English - Elizabeth Bishop: The Fish

The Fish Themes

1) Nature

2) Survival / Life Experience

3) Empathy

4) Epiphany & Transformation

Nature Quotes

"I caught a tremendous fish"

"half out of water, with my hook / fast in a corner of his mouth."

"His brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper,"

"shapes like full-blown roses / stained and lost through age."

"I caught a tremendous fish"

establishes a factual tone that mirrors her typical objective narrative style. However, the adjective "tremendous" immediately invites deeper reflection — it suggests that this creature possesses not just physical size, but emotional or symbolic weight.

"half out of water, with my hook / fast in a corner of his mouth."

uses tactile imagery and enjambment to convey a moment of suspended tension. The fish is vulnerable, caught between worlds - between life and death.

The hook represents both the victory of catching the fish and the pain it has survived, which is key to the poem's deeper message.

"His brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper,"

combines decaying imagery with a tone of admiration.

Far from being grotesque, the fish's weathered appearance suggests a life marked by hardship and perseverance.

The reference to "ancient wallpaper" evokes memory and time, turning the fish into a living artefact of survival.

This moment is key to the speaker's transformation, as her initial detachment gives way to admiration and empathy.

"shapes like full-blown roses / stained and lost through age."

Contrast of ugliness (peeling skin) with beauty (roses) evokes awe — decay doesn't erase value.

Survival Quotes

"the frightening gills, / fresh and crisp with blood,"

"the pink swim-bladder / like a big peony."

"He had five old pieces of fish-line / hanging from his lip"

"a five-haired beard of wisdom / trailing from his aching jaw."

"the frightening gills, / fresh and crisp with blood,"

The sudden harshness of "frightening" and the sensory detail in "crisp with blood" bring us face to face with the fish's strength and its weakness.

This jarring moment cuts through poetic reflection and reminds the speaker of the fish's dignity as a living being, making her eventual act of release all the more profound.

"the pink swim-bladder / like a big peony."

By transforming a raw, internal organ into a blooming flower, Bishop finalises her shift from conqueror to compassionate observer.

The comparison symbolises the idea that real value and dignity often reside beneath the surface.

"He had five old pieces of fish-line / hanging from his lip"

This powerful image turns wounds into war medals — each line a symbol of the fish's endured battles and near-deaths.

"a five-haired beard of wisdom / trailing from his aching jaw."

This metaphor transforms the fish from a biological specimen into a figure of mythic dignity and survival.

The phrase "five-haired beard of wisdom" links beards with age, wisdom, and experience, making the fish seem like an old, wise figure who has survived a lot over time.

The number five subtly links to the five hooks the fish has carried — a detail Bishop builds to reinforce its history of survival.

The word "aching" gives the fish emotional depth, personifying it as not just tired, but weary from experience, as if it carries the weight of past struggles. This humanising metaphor deepens the speaker's empathy, preparing for the climactic emotional release when the fish is finally let go.

Empathy Quotes

"from the pool of bilge / where oil had spread a rainbow

"the rainbow / rainbow / rainbow!"

"And I let the fish go."

"from the pool of bilge / where oil had spread a rainbow

The "pool of bilge" evokes an unpleasant, grimy image — bilge water is the dirty, oily residue collected at the bottom of a boat. It symbolises the dark, overlooked, and neglected parts of life or existence. The presence of oil spreading "a rainbow" introduces a striking juxtaposition between filth and beauty.

"the rainbow / rainbow / rainbow!"

The emotional turning point — she now sees everything differently.

"And I let the fish go."

serves as a powerful conclusion to the poem's narrative arc. The simplicity of the language contrasts with the earlier vivid imagery, underscoring the speaker's humble surrender and newfound respect for life.

not just freeing the fish physically, but freeing herself from the desire to dominate or possess.