Big Fish (15 page)
Questions for Discussion
1. William tells the story of his father through a series of tall tales. Why might tales that challenge the truth be a more effective way of getting to the heart of William's father?
2. Mythical heroes usually undertake a quest for an object or knowledge. What is Edward's quest? What is William's?
3. How does Edward react to the role of becoming a father?
4. How would you contrast William and Edward, especially in their understanding of storytelling?
5. How would you characterize Edward and William's relationship? In what ways does it change throughout the course of the book?
6. Is there a specific tale here that seems to veer from the tone of the others? If so, in what way does that tale tell us more of what really happened? Does it matter what really happened? Why or why not?
7. The final scene between Edward and William takes place four times (or is played out in four different ways). What is the effect of each one, and why does the author create so many alternate versions of only that one scene? What might that say about William's role as a spinner of tales?
8. How does the element of water figure into the imagery and ideas of the story?
9. What is the meaning of the big fish? What are we to make of this final transformation?
10. The narrative style here is minimalist and segmented. What does this say about memory? What does it say about how completely we can ever know someone?
11. If someone were to ask you what
really
happened in Edward's life, how would you describe it? Do you think he is self-centered or unselfish? What leads you to that conclusion?
12. The movie of
Big Fish
departs from the plot of the book in a number of ways, from adding in a character to changing the second half of the book. Why do you think each of these things were changed for the film? What does this tell us about the audience for a book and the audience for a movie?
ROGER HAILE
Daniel Wallace is the author of four novels. His first novel,
Big Fish,
has been translated into twenty-three languages and was adapted for film by Tim Burton and John August. His essays and stories have been
widely published and anthologized. He lives in Chapel
Hill, North Carolina, with his wife, Laura.
Praise for
Big Fish
“A refreshing, original debut, which ignores the retelling of the events and minutiae and gets right to the poetry of a son's feelings for and memories of his father . . . In a plainspoken style dotted with transcendent passages, Wallace mixes the mundane and the mythical. His chapters have the transformative quality of fable and fairy tale, and the novel's roomy structure allows the mystery and lyricism of the story to coalesce.” â
Publishers Weekly,
starred review
“Readers will know how this story will end, on the surface at least. But it's how Wallace gets there, playfully swimming underwater through myths and legends, that makes this a worthwhile read and a promising first novel.” â
USA Today
“Comic and poignant . . . A nice encapsulation of the complexity with which many sons view their fathers.” â
The New York Times Book Review
“The story has a touch of Twain's exaggeration with a dollop of Arthurian legend.” â
Library Journal
“Small glimpses of the soul of another through the lattice of tall stories make up this charming first novel . . . The fantastical roots of everyday are visible here, as William searches for answers to such questions as, How do we reach the heart of another person?” â
Booklist
Published by
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Post Office Box 2225
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27515-2225
a division of
Workman Publishing
225 Varick Street
New York, New York 10014
©1998 by Daniel Wallace.
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. While, as in all fiction, the literary perceptions and insights are based on experience, all names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. No reference to any real person is intended or should be inferred.
ISBN 978-1-61620-165-4
