adequately define that which appears before her.
That the speaker must struggle through the major-
ity of the poem to do so only underlines the diffi-
culty of truly and fully seeing. This is why the
poem is largely a progression from surprise, hav-
ing caught a fish that does not struggle, to elation,
having fully understood the fish and thus being
compelled to let it go. The transformation that
occurs between these two points is largely, if not
wholly, achieved through the vehicle of observa-
tion. Indeed, the speaker’s surprise at the fish’s
placidity is perhaps whatspurs her observation.
He stays still enough for her to begin to truly see
him for what he is.
Certainly, it would seem that the crux of the
poem’s theme lies in the speaker’s observation of
the myriad hooks grown into the fish’s bottom
lip. Notably, this is the last aspect of the fish that
the speaker notices before choosing to let him go.
This fact is significant in that the hooks are likely
the fish’s most prominent feature. Any fisherman
who would catch such a fish would likely notice
this aspect straightaway. Yet, this is not the case
with the poem’s speaker. The omission is, at the
very least, a deliberate delay of the inevitable.
The delay underscores the journey of observa-
tion undertaken by the speaker. Furthermore, it
allows the speaker’s respect for the fish to build
from disgust to admiration. In the speaker’s eyes,
the fish is transformed from a lice-ridden creature
to a worthy and battle-worn adversary.
The triumph the speaker experiences could
be initially ascribed to this realization—that the
speaker has caught a fish that has escaped so
many like herself. Yet the speaker’s sense of tri-
umph has far deeper implications. It stems from
her journey of observation, from seeing the fish
as an object to recognizing it as a being worthy
of intense thought and consideration. The trium-
phant epiphany lies not in the realization that the
speaker has caught a worthy fish but in the realiza-
tion that the speaker, through actively seeing and
observing, has been able to come to any realization
or understanding of the fish at all. This idea is
reinforced by the speaker’s transference of triumph
and beauty to all that surrounds her. An ugly oil-
slicked puddle, a corroded bucket, the rowing seats
whose covers are aged and cracked, all become
beautiful—transformed into rainbows. Though
the speaker indicates that everything has been
transformed into rainbows, rainbows are in and
of themselves everything in that they are a full
presentation of the color spectrum. Thus, the poet
indirectly indicates that she can see everything as
everything (every color) at once. This, then, is the
power of observation made concrete.Unexpected Beauty
What follows the speaker’s initial surprise at hav-
ing caught the docile fish is an observation that
first leads to disgust. The fish’s shredded skin and
the ragged pieces of seaweed sticking to it give
an impression of age and decay. This impression
of disgust is further underlined by the barnacles
and sea lice with which the fish is infested. These
rather morbid observations turn the speaker’s
thoughts toward observations of that which is
unseen, the fish’s organs and skeleton. Yet the
speaker derives beauty from so much ugliness;
the fish’s bladder is compared to a flower.TOPICS FOR
FURTHER
STUDY The poet Marianne Moore and Bishop were
lifelong friends, and Moore’s influence on
Bishop’s work was substantial. Notably, one
of Moore’s most famous poems is also titled
‘‘The Fish’’ (1918). Read Moore’s poem and
write an essay comparing and contrasting it
to Bishop’s poem.
Write a poem in which you describe some-
thing in detail and end the poem with an
action inspired by that intense observation—
just as Bishop does in ‘‘The Fish.’’ In a short
essay, note whether the conclusion you came
to was expected or unexpected and why.
Some critics have described Bishop as a femi-
nist and some have even gone as far as to call
her a feminist poet. Yet little of her work is
overtly feminist. Study feminism in the twenti-
ethcenturyandgiveanoralpresentationon
the topic. Based on your research, do you think
that Bishop was a feminist? Which poems sup-
port or undermine your conclusion?
Create a collage or drawing based on your
reading of ‘‘The Fish’’ and present it to your
class. How did your artwork enhance or change
your understanding of Bishop’s poem?The Fish