Student Essay on The Adventures of Edward's Life; as Told in "big Fish"

The Adventures of Edward's Life; as Told in "big Fish"

Summary:   Edward Bloom and his son Will share an alienated relationship .Edward has always worked as a traveling salesman, requiring extensive absences from home, which left Will, as a child, feeling neglected. While narrating the life and adventures of Edward Bloom the movie explores the dynamics of this father and son relationship, the entertaining, bizarre tall tales, and the fascinating people joined with the vivid locations all brought to life in each incredible story.

The Adventures of Edward's Life; as told in Big Fish

Hearing even a favorite story too many times can make the reason for liking the story in the first place forgotten. Sometimes the telling of a beloved story repeatedly, can take away the enjoyment of it. This movie narrates the life of Edward Bloom by revealing his relationship with his son, the tall tales about all of his adventures, and all the characters and places he encounters while discovering his destiny.

Edward Bloom and his son Will share an alienated relationship .Edward has always worked as a traveling salesman, requiring extensive absences from home, which left Will, as a child, feeling neglected. The nights his father was home, he told his young son great stories of adventure while tucking him into bed, but Will wonders if perhaps the tales cover up the fact his father actually leads a different life while he was away. Will struggles throughout his life trying to separate the truth concerning his father from all the myths in his stories; convinced his father concealed his identity from his family for all those years. The contrasting personalities of Edward and Will become more apparent as the movie unfolds. Edward recounts a frequently told story for Will's wedding guests: embarrassing Will and this results in an argument and the two do not speak for the three years following. Throughout Will's childhood his father's outgoing personality always overshadowed his own more introverted nature and this evokes feelings of resentment for Will. Overcoming the neglect felt by Will due to his father's long and frequent business trips and the differing personality traits evolves as father and son finally accept each other for whom and what they

are. The many tall tales in the film add a real southern charm to the story with each more outrageous and surprising than the last. Edward seems to have an anecdote for everything. One of his stories with real southern flair involves a witch with a glass eye and he frequently refers to "seeing my death in that eye", implying he knew the manner in which he dies. Another charming however, unbelievable story tells of Edward's alarming growth spurt, which confines him to bed for three long years until his bones reach their adult size. The blurring of reality and fantasy in Edward's adventures become

difficult to discern during the course of the film. After discovering a letter written to Edward's wife Sandra confirming Edward's disappearance during the Korean War his son Will ponders the possibility of other truths lying in additional stories. At Edward's own funeral, toward the end of the movie, Karl the giant man as reported in several of his father's stories, steps out of a limousine proving to Will his existence. The art of telling tall tales, especially southern style, is a dying art, but Edward eloquently spins yarn after yarn with each ending more surprising and unusual than the last; making the line between reality and imagination even more blurred.

The intertwining of the peculiar people met and the extraordinary places explored throughout his adventuresome life are captivating. Edward Bloom is a social person and well liked by everyone he chances meeting. Karl is a fine example of someone who was feared by the townsfolk but Edward befriends the giant, convinces Karl to depart such a small town and join him for fabulous adventures; thus building a lifelong bond of friendship. The same is true of Amos, the ringmaster of the circus portrayed as a dishonest man who takes advantage of Edward's good nature; eventually his tenacity and charm convince the ringmaster of his character not a

worthwhile person but as a true friend. Edward travels the world trying to find his destiny discovering the most unusual places along his way. He journeys to the magical town of Spectre with streets covered in grass, a heavenly glow illuminates the town, and the residents never wear shoes. The most romantic of his tales occurs at Auburn University where Edward's future bride, Sandra Templeton, awakens one morning to a field of freshly planted daffodils outside her window, and standing in the middle of this field is young Edward.

This film possesses an almost surreal quality enriched by the characters unique essence and the enchanting places he discovers.

While narrating the life and adventures of Edward Bloom the movie explores the dynamics of this father and son relationship, the entertaining, bizarre tall tales, and the fascinating people joined with the vivid locations all brought to life in each incredible story. Edward Bloom spends his entire life entertaining with his exciting adventures making him larger than life in many ways. A man's stories live on after him and in that, way he becomes immortal.