A Modern Day Big Fish

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The film Big Fish delves into the ideas of mythology in such a way as to be relatable to a modern audience. At the center of the film is the struggle between logos and mythos, William Bloom vs. Edward Bloom. People are increasingly trying to apply logic and reason to their everyday lives to explain why things happen, but there are certain aspects of life that are currently beyond the reach of logos, such as death and the questions of existence. This is where mythos steps in and is able to provide “reasons” for why things happen as they do and why humans exist in the first place. Big Fish is told in a manner that resonates with the viewer, because most of the tales are told by Edward Bloom, one of the protagonists in the movie. He weaves magical tales of intrigue, mystery, and impossibility when telling them to his family, and for this reason his son, William Bloom, doesn't believe any of them ever happened. As a reporter, William needs facts and evidence to back up his father's miraculous claims. The viewer would be of the same mind if they attempted to apply logos to Edward's stories instead of looking at them through the intended mythos paradigm. Ingrained in each story are inklings of the truth and William must learn the hard way that his father hasn't been lying to him his whole life, but merely embellishing some of the finer points in each story. Ordinary stories aren't as hard to believe, but they aren't as easily remembered either. A person's true actions and life may be forgotten in time, but they can live on through their stories, as Edward does. This is how mythology exists today: as a collection of stories passed down from generation to generation and recorded in the histories. There are many parities between the movi...

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...r. He catches the uncatchable big fish with his wedding ring and is now tied to that river in the same way that Persephone is tied to the underworld after eating the pomegranate seeds there after being abducted by Hades (Martin 83). In modern terms, once one learns something, they can no longer go back to not knowing that something. Knowledge is power and as such, it can be a gift or a curse, depending on how one approaches it. Edward Bloom uses his knowledge of his pending death to live the best life he possibly can and conquers death by becoming a myth to his family and friends. Edward's funeral is full of people from his stories and his loved ones. He was a well-respected and loved person in his community. A final lesson to be taken away from this is that if one lives a full life, they too will have a grand funeral with friends and family to celebrate their life.

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