feel you should have hit on was when Will accused his father of lying in his stories because he was jealous of his father. This shows that Will realized that his father was exaggerating the truth so that more and more people would listen to him. Finally I also have to point out to your statement you made at the end, I feel that is something everyone should do in their daily life when telling stories.
I agree with everything you said joe. I think the reason why he did it was to teach his son life stories while also making them entertaining. Edward was also a very sociable person who just wanted to be the center of attention at all times.
The characters of Edward Bloom and Odysseus have many of the same qualities that help and cause trouble for them. Both Edward and Odysseus are seen as ambitious and have a sense of urgency to complete quests at all costs. Odysseus has the quest to return home while Edward has the quest to marry this girl that he saw one day and fell in love with. Edward goes to great lengths to find information about the girl and Odysseus goes from island to island trying to reach his homeland facing many difficulties along the way. Both Edward and Odysseus also have charming personalities that often compel other people into during what they want. Edward through his personality compels the circus leader into eventually telling him everything about his wife and his charms and compels his wife by stating his love for her openly and almost everywhere from notes to the classroom to the sky. Both characters also exhibit the ability to restrain themselves in difficult situations. Odysseus restrains himself with Calypso remaining faithful to his wife and Edwards also remains faithful when he restrains himself from getting involved with Jenny. Edward and Odysseus love story-telling which creates some trouble for them. Edward tells stories for entertainment and a way to cheer up even boring moments but this causes a tense and broken relationship with his son. Meanwhile Odysseus tells stories to hide his identity but also has fun with it and causes Penelope and his father to not believe that he is Odysseus at first. When he tells both of them details that only Odysseus knew they feel love and rejoice that he is back.
WOW Gary, if this were Twitter, I would so retweet this. You introduce many valid points. Indeed, I agree as well that Odysseus and Edward can be connected through their ambitious as well as adventure type attitudes. Throughout the movie, I've noticed that Edward Bloom never backs down to anything. Any sort of adversity or any adventure that he is faced with, he takes up right away. Similar to what Mrs. F posted up above, although he might be exaggerating the story of his journey, I feel like his entire life was extremely interesting. However, I would like to re-connect his ambitious attitude to what I've posted in my last blog. I feel that because of the witches' prediction, he becomes very arrogant and daring all because he knows that these things that he par takes in are simply because he knows they won't kill him. I also want to introduce another valid point. Whenever the witches were introduced throughout Shakespeare's Macbeth, they foreshadowed some type of event…Can this be possible in "Big Fish"? Hmm. Anyways Gary. #Retweet #Agreed #TotallyTrue
Is it okay to exaggerate the truth? This question is the theme that Tim Burton exposes in the movie "The Big Fish." For most of the movie the main character, Will Bloom, tries to decipher between the truth and the lies in his father's stories. Upon learning that his father, Ed Bloom, has little time to live, Will wants to learn as much about his dad as possible before he passes. When Will was young, he enjoyed listening to his father's stories. As he got older he accused his father of lying in his stories and their relationship diminished. As the movie goes on, Will begins to understand that his father was not lying in his stories. When Will is in the garage, he finds a letter proving one of his father’s stories to be true. At this point, Will begins to question his accusations against Ed. Another thought changing moment experienced by Will was in the hospital when the doctor that delivered him tells the real story of his birth, proving his father's story untrue. The doctor explains how Ed's story is more entertaining but Will would rather be told the truth by his father than entertained. Will finally understands his father's stories when he creates his own during his father's final moments. Again, we see Will's mind changing about his father's stories at his father's funeral . Will sees the characters from Ed's stories in real life, realizing that his father's stories were not lies, only exaggerations of the truth. An example of this is Carl. In Ed's stories, Carl is a giant, but at the funeral we see him as a normal man, much taller than the others attending, but not a giant. In the final scene we see Will’s happiness as he listens to the characters from his father's stories tell their stories about his father. Will smiling and laughing at these stories shows us that Will has changed his mind about his father exaggerating the truth and begins to enjoy and agree with his father's entertaining stories. The full transition is shown in the closing scene of the movie when Will's kid asks Will a question about one of Ed's stories, showing that Will also exaggerated the truth, continuing his father's "Big Fish" legacy. CLio
I completely agree with you Chris, of course it is okay to exaggerate the truth in the setting of story telling to make the story more interesting. At times throughout this movie I felt that Will was jealous of his fathers ability to make everyone know who he was by just telling stories. I also agree with you when Will search's through the shed and finds his fathers war letters and the object that looks like a hand that Ed used to sell. These objects prove that all of Ed's stories aren't fake and the stories actually happened but were less exaggerated. My class was unable to finish this movie due to technical difficulties but I could foreshadow the part with Carl being tall, but not a giant and Will smiling and laughing and telling the stories to his kid actually happening.
As mentioned in class on Wednesday, the idea of telling exaggerated stories to children is fine to do. We are all told stories as young children, fairy tales, old myths, and even cartoons. The only way exaggerated stories can be harmful is if these stories are told as we get older. By doing this children aren't exposed to reality, and all they know are these fantastical worlds that don't exist. In the big fish, Will wasn't able to know about his fathers real life until he showed up to his fathers funeral. This is the fathers fault, Will didn't know what was real and what was fake about his father.
Exaggeration is used in many circumstances in order to get someones attention on something or to make something more interesting. Storytellers tell stories with the main goal of people listening, hence being interested in. Sometimes storytellers become boring. WIth a little exaggeration they are able to achieve their main goal. Once you exaggerate once it becomes very easy for you to exaggerate the next time. Then you start exaggerating a lot and then once someone realizes that, the storyteller losses his credibility. This is what happened in the Big Fish between the father and son. With exaggerated stories, the true basis of the story is always their, its just put together with some fiction or lies.
In class we brought up the question as to why we deem it acceptable to lie to kids. In my opinion we lie to try and teach kids valuable lessons. an example of this is how we tell children about Santa Clause to help them learn that the spirit of giving is more important than getting things. Santa shows to the kids that giving is far better than receiving. I think that this can be acceptable to teach a lesson. However in big fish we see this being used in the wrong. The father used his lies to seem like a godlike figure. It never taught his son any lesson as a child. They only made his son believe that he is a lier. Another thing I thought about after watching Big Fish was how similar the father was to Odysseus. Both of these men were hubristic enough that even in their fake stories they had to be the hero figure. Although the fathers stories are just exaggerated and Odysseus' stories are completely false, both men have to make themselves look so strong, powerful, and godlike.
I agree with you that lying can teach valuable lessons to kids. As you said, Santa Clause is seen as a role model to most kids and they admire his greatness and willingness to give. Kids learn from Santa about how thankful they should be for someone who is willing to go out of the way to grant their wishes. The reason kids learn this lesson is because Santa Clause is so interesting and mysterious that they are drawn to follow his ways. Even though you see lying as misused in the movie Big Fish I see it differently. Edward Bloom does lie to his son about his god-like figure and evidence shows that he is not god-like because he is currently on the verge of dying. But even though Edward's son did not believe his stories when he was a kid I think Edward was trying to teach a lesson by persuading him with his fake god-like attributes. What Edwards father was trying to teach his son was that to get through life you have to live it with an attitude of a god, with determination and the confidence that you are the best and nobody can stop you from accomplishing your dreams. For example, he shows the determination to marry the love of his life and he worked for years to get her. All of the imagination and lies Edward used was to try and draw in his son to learn a lesson, without the mysterious and unbelievable things happening in the story kids wouldnt be so willing to pay attention to the meaning of the story. It just so happened that his kid saw it as too unbelievable causing him to not believe anything his father says.
I do agree with your point about lying to kids to teach a lesson Bray, however not all stories need a message sometimes they are just for fun. I feel that Ed Bloom's stories are more for fun than to teach his son a lesson and I think the whole reason he keeps telling them is because he wishes to hold on to that part of him, his imagination side. One this I say a lot to people when I tell a story for fun that is fiction is all of my stories are 95% true and the other 5% is used to spice things up. This does not mean that what I am saying isn't entirely false only that certain things are. I guess what I am trying to say is he is just trying to have fun telling his son stories and even at one point in the movie when he finds the letter that says his dad was killed in war he was shocked because it was true like it was told in the story. Finally Ed Bloom Jr. should not feel like his dad is a liar because in all honesty I would love if I was told stories like that, I would find them very interesting and it would keep that sense of imagination alive in myself.
In the Film Big Fish, a moral of life stuck out to me, persistence is the key to success. The protagonist Edward Bloom is extremely persistent, he achieves the girl of his dreams by pursuing everything he could. He worked for no pay just to find out bits and pieces of information about her. After working for no pay, he confesses his love for her with no hesitation or shame. Edward Bloom is a true man by following his dreams, he was not afraid of embarrassing himself when he met her for the second time at her college, he still was not drawn back when she said she would be married. He shows his true loyalty when he takes a beaten for his future wife, he's truly loyal because he kept to his word by not fighting back when he had the power win the battle. Edward Bloom later shows his ambition when he buys the “Secret Town”. When the women refused to sell her house he did what he had to change her mind, then he turned the shifted shack into a beautiful home. This alone showed me that if you put only half of your total effort into achieving your goals, then your goals are way too far fetched. CCar
I strongly agree with you chris. I think persistence is a very admirable character trait but to a certain extent. I feel like when the woman refused to let Edward buy the house that he was extremely respectful about it. He ended up renovating the house to a point where she was extremely happy with what Edward has done to the house and she almost starts falling for Edward. Edward doesn't do this purposely but he almost leads on the lady to think that he likes her by everything that he's done for her. He is helping to fix the home in order to make her happier and try to get her to sell it to him. She believes that he is starting to like her and she gets the wrong intentions, where she then leans in for a kiss but gets rejected by Edward being loyal. She understands and ends up signing the deed of the house for edward to take so he can buy the house. I guess you can say that sometimes persistence can be misleading in certain situations depending on how the person thinks.
