My father became a myth.
The novel is told from the perspective of a son coping with his father’s illness and his impending death, trying to find ways to get closer to him, get to know him on a more meaningful level. William’s father is not only a myth based on the stories about his fantastic life told in the novel, but he is also a myth to him, a mystery based on the scarce moments he had with him.
Being surrounded by water made him feel secure and at peace.
Water is a significant symbol in the novel, and it represents Edward’s turbulent nature, his inability to settle into one place. It is the constant flow and movement of water that makes Edward feel secure. It also relates to his being the big fish, in a literal and metaphorical sense, normalcy and mediocrity not being who he is.
This is the way it has gone from the beginning: everytime we get close to something meaningful, serious, or delicate, he tells a joke.
From the recollection of the stories about Edward’s life, it is clear that he is a person who has never liked to settle, always being a fleeting presence in those who meet him, like the example of Jenny. Being loved by everyone he meets, but never really getting personally close to anyone, is a part of his personality-a fact which William will have to accept at the end as an addition to his father’s mythical existence.
