Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Part I

Reading Check

1. What is the agricultural problem the people in Alabama face the year Edward is born?

2. What happens the moment Edward is born?

3. What is Edward unusually gifted with as a boy?

4. What does Edward build when Alabama has its first snow?

5. What is Edward’s talent regarding identifying people without seeing them?

6. What is revealed about Edward’s health?

7. According to Edward, what prevented him from being home more often?

8. How does the girl in the river thank Edward for saving her life?

9. What rumor circulates about catfish in Ashland?

10. Where must Edward travel if he wants to leave Ashland?

11. How does Edward meet the Jimsons?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Edward’s story reveal about his personality?

2. How does Edward keep the giant from taking from the village? What does this give Edward a reputation for?

Paired Resource

“The Three Types of Myths”

• This article describes some of the types of narratives that occur in mythology.
• Of the three types of myths listed in the article, which applies to the stories in Big Fish? What is the purpose of this form of mythology? How is this article related to the theme of The Role of Storytelling?

“The Odyssey Animation”

• This 5-minute video summarizes the story of the Odyssey.
• Describe the similarities between Big Fish and the Odyssey. How is the Odyssey related to the novel’s themes of The Role of Storytelling and Classical and Personal Mythology?

Part II

Reading Check

1. What is the old lady that Edward meets in Auburn missing?

2. Who does Edward think he must defeat before he can have Sandra for himself?

3. What does Sandra tell Don after he asks her to marry him?

4. How does Edward kill the Helldog?

5. Why did Edward’s warship sink?

6. In Edward’s third imagining of his father’s death, what does he compare his father to?

7. William says there were early indications that his father would live forever. Where did his father fall from that gave him this indication?

8. Who are the fifty or so people gathered on Edwards’s lawn in his dream?

9. What does the mourner whom William approaches in Edward’s dream say Edward did for him?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What are Edward’s feelings surrounding the birth of his son and his responsibilities toward him?

2. How did Edward save William’s life twice?

3. Do you think William is a reliable storyteller?

Paired Resource

“Demigods and Greek Mythology”

• This article describes some of the most popular demigods in Greek Mythology.
• Why does William refer to his father as a demigod? How is Edward’s story similar to those of the demigods? How is this article related to the theme of Classical and Personal Mythology and Immortality?

“The Magical Science of Storytelling”

• This 17-minute video explains why storytelling is so powerful. Content Warning: May not be appropriate for all student groups (mature themes; language)
• What argument does the speaker make for storytelling? How is this speech related to the novel’s theme The Role of Storytelling?

Part III

Reading Check

1. What is the name of the town Edward purchases?

2. Why does Edward go to Jenny Hill’s house?

3. What does Edward begin to do often after his diagnosis?

4. What does William believe he sees in the pool while his father is swimming?

5. What does Edward reveal he is worried about on his deathbed?

6. Where does Edward tell William to take him after they escape the hospital?

7. What does Edward become at the end of his life?

8. According to the townspeople, what does the big fish in the water do?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What happens to Jenny Hill because Edward is gone so often?

2. What is different about William’s final account of Edward’s death?

3. What is it that Edward wants to tell his father but decides not to?

4. How does Edward’s father obtain Immortality?

Recommended Next Reads

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

• This novel tells the story of two women attempting to find their place in the small southern town of Mullaby.
• Shared topics include magical realism, family conflict, and heroism.
• Shared themes include The Role of Storytelling and Classical and Personal Mythology.
• The Girl Who Chased the Moon on SuperSummary

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

• This fantasy novel tells the story of a unicorn who attempts to locate others of her kind.
• Similar topics include magic, friendship, epic journeys, and heroism
• Similar themes include The Role of Storytelling, Immortality, and Classical and Personal Mythology.
• The Last Unicorn on SuperSummary