I absolutely agree with you Chris. I feel persistence along with not being afraid of failure. Edward was very persistent as he would not give up until he accomplished what he set out for. He was also not afraid of failure as he feels with everything, he could only learn from it. After finding out who the girl is that he wants to marry he goes right to see her and doesn't worry about striking out with her. Edward was truly a disciplined man with a clear focus on his dreams, which he set out to accomplish, and did accomplish them.
I agree with you guys that Edward was a very ambitious man who always had a set goal and always went for it no matter what. Like Eddie said with the girl that Edward saw and wanted to marry, he agreed to work at the circus for free just so he could get some information on this girl so he can get to know her. He worked for a long time just to get to know her name and when he finally found her she was engaged and he still didn't stop trying with her and he eventually got her to marry him.
In the movie Big Fish, I feel like the different reactions of the son is a major part of the movie. As the movie goes on we see the son progress. Since the son was child the father has been telling him stories about his life and at first the son loved the stories and loved to listen to them. But, as the son grew, matured and got older he realize that father stories were all lies. The son couldn't take the unrealistic stories that he was listening too. The son never spoke to the father for next three year until the son went to go see him because he knew that the father could die at any moment. When the father and the son talk again and the father starts to tell the son more stories the son shows a different reaction instead of not listening to them knowing that they are probaly lies, the son listens and goes along with the stories. As you can see the son has different reactions about the father's stories. First, the son loves them, then he grows and can't take them because their lies, and finally he doesn't really want to listen t them but he goes along with it because the father can die at any moment. I feel like the son wants to be there for the father but, i think the son just knows his stories are all lies and i feel like the son just doesn't want to hear them because he knows that every thing he says is a lie. Once a lier, always a lier.
As I was watching the film Big Fish, I was able to draw some parallels between the relationship of Edward Bloom and his son and Odysseus and his son Telemachus. First off both Bloom Jr. and Telemachus are in a search to discover the truth about their respective fathers. Edward's son is looking for the truth of the events in his father's life for some sort of closure. Telemachus, is trying to find the truth of whether after this long period of time after the war, if his father is still alive or not. Also, both Edward and Odysseus are clever in their words. Bloom, has used his words to build this reputation of a great story teller and extremely likable guy. Contrary to this, Odysseus used his words to get him out of dangerous situations or just to get what he wants. But both are shaped into their character due to their cleverness.Lastly, both the fathers and their sons are similar in one important way. The Blooms are similar because they both are story tellers, just the son is more of a factual kind of guy. On the other hand, Odysseus and Telemachus share the same mission of ultimately taking down the suitors.
I had a feeling there was a connection to Edward Bloom and this so called "big fish". Edward's stories turned out to be true, just exaggerated. His son didn't believe that he was telling the truth at all but he was who he said "the same person since he was when he was born". It seemed like that his father lived off of storytelling. Every story he ever told left an impression on people, and most people were interested in what he had to say. It's kind of like telling kids stories, to keep them entertained. It is bad to lie to kids, but at such a young age kids need to be lied to I feel in order to stay entertained with themselves. And that's how Edward's son stayed entertained his entire life, the stories his father told him, that were indeed true, kept him wanting to know more about his father.
In the movie The Big Fish, when the poet Norther Winslow robbed the bank, it had a significant meaning to the audience. Norther was in a good natured town surrounded by people with virtuous morals, which reflected in his character. When times got rough, and town went into ruin, he became desperate. He changed all his morals because he felt the need he had to. He also changed his very hospitable personality. When Edward Bloom was trying to save the town, he went to Norther for him to invest in the town, not to necessarily save it. He went from being a good natured poet embracing the rural life,to a sleazy stockbroker swindling in the urban life. Edward Bloom is the exact opposite. When times get tough, he sticks to his charming good old self, and gets by troublesome situations seamlessly. KGui
I agree with you completely… this idea of being persistent and not changing oneself is a theme throughout Big Fish and the Odyssey also. Edward Bloom for example even though as he ages still tells fascinating stories and knows how to captivate an audience and keep them entertained rather than telling them the truth and boring them to death. In the scene when the doctor tells the son that Edward's story was better than the real story of his birth we see that through storytelling Edward connects captures the attention of people. Odysseus also by being persistent in his storytelling and not revealing his identity does not change his principles and remains his true self while the other characters in the story have changed as the story as progressed.
After watching this movie, I found there was a common theme of lying. Lying can be good in some cause to teach lessons etc. but it can also cause great damage. This is shown when Ed Bloom is telling Will the stories as a child to when he still telling them to him in his twenties. I don't think Ed ever meant to lie to Will and make him believe that he knows nothing about his father but I can see how it lead to that. Ed loves telling these captivating stories to socialize with people however I feel Will was embarrassed by these stories because they seem childish and he never really understood the real meaning of them until his father passed. As Will grew up his father should've have told him the stories like the doctor told Will his birth story just so Will can pick out the facts. This way Will could've had idea of who his father actually was. Instead of waiting until his death. CArn
Well thought out Chris. I do feel the same in aspects. Ed told stories not only to socialize with people, but also to keep his "legacy" alive. He lived off of telling stories, and thats what made who he was. In the end of the movie we see that the people from his stories are indeed real. Ed just stretched the truth, if thats what you would call it. But his stories are what kept people thinking about what kind of life this man lived. He exaggerated over everything in his story, but thats what made Edward Bloom who he is. If he didn't tell stories like this, he would just be an ordinary, old man living the rest of his life. I feel that telling these stories was a good thing. It kept not just people, but also his son wanting to know more about his father, even though Will didn't believe any of the stories his dad had told him.
I 100% agree with you chris. throughout the whole movie their was just unrealistic actions and stories. Throughout the whole movie i feel like every word or story the father said was a lie. To me, the movie was lie after lie after lie. Chris said it perfect that lying can be a good cause or it can be a bad cause. The father loved telling stories to people especially his son. The son loved them at first and as he grew older he started to realize they were all lies and never knew the real meaning to them. As chris and paul said the stories was the way the father socialize with people by telling stories. These stories were all exaggerated and this is what made Edward Bloom live. I feel like these stories were a good cause because he made people and the son think and wanting to know more about his life even though they didn't believe the stories and also i feel like the stories also damage and embarrassed the son at the son's wedding when he was telling stories that were all lies to everybody.
After watching "Big Fish", I feel that there are connections between Edward Bloom and Odysseus from Homer's The Odyssey. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is a person with great pride, arrogance and perseverance. This is obvious due to the fact that he never gives up on going home. Edward Bloom is also a person with great pride and perseverance. For example, when he enters the old road that leads out of his hometown and in to Specture, he says "there comes a point, where a reasonable man must swallow his pride and admit when hes made a mistake, it was too bad that I'm not a reasonable man". He was so arrogant and prideful that he wasnt able to admit he was wrong. When Edward saw the love of his wife, he said he "would stop for nothing just to be with her". And he kept his word, he even took a beating from an old "friend" , just to make her his.
After watching a very intersting film "The Big Fish" I was left amazed but also wanted more. Being how much I loved this movie, this turned into a movie favorite for me. What stand out in this movie is over exaggerated stories. All the stories that were discussed in the movie were all true, except upon Harry's beliefs, but just over exaggerated. Now this can relate to just about everyones childhood. As we grew up, we all remember famous tales, stories, novels, etc. that our parents all told us. At such a young age we believed everything we heard and used our imagination to imagine how these stories were in reality. Now at the time, we probally didn't know that they were either fake, or for some a little bit exaggerated. It what creates our childhood and makes it such a blessing and a remeberance. Whenever i look back on my childhood, i look back on all the "great tales" i was told. Another example that stands out to me throughout the movie is Edward Bloom's determination. For exaple he worked to his bones night and day to learn about the love of his life while planning on marrying her. He never became distraced and had to much pride and ambition to make sure that he married his wife to be. Even when she told him that she was already engaged, he poured his heart out to her while she was on the balcony. Although after that, one of his childhood friends gave him a bad beating, he took it for the love of his life. This is what made him such a successful man because when he wanted something, he made sure he got it, no matter what he has to go threw or suffer from. His character can play a major part on our lives and influence us to make sure that when we really truley want something, we do not stop nonewhatsoever till we get it. All we need is pride and determination and we could be very successful.
If you were to characterize Edward Bloom, I believe the first thing that would come to your mind is his perseverance. When in the circus, Bloom states, "I just saw the woman im going to marry, but I lost her." Most people in this situation would give up their pursuit but Edward doesn't. He states, " I will spend every day of my life looking for her…" He is then told that she is way out of his league but that doesn't affect Bloom's mindset that he will find his woman. He tells the man in the circus that he will work unpaid just to find out who she is and that he has more determination than anyone he'll ever meet. When he finally meets "his wife" after waiting three years, she tells him that she is engaged to someone already. Even this does not stop Bloom from his pursuit. After several other actions of proclaiming his love to her and taking a beating from her actual husband, Edward eventually succeeds in his pursuit for his wife.
To bring back a class topic from about a month ago, I believe Big Fish can be considered a magic realism film. Magic realism is defined as "a literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy." There are multiple examples in which my thesis can be supported. My first example comes from the circus scene when time literally freezes when Bloom sees the love of his life. After this, time speeds up extra quickly to catch up with normal time. This is clearly an unrealistic event. My next example comes from when a car is in the ocean and then in a tree. Also unrealistic in a realistic environment. Lastly, when Bloom is fixing up the house and he has the giant push the house so it stands up straight. All these events can be considered unrealistic in a film in which is based on a realistic story about Edward Bloom.
