Passing-Thought

Big Fish and the gospel?

Let's dive into the movie's philosophy of life and death. One way of describing the entire movie of Big Fish is in terms of facing death as a means to life. Do you think Edward Bloom's knowledge of his own death was the big fish bowl he needed to obtain fullness of life? Could the big fish in the river also be symbolic of life surviving through death?

There are some strong gospel parallels to a philosophy that lives in light of the ultimate future. Edward Bloom's friends were affraid of seeing their own death (and so by trying to save their own lives they lose it). Young Edward, however, chooses to face his own death. In the end, he obtains "eternal life", and on the way he has the courage to wrestle through any adversity and the ambition to obtain whatever his heart desires. In a similar way, knowledge of our baptism into Christ's death and resurrection provides for us the assurance that "nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus". Christ sums up for us all of human history: the sufferings and the glories to follow.

His son Will raises the question about his father's ego. After all, he is at the center of all his own stories. His son feels like a mere minor character; in his own words, "a footnote". That is a big problem begging to be resolved the whole movie. Was it ever really resolved?

We do see in the stories that Ed uses his courage and ambition to be a blessing to those who need it. For instance, he provides friendship and jobs for freeks, financial direction to a poet, and he returns to Spector in order to save it, at his own expense. But what about his son?

The stories are intended as Ed's gift of himself. The sharing about his life is his sharing his life. His surprise ending is allowing his son to tell the final chapter that is faithful to the rest of the story. Again, we can relate this to the gospel. The gospel is primarily about one person: Christ, the climax of Israel's story. Christ's kingdom signs and parables are primarily about himself and the salvation/eternal life he brings through his death and resurrection. Christians are those who live in the final chapter of His story. In a sense, the main story is already finished, but He has still given us the responsibility (and grace for) [re-en]acting the final part of the last chapter, bearing His image and likeness so that we might be faithful witnesses to Him, walking in the light of the rest of His story. And when that story is faithfully told, it will still be all about him. But in as much as we are his and are in him, he is all about us.

Do you think that Big Fish attempts to resolve the relationship between the father and the son in a parallel manner?