Review Of: "Big Fish"

Public rhetoric is one type of communication theory, of which the narrative paradigm by Walter Fisher is an example. The movie Big Fish will be analyzed in this paper using Fisher's narrative paradigm to show that all types of communication can be regarded as story (Griffin, 2006, p. 340).

According to Fisher, "People are storytelling animals." If life is seen as an ongoing story - with each segment of our life having a beginning, middle, and end - then we can use the narrative paradigm theory to help us to understand what is going on in our own life and of those around us. By listening to the "stories" being told around us, we can decide what they mean and if there is any value in it that can be applied to our own life.

The narrative paradigm theory consists of five assumptions: (1) Storytelling is a basic element in all people; (2) People make decisions based on good reasons; (3) History, biography, culture, and character help us to decide what are good reasons; (4) Narrative rationality is determined by the probability of the story, and the ability for the story to cause an emotional response in people or at least allow the listener, viewer, or reader to understand and empathize with the characters (p. 343).

One of the most defining features of the narrative paradigm is that an expert is not necessary to evaluate the criteria used to judge if a story has any value. Any person "armed with a bit of common sense" can discern for themselves if a story has value for their life, according to Fisher (p. 344).

Big Fish is a literal narrative, told from the perspective of the main character, Master Storyteller Edward Blum. The film follows the life of Blum, as a series of exaggerated stories he tells to his son, Will, as he is growing up. As he grows, Will resents the stories his father tells because he is sick and tired of hearing them over and over again, and because he sees the stories as his father always trying to get attention. He thinks by telling the stories repeatedly his father is making a fool of himself. Will is upset that his father won't tell him anything concrete and "real" but instead keeps insisting on telling these wild and crazy stories.

From Ed's perspective, actual relaying of events tells "facts, but not the flavor." One scene in the movie is where Ed tells young Will about the events that happened on the day Will was born. The story is that he was fishing and used his wedding ring as a lure to catch a legendary, huge catfish in the river, which then spit up his ring to give it back to Ed. As it is later learned in the movie, Ed was actually away on business, selling his wares, on the day Will was born. Will appreciates the "real" story more than the elaborate one.

The storytelling is poetic at times, and at other times humorous, and always moving. Much of the movie focuses on the love affair between Ed and his wife Sandra. Ed describes that the moment he first laid eyes on Sandra time stood still, and with every view of her in a subsequent story showing her with a soft lens to make her appear more magical and perfect. This love affair, and the love he has for his son, is the driving force behind the emotional response in its viewers. As we watch, we want so badly for Will to accept his father.

Ed was an ordinary man, with an ordinary job, but he wanted to be larger than life for his son. Will never believed any part of any story Ed ever told, but later on in the film he finds out that virtually every story has its root in fact. This completely surprises Will because he was sure that everything his father ever told him was a lie.

One of the final scenes in the movie is where Ed's character is dying of a stroke. He's in the hospital bed with his son Will by his side, and he asks Will to tell him how he dies. At first Will is completely confused by this request and starts to call a nurse and has no idea what to do. Finally he is confronted by the realization that he has no choice but to play along and give his father his dying wish: that he tells his own exaggerated story to ease his father's passing.

The story that Will weaves is just as elaborate as any Ed told in his lifetime, and it pleases Ed so much that he feels ready to die and accepts death. As few moments after Will finishes his story, Ed passes away, obviously feeling happy and content from the emotions played on his face. The act of telling this story changes Will's life forever; He now understands what his father was trying to teach him his entire life, which is that life is ordinary - we need stories to make life more "flavorful" and easier to deal with.

In viewing this film and analyzing it against Fisher's narrative paradigm, the values and truths depicted are easy to apply to one's own life. The love for family and the desire for your children to succeed in life and to be happy are overwhelmingly evident and easy to interpret and reaffirm in one's own life story.

References

Griffin, E. (2006). A First Look At Communication Theory (6^nd ed., pp. 339 -348). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Zanuck, Cohen & Jinks (Producers), & Burton, T. (Director). (2003). Big Fish [Motion picture]. (Available from Columbia Pictures, 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California 90232)