One setting in "Big Fish" is the town of Specture. In this town everything seems too good to be true and it seems as if there is nothing to worry about as all of the town folk dance together. At first I thought that the town of Specture was an allusion to the land of the dead in "The Odyssey" because one of the people in the town says to Ed Bloom you arrived early we were expecting you later. This made me think that Ed joined the dead and that he himself died in the woods, however I knew this could not be because he was still alive. My second guess was that he died and was going to come back but then I realized Specture is more like Aeaea. In "The Odyssey", Odysseus travels to Aeaea with the beautiful witch goddess known as Circe. Eventually Odysseus winds up living with Circe for a year in luxury until he is reminded by his men that they must complete their journey home. This shows Ed Bloom's time in Specture as he would like to stay in the town with everyone and enjoy the good life but he must continue his journey with Carl.
The film The Big Fish teaches how there is a difference between exaggerated tales and lying. When the son of Edward Bloom is still a little boy, Edward was able to tell these stories that seemed far fetched. To a young boy the stories were exciting and made the son look up to him. As the son grows older he realizes that the events in the tales were impossible. The son yells at Edward at his wedding day for telling the same story and they leave off for the next three years not speaking. The exaggerated tales of Edward now caused his own son to neglect him for three years. This could have even lasted longer but the son decides to try and make amends with his father as Edward is on his death bed. The son accuses Edward of being a liar his whole life and tells him how he does not even know who he is. The son decides to trace back what his father has been through and comes in contact with a lady from Spectre. The son begins to see how his father had an impact on people and his stories were actually all true although maybe a tad exaggerated. It is unfair to call Edward Bloom a liar he entertained people with his stories. Some events seem foolish and rather impossible but he never tells total lies. Edward Bloom embellishes stories for others humor and entertainment. When Edward is in the hospital and the doctor tells the real story of how the son was born, the son seems relieved to know. The doctor proceeds to ask which story he would have rather heard. The son contemplates as the doctor quickly answers how he prefers Edward's version of the story. The son understands Edward more at the end of the film which ultimately gives a sad feeling to the film's auidence. The son realized Edward is not a liar, just a story teller and made many friends from being so.
I agree Joe. I believe that these stories made his childhood "colorful" and full of imagination. His fathers wit and detail made the stories he told seem real. I also feel that these stories had the power to mend Will and Ed's relationship. Will's understanding at the end ultimately exemplifies his love for his father and possibly represents the trace of his father in him.
After we watched Big Fish in class these past three days I had a realization about the meaning of stories and "falsities" that are commonly thrown around for the betterment of society. In society when a person gets hurt, you tell them "It's going to be okay, when in reality they can be serious injured." A false story is actually very similar to these comforting statements we make. In Big Fish Edward Bloom attempts to exaggerate everything that happens in his life in his stories he tells his son. These stories although being thought of as fake and exaggerated, taught morals and promise to his son at a young age. When the son finds out the truths of his fathers stories and realized they weren't all lies and that the father gave him these stories to aid him in his life.
After watching the film, "Big Fish," one thing stood out to me the most which was the way people over exaggerated stories to make it more enjoyable for the listeners. In the beginning of the movie the son loved listening to his father's stories not knowing that they were lies. As he grew older and realized his father was adding things to the true story and got into a fight with him over this. There relationship diminished and they didn't talk for several years. As the movie progressed, Will begins to understand that his father was not lying in his stories. One event which made him start to understand was when he was in the garage and found the letter which proved one of his stories to be in fact true. Another event that led him to think this way was when the doctor explained how Ed's story was more entertaining but Will would rather be told the truth by his father than entertained. I feel that many characters add onto their original stories to keep the listener focused and entertained.
The Film Big Fish portrays a story that shows true character through a man, the son of Edward Bloom is shown to be a kid growing up on lies. As a child Edward Bloom would exaggerate his stories to entertain his son, but he never actually told him the truth. The son feels abandoned and mistreated because of these lies, he says that he didn’t even have a relationship with his father. There is a scene in the story where Edward’s son walks away from his father for seven years. When news gets out that Edward Bloom is sick his son comes to his aid, and shows him some sort of attention. He actually wanted to build a relationship with his father before he passed away. What stood out the most is right before his father dies, he tells his own story just the way his father used to tell them. This showed the true man the son became to be, by forgetting the past of what his father did and just putting a smile on his fathers face before he passed away. (Forgot Edwards Sons name).
Chris i agree with you that Will Bloom( Edwards son) feels abandoned and mistreated. I feel like he goes on the trip to Jennifer Hill's house to find out more about his father because he felt abandoned, he didnt know anything about him. I think because Edward wasnt around very much, he felt like Edward was mistreating not only him, but his mother as well. He went to find out more about his dad and learned a valuable lesson along with it, that the exaggerated truth is sometimes more appealing than just straight facts. MPer
One thing in the movie big fish that I found odd was how easily the son comes back to see his father when he becomes sick. I found this odd they went so long without talking to each other and he comes back as if they never were fighting. Also when the son begins his journey he says its because he wants to be able to tell his children who their grandfather is. However I feel that he goes on the search to find out who his father was because he feels some amount of sorrow for cutting his father out of his life for so long.
In the movie the Big Fish lying is one of the major themes in the story. Edward Bloom lies to his son about his past times stories making himself a god-like figure. His son doesn't believe him and sees him as a crazy man who lies to him, soon he loses trust in him. Edward did not mean to make his son react the way he did. I think the reason Edward made the story so unbelievable was because he tried to make the story attractive enough for his son to listen and receive the lesson of the true stores of his life.
Over the last three days I realized how important the stories were that Edward told. Like when he told his son the story of him going out and searching for his future wife. When the son is old enough he thinks this story is crazy and outlandish. The moral of the story and the reason Edward told the story for all these years is because he wanted to show his son to go out and get what he wants. In the end however, he realizes the moral of what his father is trying to say and realizes the reason he's told these stories for all these years.
Everyone has a tendancy to "fib" or lie and exaggerate the truth and sometimes make up the entire Story. Sometimes the truth is boring and bland and it could use some vivacity. Storytelling would have never been around for that long if the stories told were boring. Stories are meant to stir your imagination and inspire you to adventure. Just like in the Big fish. The actual story of the son's birth was nothing that of the father's story. The whole point of telling stories is to leave the listener with a story to tell their future listeners. Entertaining stories live on to be remembered.
At the end of the movie, we see the son tell a story to his father. This struck me as sort of heartwarming. Through all the tension between he and his father, William finds himself in his father's shoes. Now he is telling the story. I believe that this is an example of his father alive in him, and I think it made his father very happy to see him fill his shoes.
“That was my father’s final joke I guess. A man tells his stories so many times he becomes the stories. They live on after him.” The preceding quote, as told by Will - Edward Blooms son, conveys Will’s connection and acceptance of his father, through which Will’s dispute over Edward’s ‘false tales” finally ends. Will’s general mannerisms and the relationships he has with his wife and mother, reveal his kind-hearted and respectful nature. But, his dispute with his father is that of a simple misunderstanding of what his father’s stories are truly meant to teach Will. As expressed throughout the movie, Will almost feels used by being told false stories all his life, through which Will’s character develops into a stern being. At Edward’s funeral, Will meets many of the people from his father’s stories, ensuring him that his father’s stories were not all lies. Assurance is all Will ever needed in order to accept his father and his father’s many stories. These facts help Will accept his father’s stories, stories that are connected to and are ‘one’ with Edward, therefore - ultimately connecting Will with his father. Consequently, Will’s concern lies with his fear of not knowing who his father was, ironically, his non-acceptance of his father’s stories was the only thing preventing him from what he was searching for.
An easy assessment to make would be the connection of the two stories, Big Fish and The Odyssey. For starters, there are many connections between the characters of both stories. First, the most apparent, are Edward Bloom and Odysseus. These two are both lead by a sense of security that allows them act reckless and fear nothing. They both excel academically and physically. There un-bending and adventurous attitudes unexpectedly lead many to rely on and seek help from these characters. Edward Bloom saves the town of Spectre, a town which previously in the story had no idea who he was, but was still distraught to see him leave. He is also seen late into the story helping Jenny rebuild her house. Though he and Jenny are very close and Jenny wishes to expand on their relationship, Edward presents his true loyalty and affection for his wife, which awkwardly leaves them off on a good note. In The Odyssey, Odysseus consistently is seen helping others, mainly his crew. His crew gets him in many dangerous situations, but nevertheless he perseveres with his intelligence and fortitude. These situations consist of their fight with the Cyclops, and the islands of: Aeaea, the island and home of Circe; Aeolia, the island and home of Aeolus king of winds; Capri the island of the Sirens; Thrinacia, island and home of the sun god; and finally Ithaca, Odysseus’ homeland. There are many other connections between the two, but mainly the attributes and heroism of the characters are the most important to express. Another set of characters are Sandra and Penelope. Both of these characters endure years without their loved ones due to war. Nevertheless, they remain strong and loyal to the ones they love eventually waiting for their return. Although Sandra almost gives up on Edward ever returning, she still shows no sign of ‘breaking her bonds’ with him; and Penelope, just as well, stalls her suitors for as long as she can before being assured of Odysseus’ return. Their persistent loyalty in their husbands is what defines these two characters. Another, less noticeable correlation would be Will Bloom and Telemachus. They are both reluctant to accept their fathers because they both don’t truly know who they are. Will believes he has been mislead by his father’s lies and cuts off his communications with him for many years. Telemachus on the other hand, has simply never spent time with his father since Odysseus left for the ten year battle of Troy, and then took ten more years to return. Nevertheless, both characters are seen fulfilling their father’s expectations. Lastly, to deviate from the characters of each story, a quite plain link between Big Fish and The Odyssey would be the town of Spectre, and the Island of Phaeacia. These two ideal and perfect towns seemingly have no flaws. In both circumstances of Big Fish, and The Odyssey, the protagonists Edward and Odysseus find themselves drifted into these towns. Upon arrival they are both admired for their Intellectual and Physical attributes. Soon quite after, these two complete strangers are both thrown a party in their honor. In both Big Fish and The Oydssey, the protagonists share their stories with the town, and then reveal that they must take leave. Both towns, quite literally, break down after the departure of Edward and Odysseus. Consequently, the parallels drawn between the stories Big Fish and The Odyssey are overwhelmingly and abundantly expressed.
