Elizabeth Bishop’s poem, “The Fish”, illustrates to the reader far before the first line that what they are about to read has more underlying value than just a story behind catching a fish. In this poem, Bishop uses both vivid imagery and differing tones to reveal her central theme of acceptance for what things are on the inside, rather than just looking at physical attributes. Bishop illustrates to the reader that through prior experience and failures, one can adjust their viewpoint if and only if they have in fact gone deeper than the surface in search for its overall meaning.

Imagery is seen all throughout Bishop’s poem transitioning from how ugly and horrid the fish is to how beautiful and breathtaking it is. Within the first ten lines in the poem the speaker makes note of how the fish looks, “his brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper, / and its patterns of darker brown / was like wallpaper” (lines 10-13). The sharp detail by the speaker of almost a Renaissance look makes the fish out to be rustic and decayed.  The reader learns more about the physical appearance of the fish through the use of extreme and vivid descriptions from the fisherman’s viewpoint, “He was speckled with barnacles, / fine rosettes of lime, / and infested / with tiny white sea-lice” (16-19). The speaker at this point has not even given thought past the outer layer of the fish which fits every other person’s mindset in the world today of only looking at physical characteristics rather than going beyond and looking for what may be in the inside. The speaker has spent the majority of his time degrading the fish as if the fish is almost nothing compared to him, but then makes a drastic turn around to compliment the fish from this point on, “grim, wet, and weapon-like, / hung five old pieces of fish-line, / or four and a wire leader / with the swivel still attached” (50-53). The reader can tell by the description of the remaining line and wire in the fish’s mouth that this fisherman is not an amateur due to his language of fishing equipment. The line and leader symbolize the hard fought battles this fish has been through and the story that the fish has to tell. The speaker continues to support his turned around tone when he looks more into what is attached to the fish, “and a fine black thread / still crimped from the strain and snap / when it broke and he got away. / Like medals with their ribbons” (58-61). As if describing the leader and line wasn’t enough he furthermore points out the accolades the fish has from his prior battles. The speaker is almost looking at a reflection of himself through the fish as if his story of heart felt times could relate to the fish’s story as well. Although the fisherman started off degrading the fish in the beginning, his attitude changes after realizing that the fish is more than just a fish through the vivid imagery as seen in lines 50-53 and 58-61. It does not matter whether it is living or nonliving everything has a story, one must take the time, sit down, and look into it for its true and absolute meaning.

 In addition to Bishop’s use of imagery she further supports her theme of acceptance by the use of differing tones from a nonchalant boastful tone at first to support the negative imagery, to a humble and acceptance tone to support the positive imagery.  The boastful tone first comes apparent in the first ten lines just as the imagery did, “half out of water, with my hook / fast in a corner of his mouth. / He didn’t fight. / He hadn’t fought at all” (3-6). This massive fish that the fisherman has caught is described as being far bigger than the boat, yet did not fight. The speaker’s ability to reel this huge fish in but for it not to fight supports his tone of almost being better than the fish. The fisherman’s boastful tone continues when he looks into the eyes of the fish, “They shifted a little, but not / to return my stare.” (41-42). The speaker suggests now that not only is he better than the fish but that the fish doesn’t even look back, hinting as if the fish was intimated by him. Just as with imagery, the speaker takes a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn from a negative point of view to a positive point of view. The fish that was once equal to soap scum has somehow now gained the speakers respect. “I admired his sullen face / the mechanism of his jaw” (45-46). Bishop changes from the speaker’s negative tone in line 41 to a now positive tone of admiration in line 45. The positive tone of the speaker continues to go on but changes from the fish to the point of view looking at the engine, “the little rented boat, / from the pool of bilge / where oil had spread a rainbow / around the rusted engine” (67-70). Instead of the speaker focusing on the fish, the reader’s attention is drawn to this oiled mess that has turned into a rainbow due to simple chemistry. The speaker isn’t pointing out the rainbow to symbolize god or a higher being but to support that you must go past the rusted engine to see the rainbow just as you have to go past the physical appearance of the fish to see what it has been through. Once the speaker realizes that in order to see something as a whole, one must look past and go into deeper searching to see the story behind it he ends his poem by saying, “And I let the fish go” (76). This trophy fish that the fisherman has caught has been released back into his home because the fisherman not only sees both the fish’s true value but also his own true value in life. 

Elizabeth Bishop did not only create an extremely vivid illustration of catching a fish, but also was able to tie her message of acceptance in by going under the surface and gaining a true meaning of life itself through her speaker’s differing tones and imagery throughout the poem. This poem serves to both inspire and teach people that who you are now may not be the person you were in the past and that the rough past holds only a bright future. Through many battles and hardships, one can persevere and succeed which is why the cliché phrase ‘reading a book by its cover’ fits so well into her poem. It took the fisherman time but once he was able to look past the barnacles and brown skin he gained respect for the fish and the story that the fish had to offer. 
