[Kristen Druse]

Edward Bloom is the arguably the most multifaceted depiction of a hero that we’ve seen yet. One of the most fascinating parts of “Big Fish” is that a huge component of the portrayal of the hero is how the hero sees himself. Bloom is characterized mainly through personal storytelling flashbacks rather than a more objective form of narration. This means that the version of the life that we see is what he chooses to show/tell us. For example, the montage of his success as a bright youth in a small town demonstrates that the only thing that can dwarf Edward Bloom in his own mind is a literal giant, and he somehow manages to triumph over even that challenge. Both Will, his son, and us as viewers learn to take what Edward Bloom says with a grain of salt.

Bloom has extremely humanistic qualities, as is demonstrated by his sometimes inappropriate strong will and somewhat self-centered decisions. He really reinforces the theory that a true and relatable hero must have flaws that make his character seem more attainable and realistic. For example, he chooses to tell a story at his son’s wedding that his son has not only heard before but has also expressed his distaste for. This is not at all a malicious decision but is simply a failure to pick up on the displeasures of those around him. This form of naivety is somehow both grinding and endearing.

Despite the quirky and almost whimsical nature of this film, it has many of the components of the classic hero’s tale explained by Campbell. Bloom goes through almost the exact journey that Campbell depicts. Bloom’s supernatural aid comes in the form of the knowledge of when he is going to die, which means that he can traverse life without fear as he already knows when and how his end will come. This is quite literally represented when Bloom is being attacked by the moving trees in the woods and he recalls that he knows that the trees will not kill him, and as a result of him announcing this fact, the trees become stationary again. This is just one of countless parallels between “Big Fish” and Campbell’s exploration of the hero.

[Erica George]

I agree that we as viewers tend to sympathize with Edward’s son as he dismisses the validity of his father’s stories. I would argue, however, that this connection to Will is both an intentional and successful tactic used by the writers and director of Big Fish to call attention to what Campbell would say is evidence of our modern cynicism. In doing so, Big Fish displays the conflict between Campbell’s view of heroes and mythologies as a lost reality of our generation and the skeptical ideologies that Campbell claims modern society has adopted, presenting the struggle through a father-son relationship.
On one end of the conflict, we have Will. In many ways, Will is the modern American hero. He is a level-headed, successful husband and soon-to-be father who has strong moral character but appeals to reason. His resentment toward fantasy and his draw to logic leads to our connection with him as a modern audience. As the audience automatically connects with Will’s modern sensibility and accepts his status as the protagonist, we are introduced to his father.
Edward Bloom, a man who spends his last days actually reading a copy of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, acts as Will’s foil in many ways as he refuses to give in to his son’s quest for “the truth.” Instead, Edward stubbornly claims that the story of his life is nothing short of a fairytale that fits Campbell’s narrative outline perfectly. As Courtney asserted in her post, Edward has complete control over his narrative, allowing him to adapt his life story as he sees fit, leading both Will and the viewers to argue that Edward’s stories are all fiction, lies. As a result, tension grows between Will and the modern audience that he represents and Edward and his loyalty to the hero’s tale.
Through the growing conflict between Edward and Will, the directors and writers of Big Fish call attention to our skepticism. As a modern audience, we automatically connect with Will’s logical nature and accept his perception of fairytales and his father’s tales as our own. Like Will, we have grown to see myths as symbolic stories that simply guide our understanding of the “real” world. We watch and listen to Edward’s tales of Karl the giant and of the old witch in the swamp and then go on to pick apart the stories to find the truth, the hidden message. In essence, we dismiss the possibility of the stories being true, revealing what Campbell would say is our critical inclinations as a modern culture. In this call to self-reflection, the director asks us to address and overcome our cynical tendencies in order to revive the world of the hero.
Having struggled through the conflict between Will and Edward through Will’s perspective, we are at last called to sympathize with Edward as his last wish. As Will orates the final chapter of his father’s life story, he is not only fabricating a tall tale; he is narrating an alternate reality for how his father leaves the world. In developing and seeing the world into which is father has lived his whole life and finally passes into, Will accepts the call to his own adventure, and the last words of his father’s story become the catalyst for his own hero’s journey. As Will begins this journey, we, his ever-faithful companions, are presented with the very real opportunity to recreate the world of mythology and heroes. In the end, Big Fish is our call to adventure, beckoning us to embrace the possibilities and begin our quest.

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