I do not think that Big Fish was really connected to Odysseus as much as we all hoped it would be. The story was very changed from what it should have been. When Edward sees Carl for the first time, he was not afraid of being killed and did not see his friends die. He saw a monster that was terrorizing a town and tried to save the town. Instead of a long journey home that was interrupted by strenuous tasks, he was only acting like a hero. It seemed that Edward was more of a kind soul that was at the right places at the right times and got credit for it. Besides, Edward wasn't even famous before he set out to raise a family. He became well known and legendary through the good deeds that he had done through his lifetime.
The Big Fish has many notable themes in it, but the theme that I believe is most important is the different reactions to storytelling. The father tells his son stories his entire life, as a child his son loved the stories and was begging his father to tell certain stories. However, as the son gets older he grows less fond of his father's fantastic stories, and eventually breaks off his relationship with his father completely after a story is told at his wedding. They didn't speak for three years. Upon return to see his father since he knows his dad could die soon, he seems to act totally different to his father's stories. He is attentive and goes along with his thoughts and stories. The son's wife on the other hand, loves her stepfather's stories and listens closely and asks questions. Certain people enjoy different types of stories at different points in their lives. A good example is at the son's wedding, his father told a story that made the event all about himself, the son broke his relationship with his father for three years over that story. However the people attending the wedding loved the story and applauded him. There are both good times and bad times to tell stories to different types of people.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are different types of people who have good times and bad times to tell stories to. Everybody loved the stories the father told because they were exciting, funny, and crazy. The son loved them but after he got older he hated them. He felt like he didn't even know who is father was. He thought he was nothing but a liar and causes him to never speak to his father for three years. And the only reason he comes back is when his father is close to dying, he desperately wants to know the true stories and not the fake ones anymore.
DeleteDDan
I agree with Dominick that there aren't different types of people who have good times and bad times to tell stories too. I believe the son may have just gotten tired of hearing the same story of what the father was doing the day he was born. The son ultimately realizes while sitting next to his dying father that the three years he went without speaking to his father, were 3 years he will never be able to get back. Those three years his father was absent were years he missed out on commonly told stories and maybe even a few new ones. Despite the stories being a bit far fetched, they were in fact the truth.Ironically when the son is in search of finding the truth about his father's life, he has known it the whole time. Ultimately, I believe that this movie had also given off the idea that you should never take anything or anyone for granted. Treasure each moment and listen closely to everything that you are told because you never know what may be fact or fiction.
DeleteGDiS
In The Big Fish we see a progression in the son. He starts off enjoying these fascinating tales that his father tells him but eventually he starts to think that everything his dad says is fantasy. I think that his father took the art of storytelling too far. He had a gift to make these unrealistic lies seem like the truth. this eventually lead his son to believe that anything he says is a lie. Maybe telling a story has to be used in moderation. If you lie so much, people will eventually believe that anything you say is a lie. This happened here in Big Fish when the father and his son cut off their relationship for three years after the son refused to hear any more of his fathers lies. The art of storytelling is a fragile slope. One has to learn that they cannot constantly lie because they will lose their reliability.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Chris at first the son loves the stories his father tells him when he was a child. But when he gets older he hates hearing the stories because he believes they are just lies. He wants to know the truth to the stories because he feels he doesn't even know who is father is.But at the end we find out the stories were true except his father just hyped them up a little bit to be more exciting. And when the doctor told the son about the day he was born we find out that his father wasn't even there, he was away on a business trip. Its better to have some crazy and exciting story about the day you were born than to find out your father wasn't even there. I feel the son finally realizes why is father told him the stories the way he did. He was trying to show his son that you could do things that you think are impossible to happen, to go for your dream. Such an instance is when the father finds the love of his life, the girl he wants to marry, is already engaged. The father never gives up till he does win her over and gets married to her.
DeleteDDan
I totally agree with you Chris. The father goes to extreme measures when he tells stories and the son can't take it anymore. A perfect example of this is when the son is getting married and after the father gives a speech he takes him outside to yell at him and say how embarrassing he is to him and himself. i can't believe that the father and son lose contact for so long because of a couple of stories. If this was my father I would be mad at him but not mad enough not to talk to him for 3 years. I think at the end of the movie the son is obviously sad his dad is dying but I'm sure that he feels he wasted 3 years with his father and now his father is on his death bed. I hope this doesn't happen to me when I grow older over any kind of incident with one of my parents. It is truly sad what little things can tear a family apart.
DeleteB'OSu
I also agree with you Chris in some aspects not all, the main reason why the son left his family was because of the exotic stories that his father was telling everybody. Imagine hearing the same story over and over again with the same exact ending, it gets boring and a bit annoying especially when it is a bit exaggerated. However, he was not really "lying" just using exaggeration to make a story more interesting, because his father obviously enjoyed telling stories as it was a main part of his life. In the end, I think the son realizes that leaving his family for 3 years was a terrible mistake because of the fact that he grew further away from his father because of these stories.
DeleteJVer
I agree with you Chris. Edward was defiantly taking lies to a new level. Will's life was founded on lies that he thought were real. When growing up he still had faith in his father, hoping that some of the stories were true. Until the end, Will saw his father as a crazed liar, and that completely De-idolized him for the rest of his life. Their story is very much like the boy who cried wolf, except the boy wasn't lying the whole time.
DeleteIn The Big Fish, what intrigues me and what I find most entertaining is this idea of how Edward Bloom views himself as limitless and ambitious. We see this right away when he flashes back to the time as a kid when he went to the creepy lady's door and asked to see the eye. He also believes he is able to do anything after this because he does not have a fear of death. We even see it in his old and sickly character, he seems calm and at ease, not really concerned with his soon to be death. His ambition is seen in his love for his wife. When he sees her at the carnival, he volunteers to work for 3 years just to learn more about her and vows he will marry her or "die-trying" showing he will never give up. Whether the stories he tells are fully true pr not, one can learn from Edward Bloom, that maybe we all should be more ambitious and limitless at times.
ReplyDeleteJDiC
I agree with Joe in how Edward Bloom is characterized in this movie. Edward Bloom had a deep pride in himself from a child. It did not take much convincing to get Edward to knock on the witches door and ask to see "the eye". I believe that after this encounter with the witch and seeing the actual scene of his death that Edward fully becomes ambitous and limitless as JDiC referenced. Edward goes on many adventures after this encounter and shows brilliant calamity through out his years. Edward meets the love of his life and knows it is the woman he will marry just by staring at her. The woman leaves the circus before Edward has a chance to meet her but even with no information about her he makes it his only priority to finally meet his future wife. The circus owner offers Edward a deal that would give him any random fact about his future wife for every month he worked for the circus owner. You can say that Edward wasted 3 years here but he shows how ambitious he is and goes through with it. Also when fixing the ladies house in the town of Spectre all he really owed to her was the door but he continued to find more and more things to renevate and soon gave the lady a whole new home. Edward goes above and beyond with every task in his life. Although these stories can be exaggerated we get the moral of them. We should be determined, ambitious, and limitless in all tasks that come our way.
DeleteI agree with Joseph because Edward bloom does feel as if he is invincible after seeing how he would die when looking into the witches eye. I especially see this when he accepts many challenges such as confronting the giant and when he is facing death but isn't scared because he feels he knows how he will die. However when it comes to his ambition I can agree that his three years working for the carnival to try and Mary his wife is a perfect example but I cannot agree that when he says he will die trying shows that he will never give up. This is because in his mind he knows how we will die already so he has no fear of death. However throughout the movie Edward shows his ambition in other ways for example before he even started his journey he was able to create a successful business and receive a key too his town.
DeleteJoe I agree with what you have said. I to feel he is limitless. When he works for the guy in the carnival the guy literally tells him one tiny detail a month. Although he is limitless I feel it can be a little unrealistic. One day he just shows up at the girls college and tells her he loves her and wants to marry her. In real life I think the woman would call the cops. I must say weather it is realistic or not he does have a lot of ambition and through novels and movies it is hard to find a lot of ambitious characters such as him. He is also limitless because he gets beat up but its all for her. This is a real passion for love! There is no limitation when it comes to love and that is what he shows.
