In the Elizabeth Bishop's poem "The Fish", the author presents the image of the fish which was caught by a fisherman. The poem starts with the words, "I caught a tremendous fish- which gives an idea how glad and proud fisherman must be. But the next lines that follow show that the fisherman was more surprised and disappointed by the fact that this fish doesn't resist him:.
"He didn't fight.
He hadn't fought at all.
He hung a grunting weight,.
Battered and venerable and homely.".
The passive image of the fish raises the question: why doesn't this fish fight for his life and freedom? To find an answer Bishop gives a detailed description of the fish.
Bishop demonstrates that the fish is old and at the same time beautiful. The line: "His brown skin hung in strips like ancient wall-paper" gives a feeling of something that is one hundred years old. On the other hand the words "Shapes like full-blown roses stained and lost through age" offers an idea of beauty that still can be captured by the eye. The description of the "white flash", "the dramatic reds and blacks of his shiny entrails and the pink swim-bladder like a big peony" keep pointing to the fish's beauty. Bishop shows how bright and rich the colors of this fish are, considering the age. .
Suddenly the image of the fish with "five big hooks grown firmly in his mouth" makes Bishop's character see the picture of the fish in a totally different perspective. The admiration of the fish grows through the entire poem and suddenly, changes into respect for the fighter and survivor. This fish was a champion who never lost a battle in his life. These hooks were a symbol of survival and victory "Like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering". .
In the end Bishop's character understands the fish's past and the honor that fish obtained for surviving all this times. Everything became clear "until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!" And then all of a sudden he let the fish go.