Analysis of Fish by Joanne Harris

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The short story of “Fish” by Joanne Harris is about the young and successful protagonist, Jack, who marries the youthful and wealthy antagonist, Melissa. To celebrate their honeymoon, Jack chooses to take his newly wedded wife to a city in Italy called Naples. There, Jack gets a chance to get to know Melissa better, as well as himself. In “Fish,” Joanne Harris shows how Jack is able to reconnect with his past and true self after he arrives in Naples with Melissa for their honeymoon.
The life Jake previously lives, in England, the one before coming to Naples, is a materialistic one. Jack marries Melissa for the same reason she marries him. That reason being the fact that she is a member of a wealthy family and that he is a successful young individual. Marriage was even “the first step in his long-term plan, and much would depend on keeping Melissa and her family sweet” (Harris, 251). In order to keep himself attached to a rich family, he would need to treat her well and show his worthiness to her family. When first arriving in Naples, Jack’s focus is still on obtaining Melissa’s wealth and not the honeymoon. After their first argument upsets Jack, he reminds himself, why he had married her and that “there’s no point in getting your foot in the door if the next thing you do is stick it in your mouth” (251). Through this passage, Jack is telling himself to calm down, so that his plan does not fail after it has been progressing perfectly so far. This plan can lead to more wealth and a better reputation than he already has around his colleagues, whose thoughts he very much cares about. That is why Jack would never let anyone at work know about his love for food, since they all “seemed to live off coffee and filter tips” (251). He was n...

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...trated sunshine” (248). The literary technique used in this passage is imagery since the description forms images in the reader’s mind. Jack proves to embrace what Rosa represents when he begins paying more attention to her than to Melissa. He does this by ordering more food to which Melissa states “Damn you, Jack, you knew I wanted to leave!” (257). Jack has now not only rejected the materialistic world, but he has also embraced a new one.
In order to rediscover his true self, Jack went through the materialistic world which led him to change and go back to the world where he feels happy and belongs in. To reach happiness, Jack had first married Melissa for her wealth. Then gone to Naples, where he learned about the differences between him and his wife. After doing so, he realized that they did not belong together since they are both suited for two different worlds.

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