DeleteB'OSu
Throughout the film Big Fish, I've identified this theme of being immortal. When Edward Bloom reminsces on his past experiences, he refers to a time when he and his friends visited the old witch in the woods and she predicted the way that would ultimately end their life. During the movie, Edward Bloom says "seeing how you can die is great because it informs you that you can survive everything else." Through this quote, we can acknowledge that Bloom is suggesting his immortal power. Ultimately, this is the reason why he became such a hot shot in Ashton. Bloom gives his absolute all in everything and stands up to face any sort of adversity because he knows that none of these things will kill him. From being the all star football, basketball, and baseball player to winning the science fair to becoming friends with Carl The Giant and to going down that daring forbidden path leading to Spectum. Ultimately, we can link Edward Bloom's reckless behavior and "immortal attitude" to Odysseus and also Macbeth. Odysseus is very reckless in the sense that he continues to do what he wants to do regardless of the situation. When Odysseus and his men approached the cave of the cyclops they requested that he just look for food and carry on, instead he decided to wander off. Bloom is also similar to Macbeth because in the beginning of the playwright, the three witches predict Macbeth's future which ultimately led to his reckless as well as immortal behavior. Just as in the movie Big Fish, a witch shows Bloom how his life will conclude which ultimately leads to Blooms reckless as well as immortal behavior. Therefore, immortality remains an interesting theme throughout the motion picture.
ReplyDeleteABau
Watching today's part of the movie Big Fish, there was something in particular that was mentioned by the head person of the carnival that really caught my attention. He is the short man with the mustache who turns into the wolf at night (not sure of his name). Tales always convey a message within the story whether its a book or movie, and whether its a hidden message or if its quite obvious. Today when Edward Bloom told the man about the girl, the man told Edward that he had no chance with her. That he might have been a big shot over in the small town of Ashton (i believe thats the name of the town where Edward is from, i could be wrong.) but here he is nothing but a "big fish in a small pond". I take that into relevance with every day life because a big part of life is competition, and no matter what you are doing competition is always a factor. Edward leaves the small town and moves on to the bigger town while going on his journey and the man at the carnival explains to him that although he was a town hero in the small town of Ashton, now that he is in a bigger town, he is one of many people and there is more people that he has to compete with to work himself up to become a town hero like he was in Ashton. Obviously it will be harder here because it is a bigger town with more people and more competition but Edward seems like he is willing to do that after all the deeds he's done for the man at the carnival for the last 3 years. Just like in life in the work force you must compete to work and move yourself up in the ranks. By doing this you put yourself in a better position, higher rank, making more money, having a bigger and better reputation and being well known. Edward used to be a big fish in a small pond but he steps up to the challenge after the carnival man tells him that now since he's come to this bigger town that he is a small fish in a big ocean. Edward does whatever the carnival man says for the next 3 years in order to find out about the woman of his dreams that he is trying to find. He doesn't give up and let his true love slip away, he ends up finding her and does everything he can to this woman to like him the way he likes her. Edward shows a great example of persistence in this part of the tale and how he is competing to no longer be a small fish in a big ocean, but to find his true love and build a bigger reputation in this new town that he's come to.
ReplyDeleteSo, I have been thinking about why people lie as we have read The Odyssey and have been watching Big Fish. In each, we have liars. Some lie through disguise, others through blatant false stories, some use exaggerated versions or small omissions to tweak the truth. Either way they lie, and I could not help but wonder if lying is part of the fabric of being human. Why do we fabricate stories or choose to misrepresent ourselves to others? Then, I remembered an episode of the National Geographic series Brain Games titled Liar Liar. It came out right after the Lance Armstrong exposure. The episode quotes Armstrong as saying we lie because "it works". As social beings, is lying part of survival of the fittest? Do those who lie best do best? This led me to consider the game of Poker and the importance of being able to bluff well. Children probably could not play poker well as they most often have tell tale signs of lying. They fidget, smile, bat their eyes. The episode actually tested to see at what age children start to lie. The directors gave the children cookies or cake, told them not to eat it, and left the room. When they returned, some, the older kids lied if they touched the treats while the younger, toddler age kids readily admitted it. A psychologist explained that children only begin to lie when they become aware of social expectations and the ideas of failure. This brings me back to wondering why Odysseus and Edward Bloom, two fairly admirable characters, are both fully portrayed as liars. I wonder if we are sympathetic as everyone lies and as evident in the game of poker if society actually values good liars.
ReplyDeletehttp://braingames.nationalgeographic.com/episode/12/
Like Mrs. Fotinatos stated about exaggerated stories, there was one particular scene in the movie where the viewer experiences the truth about these exaggerated stories. When Edward Bloom is sitting on his death bed, the doctor tells the story of Edward's son's birth to Edward's son. The doctor tells Edward's son about the truth of his birth and how Edward wan't able to arrive for his birth and was in a time where men weren't allowed in the delivery room. The doctor then tells the story that Edward exaggerated which was about Edward "wrestling" a giant catfish to describe the birth. The doctor says that he would rather hear the more exaggerated truth because it gives the listener more excitement while Edward's son would rather hear the truth. It isn't until the end when the son realizes what Edward was doing about his larger than life features. He tells his father the story of his life and that's when he begins to realize that the stories were in fact an exaggerated truth and not a myth in which he believed in at first.
ReplyDeleteJVer
Joe, I deinitley agree with you. I too remeber the scene when the doctor explained to Harry about how he was really born, while finishing off that the doctore would much rather hear the exaggerated story rather than a dull one. All along the son did not believe any of his father's stories but when the son told his very own story to his dying father, he realized how exaggerating a story cannot be that harmful. It can also be very easy to make when exaggerating a story which leaves people amazed. Sometimes lying cannot hurt all that much, unless it is very hurtful, or something really bad, but even somewhat exaggerated stories cannot be very harmful. If anything it leaves people wanting more and amazed by these type of stories. It reminds us all of our great childhood from all the great stories we once heard.
DeleteJSch
Yes Joe I agree with you when you talked about the birth of Edward Blooms son and how the doctor who told him the truth of the story said he'd rather hear the other story. This is symbolic of how the exaggeration can be better for a child than the straight truth. Hearing the reality of the day of birth and it's normality definitely made William wonder about the validity of his father's stories that he was told when her was young. To see the ending of the movie when all the people of these stories re-appear at his funeral although they aren't the exaggerated people he spoke of, but the reality that the people are real and present stuns William. To see in the hospital Edward Bloom's son tell him a story while he was on his deathbed was depressing, but it showed his son's realization that exaggeration and falsity can be needed at times, especially in a situation like that. Moreover, the movie in its entirety sends a confident message that people in this world should actually lie in certain situations, or even exaggerate in falsity because it's for the betterment of a person. The problem that arises can be the abundance of lying which has to be avoided by all means. Overall, the doctor saying he enjoys the false over exaggerated story better than the truth validates my agreement that the truth is not always the best route.
DeletePDeM
As we draw near the conclusion of Big Fish, I am starting to learn a lesson form Edward Bloom about lying. We hear the doctor at Edward's hospital bed tell William how he was actually born. The doctor says that he prefers the version where Edward talks about wrestling a giant fish. This leads me to start thinking that maybe lying should not be frowned upon in society as much as people do. In the case of Edward, lying enhanced his encounters with people. His stories entertained people and made Edward a more enjoyable person to be around. In serious cases, yes the true is greatly needed. But in relation to some stories you may tell people, stretching the truth and adding a little imagination to the story can be nice when socializing with other people, especially people you love.
ReplyDeleteJDiC
I definitely agree with you Joe, sometimes you have to exaggerate the truth and add some imagination to make the stories more enjoyable for the people listening. The point when the doctor says he prefers the version where Edward talks about him fighting with the big fish also led me to start thinking that lying is sometimes necessary. Edward's stories made people enjoy him more because they were enhanced with imagination and make up events. Another event that I feel you should have hit on was when Will accused his father of lying in his stories because he was jealous of his father. This shows that Will realized that his father was exaggerating the truth so that more and more people would listen to him. Finally I also have to point out to your statement you made at the end, I feel that is something everyone should do in their daily life when telling stories.
DeleteJDeM
I agree with everything you said joe. I think the reason why he did it was to teach his son life stories while also making them entertaining. Edward was also a very sociable person who just wanted to be the center of attention at all times.
DeleteThe characters of Edward Bloom and Odysseus have many of the same qualities that help and cause trouble for them. Both Edward and Odysseus are seen as ambitious and have a sense of urgency to complete quests at all costs. Odysseus has the quest to return home while Edward has the quest to marry this girl that he saw one day and fell in love with. Edward goes to great lengths to find information about the girl and Odysseus goes from island to island trying to reach his homeland facing many difficulties along the way. Both Edward and Odysseus also have charming personalities that often compel other people into during what they want. Edward through his personality compels the circus leader into eventually telling him everything about his wife and his charms and compels his wife by stating his love for her openly and almost everywhere from notes to the classroom to the sky. Both characters also exhibit the ability to restrain themselves in difficult situations. Odysseus restrains himself with Calypso remaining faithful to his wife and Edwards also remains faithful when he restrains himself from getting involved with Jenny. Edward and Odysseus love story-telling which creates some trouble for them. Edward tells stories for entertainment and a way to cheer up even boring moments but this causes a tense and broken relationship with his son. Meanwhile Odysseus tells stories to hide his identity but also has fun with it and causes Penelope and his father to not believe that he is Odysseus at first. When he tells both of them details that only Odysseus knew they feel love and rejoice that he is back.
ReplyDeleteWOW Gary, if this were Twitter, I would so retweet this. You introduce many valid points. Indeed, I agree as well that Odysseus and Edward can be connected through their ambitious as well as adventure type attitudes. Throughout the movie, I've noticed that Edward Bloom never backs down to anything. Any sort of adversity or any adventure that he is faced with, he takes up right away. Similar to what Mrs. F posted up above, although he might be exaggerating the story of his journey, I feel like his entire life was extremely interesting. However, I would like to re-connect his ambitious attitude to what I've posted in my last blog. I feel that because of the witches' prediction, he becomes very arrogant and daring all because he knows that these things that he par takes in are simply because he knows they won't kill him. I also want to introduce another valid point. Whenever the witches were introduced throughout Shakespeare's Macbeth, they foreshadowed some type of event…Can this be possible in "Big Fish"? Hmm. Anyways Gary. #Retweet #Agreed #TotallyTrue
DeleteIs it okay to exaggerate the truth? This question is the theme that Tim Burton exposes in the movie "The Big Fish." For most of the movie the main character, Will Bloom, tries to decipher between the truth and the lies in his father's stories. Upon learning that his father, Ed Bloom, has little time to live, Will wants to learn as much about his dad as possible before he passes. When Will was young, he enjoyed listening to his father's stories. As he got older he accused his father of lying in his stories and their relationship diminished. As the movie goes on, Will begins to understand that his father was not lying in his stories. When Will is in the garage, he finds a letter proving one of his father’s stories to be true. At this point, Will begins to question his accusations against Ed. Another thought changing moment experienced by Will was in the hospital when the doctor that delivered him tells the real story of his birth, proving his father's story untrue. The doctor explains how Ed's story is more entertaining but Will would rather be told the truth by his father than entertained. Will finally understands his father's stories when he creates his own during his father's final moments. Again, we see Will's mind changing about his father's stories at his father's funeral . Will sees the characters from Ed's stories in real life, realizing that his father's stories were not lies, only exaggerations of the truth. An example of this is Carl. In Ed's stories, Carl is a giant, but at the funeral we see him as a normal man, much taller than the others attending, but not a giant. In the final scene we see Will’s happiness as he listens to the characters from his father's stories tell their stories about his father. Will smiling and laughing at these stories shows us that Will has changed his mind about his father exaggerating the truth and begins to enjoy and agree with his father's entertaining stories. The full transition is shown in the closing scene of the movie when Will's kid asks Will a question about one of Ed's stories, showing that Will also exaggerated the truth, continuing his father's "Big Fish" legacy.
ReplyDeleteCLio
I completely agree with you Chris, of course it is okay to exaggerate the truth in the setting of story telling to make the story more interesting. At times throughout this movie I felt that Will was jealous of his fathers ability to make everyone know who he was by just telling stories. I also agree with you when Will search's through the shed and finds his fathers war letters and the object that looks like a hand that Ed used to sell. These objects prove that all of Ed's stories aren't fake and the stories actually happened but were less exaggerated. My class was unable to finish this movie due to technical difficulties but I could foreshadow the part with Carl being tall, but not a giant and Will smiling and laughing and telling the stories to his kid actually happening.
DeleteAs mentioned in class on Wednesday, the idea of telling exaggerated stories to children is fine to do. We are all told stories as young children, fairy tales, old myths, and even cartoons. The only way exaggerated stories can be harmful is if these stories are told as we get older. By doing this children aren't exposed to reality, and all they know are these fantastical worlds that don't exist. In the big fish, Will wasn't able to know about his fathers real life until he showed up to his fathers funeral. This is the fathers fault, Will didn't know what was real and what was fake about his father.
ReplyDeleteExaggeration is used in many circumstances in order to get someones attention on something or to make something more interesting. Storytellers tell stories with the main goal of people listening, hence being interested in. Sometimes storytellers become boring. WIth a little exaggeration they are able to achieve their main goal. Once you exaggerate once it becomes very easy for you to exaggerate the next time. Then you start exaggerating a lot and then once someone realizes that, the storyteller losses his credibility. This is what happened in the Big Fish between the father and son. With exaggerated stories, the true basis of the story is always their, its just put together with some fiction or lies.
ReplyDeleteIn class we brought up the question as to why we deem it acceptable to lie to kids. In my opinion we lie to try and teach kids valuable lessons. an example of this is how we tell children about Santa Clause to help them learn that the spirit of giving is more important than getting things. Santa shows to the kids that giving is far better than receiving. I think that this can be acceptable to teach a lesson. However in big fish we see this being used in the wrong. The father used his lies to seem like a godlike figure. It never taught his son any lesson as a child. They only made his son believe that he is a lier. Another thing I thought about after watching Big Fish was how similar the father was to Odysseus. Both of these men were hubristic enough that even in their fake stories they had to be the hero figure. Although the fathers stories are just exaggerated and Odysseus' stories are completely false, both men have to make themselves look so strong, powerful, and godlike.
ReplyDeleteCBra
I agree with you that lying can teach valuable lessons to kids. As you said, Santa Clause is seen as a role model to most kids and they admire his greatness and willingness to give. Kids learn from Santa about how thankful they should be for someone who is willing to go out of the way to grant their wishes. The reason kids learn this lesson is because Santa Clause is so interesting and mysterious that they are drawn to follow his ways. Even though you see lying as misused in the movie Big Fish I see it differently. Edward Bloom does lie to his son about his god-like figure and evidence shows that he is not god-like because he is currently on the verge of dying. But even though Edward's son did not believe his stories when he was a kid I think Edward was trying to teach a lesson by persuading him with his fake god-like attributes. What Edwards father was trying to teach his son was that to get through life you have to live it with an attitude of a god, with determination and the confidence that you are the best and nobody can stop you from accomplishing your dreams. For example, he shows the determination to marry the love of his life and he worked for years to get her. All of the imagination and lies Edward used was to try and draw in his son to learn a lesson, without the mysterious and unbelievable things happening in the story kids wouldnt be so willing to pay attention to the meaning of the story. It just so happened that his kid saw it as too unbelievable causing him to not believe anything his father says.
DeleteJCro
I do agree with your point about lying to kids to teach a lesson Bray, however not all stories need a message sometimes they are just for fun. I feel that Ed Bloom's stories are more for fun than to teach his son a lesson and I think the whole reason he keeps telling them is because he wishes to hold on to that part of him, his imagination side. One this I say a lot to people when I tell a story for fun that is fiction is all of my stories are 95% true and the other 5% is used to spice things up. This does not mean that what I am saying isn't entirely false only that certain things are. I guess what I am trying to say is he is just trying to have fun telling his son stories and even at one point in the movie when he finds the letter that says his dad was killed in war he was shocked because it was true like it was told in the story. Finally Ed Bloom Jr. should not feel like his dad is a liar because in all honesty I would love if I was told stories like that, I would find them very interesting and it would keep that sense of imagination alive in myself.
DeleteIn the Film Big Fish, a moral of life stuck out to me, persistence is the key to success. The protagonist Edward Bloom is extremely persistent, he achieves the girl of his dreams by pursuing everything he could. He worked for no pay just to find out bits and pieces of information about her. After working for no pay, he confesses his love for her with no hesitation or shame. Edward Bloom is a true man by following his dreams, he was not afraid of embarrassing himself when he met her for the second time at her college, he still was not drawn back when she said she would be married. He shows his true loyalty when he takes a beaten for his future wife, he's truly loyal because he kept to his word by not fighting back when he had the power win the battle. Edward Bloom later shows his ambition when he buys the “Secret Town”. When the women refused to sell her house he did what he had to change her mind, then he turned the shifted shack into a beautiful home. This alone showed me that if you put only half of your total effort into achieving your goals, then your goals are way too far fetched.
ReplyDeleteCCar
I strongly agree with you chris. I think persistence is a very admirable character trait but to a certain extent. I feel like when the woman refused to let Edward buy the house that he was extremely respectful about it. He ended up renovating the house to a point where she was extremely happy with what Edward has done to the house and she almost starts falling for Edward. Edward doesn't do this purposely but he almost leads on the lady to think that he likes her by everything that he's done for her. He is helping to fix the home in order to make her happier and try to get her to sell it to him. She believes that he is starting to like her and she gets the wrong intentions, where she then leans in for a kiss but gets rejected by Edward being loyal. She understands and ends up signing the deed of the house for edward to take so he can buy the house. I guess you can say that sometimes persistence can be misleading in certain situations depending on how the person thinks.
DeleteI absolutely agree with you Chris. I feel persistence along with not being afraid of failure. Edward was very persistent as he would not give up until he accomplished what he set out for. He was also not afraid of failure as he feels with everything, he could only learn from it. After finding out who the girl is that he wants to marry he goes right to see her and doesn't worry about striking out with her. Edward was truly a disciplined man with a clear focus on his dreams, which he set out to accomplish, and did accomplish them.
DeleteI agree with you guys that Edward was a very ambitious man who always had a set goal and always went for it no matter what. Like Eddie said with the girl that Edward saw and wanted to marry, he agreed to work at the circus for free just so he could get some information on this girl so he can get to know her. He worked for a long time just to get to know her name and when he finally found her she was engaged and he still didn't stop trying with her and he eventually got her to marry him.
DeleteIn the movie Big Fish, I feel like the different reactions of the son is a major part of the movie. As the movie goes on we see the son progress. Since the son was child the father has been telling him stories about his life and at first the son loved the stories and loved to listen to them. But, as the son grew, matured and got older he realize that father stories were all lies. The son couldn't take the unrealistic stories that he was listening too. The son never spoke to the father for next three year until the son went to go see him because he knew that the father could die at any moment. When the father and the son talk again and the father starts to tell the son more stories the son shows a different reaction instead of not listening to them knowing that they are probaly lies, the son listens and goes along with the stories. As you can see the son has different reactions about the father's stories. First, the son loves them, then he grows and can't take them because their lies, and finally he doesn't really want to listen t them but he goes along with it because the father can die at any moment. I feel like the son wants to be there for the father but, i think the son just knows his stories are all lies and i feel like the son just doesn't want to hear them because he knows that every thing he says is a lie. Once a lier, always a lier.
ReplyDeleteAs I was watching the film Big Fish, I was able to draw some parallels between the relationship of Edward Bloom and his son and Odysseus and his son Telemachus. First off both Bloom Jr. and Telemachus are in a search to discover the truth about their respective fathers. Edward's son is looking for the truth of the events in his father's life for some sort of closure. Telemachus, is trying to find the truth of whether after this long period of time after the war, if his father is still alive or not. Also, both Edward and Odysseus are clever in their words. Bloom, has used his words to build this reputation of a great story teller and extremely likable guy. Contrary to this, Odysseus used his words to get him out of dangerous situations or just to get what he wants. But both are shaped into their character due to their cleverness.Lastly, both the fathers and their sons are similar in one important way. The Blooms are similar because they both are story tellers, just the son is more of a factual kind of guy. On the other hand, Odysseus and Telemachus share the same mission of ultimately taking down the suitors.
ReplyDeleteGDiS
I had a feeling there was a connection to Edward Bloom and this so called "big fish". Edward's stories turned out to be true, just exaggerated. His son didn't believe that he was telling the truth at all but he was who he said "the same person since he was when he was born". It seemed like that his father lived off of storytelling. Every story he ever told left an impression on people, and most people were interested in what he had to say. It's kind of like telling kids stories, to keep them entertained. It is bad to lie to kids, but at such a young age kids need to be lied to I feel in order to stay entertained with themselves. And that's how Edward's son stayed entertained his entire life, the stories his father told him, that were indeed true, kept him wanting to know more about his father.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie The Big Fish, when the poet Norther Winslow robbed the bank, it had a significant meaning to the audience. Norther was in a good natured town surrounded by people with virtuous morals, which reflected in his character. When times got rough, and town went into ruin, he became desperate. He changed all his morals because he felt the need he had to. He also changed his very hospitable personality. When Edward Bloom was trying to save the town, he went to Norther for him to invest in the town, not to necessarily save it. He went from being a good natured poet embracing the rural life,to a sleazy stockbroker swindling in the urban life. Edward Bloom is the exact opposite. When times get tough, he sticks to his charming good old self, and gets by troublesome situations seamlessly.
ReplyDeleteKGui
I agree with you completely… this idea of being persistent and not changing oneself is a theme throughout Big Fish and the Odyssey also. Edward Bloom for example even though as he ages still tells fascinating stories and knows how to captivate an audience and keep them entertained rather than telling them the truth and boring them to death. In the scene when the doctor tells the son that Edward's story was better than the real story of his birth we see that through storytelling Edward connects captures the attention of people. Odysseus also by being persistent in his storytelling and not revealing his identity does not change his principles and remains his true self while the other characters in the story have changed as the story as progressed.
DeleteAfter watching this movie, I found there was a common theme of lying. Lying can be good in some cause to teach lessons etc. but it can also cause great damage. This is shown when Ed Bloom is telling Will the stories as a child to when he still telling them to him in his twenties. I don't think Ed ever meant to lie to Will and make him believe that he knows nothing about his father but I can see how it lead to that. Ed loves telling these captivating stories to socialize with people however I feel Will was embarrassed by these stories because they seem childish and he never really understood the real meaning of them until his father passed. As Will grew up his father should've have told him the stories like the doctor told Will his birth story just so Will can pick out the facts. This way Will could've had idea of who his father actually was. Instead of waiting until his death.
ReplyDeleteCArn
Well thought out Chris. I do feel the same in aspects. Ed told stories not only to socialize with people, but also to keep his "legacy" alive. He lived off of telling stories, and thats what made who he was. In the end of the movie we see that the people from his stories are indeed real. Ed just stretched the truth, if thats what you would call it. But his stories are what kept people thinking about what kind of life this man lived. He exaggerated over everything in his story, but thats what made Edward Bloom who he is. If he didn't tell stories like this, he would just be an ordinary, old man living the rest of his life. I feel that telling these stories was a good thing. It kept not just people, but also his son wanting to know more about his father, even though Will didn't believe any of the stories his dad had told him.
DeleteI 100% agree with you chris. throughout the whole movie their was just unrealistic actions and stories. Throughout the whole movie i feel like every word or story the father said was a lie. To me, the movie was lie after lie after lie. Chris said it perfect that lying can be a good cause or it can be a bad cause. The father loved telling stories to people especially his son. The son loved them at first and as he grew older he started to realize they were all lies and never knew the real meaning to them. As chris and paul said the stories was the way the father socialize with people by telling stories. These stories were all exaggerated and this is what made Edward Bloom live. I feel like these stories were a good cause because he made people and the son think and wanting to know more about his life even though they didn't believe the stories and also i feel like the stories also damage and embarrassed the son at the son's wedding when he was telling stories that were all lies to everybody.
DeleteAfter watching "Big Fish", I feel that there are connections between Edward Bloom and Odysseus from Homer's The Odyssey. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is a person with great pride, arrogance and perseverance. This is obvious due to the fact that he never gives up on going home. Edward Bloom is also a person with great pride and perseverance. For example, when he enters the old road that leads out of his hometown and in to Specture, he says "there comes a point, where a reasonable man must swallow his pride and admit when hes made a mistake, it was too bad that I'm not a reasonable man". He was so arrogant and prideful that he wasnt able to admit he was wrong. When Edward saw the love of his wife, he said he "would stop for nothing just to be with her". And he kept his word, he even took a beating from an old "friend" , just to make her his.
ReplyDeleteMPer
After watching a very intersting film "The Big Fish" I was left amazed but also wanted more. Being how much I loved this movie, this turned into a movie favorite for me. What stand out in this movie is over exaggerated stories. All the stories that were discussed in the movie were all true, except upon Harry's beliefs, but just over exaggerated. Now this can relate to just about everyones childhood. As we grew up, we all remember famous tales, stories, novels, etc. that our parents all told us. At such a young age we believed everything we heard and used our imagination to imagine how these stories were in reality. Now at the time, we probally didn't know that they were either fake, or for some a little bit exaggerated. It what creates our childhood and makes it such a blessing and a remeberance. Whenever i look back on my childhood, i look back on all the "great tales" i was told. Another example that stands out to me throughout the movie is Edward Bloom's determination. For exaple he worked to his bones night and day to learn about the love of his life while planning on marrying her. He never became distraced and had to much pride and ambition to make sure that he married his wife to be. Even when she told him that she was already engaged, he poured his heart out to her while she was on the balcony. Although after that, one of his childhood friends gave him a bad beating, he took it for the love of his life. This is what made him such a successful man because when he wanted something, he made sure he got it, no matter what he has to go threw or suffer from. His character can play a major part on our lives and influence us to make sure that when we really truley want something, we do not stop nonewhatsoever till we get it. All we need is pride and determination and we could be very successful.
ReplyDeleteJSch
If you were to characterize Edward Bloom, I believe the first thing that would come to your mind is his perseverance. When in the circus, Bloom states, "I just saw the woman im going to marry, but I lost her." Most people in this situation would give up their pursuit but Edward doesn't. He states, " I will spend every day of my life looking for her…" He is then told that she is way out of his league but that doesn't affect Bloom's mindset that he will find his woman. He tells the man in the circus that he will work unpaid just to find out who she is and that he has more determination than anyone he'll ever meet. When he finally meets "his wife" after waiting three years, she tells him that she is engaged to someone already. Even this does not stop Bloom from his pursuit. After several other actions of proclaiming his love to her and taking a beating from her actual husband, Edward eventually succeeds in his pursuit for his wife.
ReplyDeleteTo bring back a class topic from about a month ago, I believe Big Fish can be considered a magic realism film. Magic realism is defined as "a literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy." There are multiple examples in which my thesis can be supported. My first example comes from the circus scene when time literally freezes when Bloom sees the love of his life. After this, time speeds up extra quickly to catch up with normal time. This is clearly an unrealistic event. My next example comes from when a car is in the ocean and then in a tree. Also unrealistic in a realistic environment. Lastly, when Bloom is fixing up the house and he has the giant push the house so it stands up straight. All these events can be considered unrealistic in a film in which is based on a realistic story about Edward Bloom.
ReplyDeleteOne setting in "Big Fish" is the town of Specture. In this town everything seems too good to be true and it seems as if there is nothing to worry about as all of the town folk dance together. At first I thought that the town of Specture was an allusion to the land of the dead in "The Odyssey" because one of the people in the town says to Ed Bloom you arrived early we were expecting you later. This made me think that Ed joined the dead and that he himself died in the woods, however I knew this could not be because he was still alive. My second guess was that he died and was going to come back but then I realized Specture is more like Aeaea. In "The Odyssey", Odysseus travels to Aeaea with the beautiful witch goddess known as Circe. Eventually Odysseus winds up living with Circe for a year in luxury until he is reminded by his men that they must complete their journey home. This shows Ed Bloom's time in Specture as he would like to stay in the town with everyone and enjoy the good life but he must continue his journey with Carl.
ReplyDeleteThe film The Big Fish teaches how there is a difference between exaggerated tales and lying. When the son of Edward Bloom is still a little boy, Edward was able to tell these stories that seemed far fetched. To a young boy the stories were exciting and made the son look up to him. As the son grows older he realizes that the events in the tales were impossible. The son yells at Edward at his wedding day for telling the same story and they leave off for the next three years not speaking. The exaggerated tales of Edward now caused his own son to neglect him for three years. This could have even lasted longer but the son decides to try and make amends with his father as Edward is on his death bed. The son accuses Edward of being a liar his whole life and tells him how he does not even know who he is. The son decides to trace back what his father has been through and comes in contact with a lady from Spectre. The son begins to see how his father had an impact on people and his stories were actually all true although maybe a tad exaggerated. It is unfair to call Edward Bloom a liar he entertained people with his stories. Some events seem foolish and rather impossible but he never tells total lies. Edward Bloom embellishes stories for others humor and entertainment. When Edward is in the hospital and the doctor tells the real story of how the son was born, the son seems relieved to know. The doctor proceeds to ask which story he would have rather heard. The son contemplates as the doctor quickly answers how he prefers Edward's version of the story. The son understands Edward more at the end of the film which ultimately gives a sad feeling to the film's auidence. The son realized Edward is not a liar, just a story teller and made many friends from being so.
ReplyDeleteI agree Joe. I believe that these stories made his childhood "colorful" and full of imagination. His fathers wit and detail made the stories he told seem real. I also feel that these stories had the power to mend Will and Ed's relationship. Will's understanding at the end ultimately exemplifies his love for his father and possibly represents the trace of his father in him.
DeleteAfter we watched Big Fish in class these past three days I had a realization about the meaning of stories and "falsities" that are commonly thrown around for the betterment of society. In society when a person gets hurt, you tell them "It's going to be okay, when in reality they can be serious injured." A false story is actually very similar to these comforting statements we make. In Big Fish Edward Bloom attempts to exaggerate everything that happens in his life in his stories he tells his son. These stories although being thought of as fake and exaggerated, taught morals and promise to his son at a young age. When the son finds out the truths of his fathers stories and realized they weren't all lies and that the father gave him these stories to aid him in his life.
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After watching the film, "Big Fish," one thing stood out to me the most which was the way people over exaggerated stories to make it more enjoyable for the listeners. In the beginning of the movie the son loved listening to his father's stories not knowing that they were lies. As he grew older and realized his father was adding things to the true story and got into a fight with him over this. There relationship diminished and they didn't talk for several years. As the movie progressed, Will begins to understand that his father was not lying in his stories. One event which made him start to understand was when he was in the garage and found the letter which proved one of his stories to be in fact true. Another event that led him to think this way was when the doctor explained how Ed's story was more entertaining but Will would rather be told the truth by his father than entertained. I feel that many characters add onto their original stories to keep the listener focused and entertained.
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The Film Big Fish portrays a story that shows true character through a man, the son of Edward Bloom is shown to be a kid growing up on lies. As a child Edward Bloom would exaggerate his stories to entertain his son, but he never actually told him the truth. The son feels abandoned and mistreated because of these lies, he says that he didn’t even have a relationship with his father. There is a scene in the story where Edward’s son walks away from his father for seven years. When news gets out that Edward Bloom is sick his son comes to his aid, and shows him some sort of attention. He actually wanted to build a relationship with his father before he passed away. What stood out the most is right before his father dies, he tells his own story just the way his father used to tell them. This showed the true man the son became to be, by forgetting the past of what his father did and just putting a smile on his fathers face before he passed away. (Forgot Edwards Sons name).
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Chris i agree with you that Will Bloom( Edwards son) feels abandoned and mistreated. I feel like he goes on the trip to Jennifer Hill's house to find out more about his father because he felt abandoned, he didnt know anything about him. I think because Edward wasnt around very much, he felt like Edward was mistreating not only him, but his mother as well. He went to find out more about his dad and learned a valuable lesson along with it, that the exaggerated truth is sometimes more appealing than just straight facts.
DeleteMPer
One thing in the movie big fish that I found odd was how easily the son comes back to see his father when he becomes sick. I found this odd they went so long without talking to each other and he comes back as if they never were fighting. Also when the son begins his journey he says its because he wants to be able to tell his children who their grandfather is. However I feel that he goes on the search to find out who his father was because he feels some amount of sorrow for cutting his father out of his life for so long.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie the Big Fish lying is one of the major themes in the story. Edward Bloom lies to his son about his past times stories making himself a god-like figure. His son doesn't believe him and sees him as a crazy man who lies to him, soon he loses trust in him. Edward did not mean to make his son react the way he did. I think the reason Edward made the story so unbelievable was because he tried to make the story attractive enough for his son to listen and receive the lesson of the true stores of his life.
ReplyDeleteJCro
Over the last three days I realized how important the stories were that Edward told. Like when he told his son the story of him going out and searching for his future wife. When the son is old enough he thinks this story is crazy and outlandish. The moral of the story and the reason Edward told the story for all these years is because he wanted to show his son to go out and get what he wants. In the end however, he realizes the moral of what his father is trying to say and realizes the reason he's told these stories for all these years.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has a tendancy to "fib" or lie and exaggerate the truth and sometimes make up the entire Story. Sometimes the truth is boring and bland and it could use some vivacity. Storytelling would have never been around for that long if the stories told were boring. Stories are meant to stir your imagination and inspire you to adventure. Just like in the Big fish. The actual story of the son's birth was nothing that of the father's story. The whole point of telling stories is to leave the listener with a story to tell their future listeners. Entertaining stories live on to be remembered.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the movie, we see the son tell a story to his father. This struck me as sort of heartwarming. Through all the tension between he and his father, William finds himself in his father's shoes. Now he is telling the story. I believe that this is an example of his father alive in him, and I think it made his father very happy to see him fill his shoes.
ReplyDelete“That was my father’s final joke I guess. A man tells his stories so many times he becomes the stories. They live on after him.” The preceding quote, as told by Will - Edward Blooms son, conveys Will’s connection and acceptance of his father, through which Will’s dispute over Edward’s ‘false tales” finally ends. Will’s general mannerisms and the relationships he has with his wife and mother, reveal his kind-hearted and respectful nature. But, his dispute with his father is that of a simple misunderstanding of what his father’s stories are truly meant to teach Will. As expressed throughout the movie, Will almost feels used by being told false stories all his life, through which Will’s character develops into a stern being. At Edward’s funeral, Will meets many of the people from his father’s stories, ensuring him that his father’s stories were not all lies. Assurance is all Will ever needed in order to accept his father and his father’s many stories. These facts help Will accept his father’s stories, stories that are connected to and are ‘one’ with Edward, therefore - ultimately connecting Will with his father. Consequently, Will’s concern lies with his fear of not knowing who his father was, ironically, his non-acceptance of his father’s stories was the only thing preventing him from what he was searching for.
ReplyDeleteAn easy assessment to make would be the connection of the two stories, Big Fish and The Odyssey. For starters, there are many connections between the characters of both stories. First, the most apparent, are Edward Bloom and Odysseus. These two are both lead by a sense of security that allows them act reckless and fear nothing. They both excel academically and physically. There un-bending and adventurous attitudes unexpectedly lead many to rely on and seek help from these characters. Edward Bloom saves the town of Spectre, a town which previously in the story had no idea who he was, but was still distraught to see him leave. He is also seen late into the story helping Jenny rebuild her house. Though he and Jenny are very close and Jenny wishes to expand on their relationship, Edward presents his true loyalty and affection for his wife, which awkwardly leaves them off on a good note. In The Odyssey, Odysseus consistently is seen helping others, mainly his crew. His crew gets him in many dangerous situations, but nevertheless he perseveres with his intelligence and fortitude. These situations consist of their fight with the Cyclops, and the islands of: Aeaea, the island and home of Circe; Aeolia, the island and home of Aeolus king of winds; Capri the island of the Sirens; Thrinacia, island and home of the sun god; and finally Ithaca, Odysseus’ homeland. There are many other connections between the two, but mainly the attributes and heroism of the characters are the most important to express. Another set of characters are Sandra and Penelope. Both of these characters endure years without their loved ones due to war. Nevertheless, they remain strong and loyal to the ones they love eventually waiting for their return. Although Sandra almost gives up on Edward ever returning, she still shows no sign of ‘breaking her bonds’ with him; and Penelope, just as well, stalls her suitors for as long as she can before being assured of Odysseus’ return. Their persistent loyalty in their husbands is what defines these two characters. Another, less noticeable correlation would be Will Bloom and Telemachus. They are both reluctant to accept their fathers because they both don’t truly know who they are. Will believes he has been mislead by his father’s lies and cuts off his communications with him for many years. Telemachus on the other hand, has simply never spent time with his father since Odysseus left for the ten year battle of Troy, and then took ten more years to return. Nevertheless, both characters are seen fulfilling their father’s expectations. Lastly, to deviate from the characters of each story, a quite plain link between Big Fish and The Odyssey would be the town of Spectre, and the Island of Phaeacia. These two ideal and perfect towns seemingly have no flaws. In both circumstances of Big Fish, and The Odyssey, the protagonists Edward and Odysseus find themselves drifted into these towns. Upon arrival they are both admired for their Intellectual and Physical attributes. Soon quite after, these two complete strangers are both thrown a party in their honor. In both Big Fish and The Oydssey, the protagonists share their stories with the town, and then reveal that they must take leave. Both towns, quite literally, break down after the departure of Edward and Odysseus. Consequently, the parallels drawn between the stories Big Fish and The Odyssey are overwhelmingly and abundantly expressed.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Big Fish was really connected to Odysseus as much as we all hoped it would be. The story was very changed from what it should have been. When Edward sees Carl for the first time, he was not afraid of being killed and did not see his friends die. He saw a monster that was terrorizing a town and tried to save the town. Instead of a long journey home that was interrupted by strenuous tasks, he was only acting like a hero. It seemed that Edward was more of a kind soul that was at the right places at the right times and got credit for it. Besides, Edward wasn't even famous before he set out to raise a family. He became well known and legendary through the good deeds that he had done through his lifetime.
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