Blog summary and Discussion

Blog summary

Thomas starts us the blog posts with just a general applause for the class, stating that English 123 was “mad dope”. David’s post seeks to indentify what he thinks is the climax of the book. According to him, it is on pages 335-337 when Gould takes an ironic twist and burns the registry papers he has been hauling for so long in further reinforcement of the book being a “circle”.
In Tate’s post he attempts to define the book by saying there is in fact a concrete point to the novel, and that point is it is a parallel to reality because its plot moves in circles and its characters are undefinable. He drew this conclusion by comparing the novel to North Angerabbey, in which Austen purposely avoids a concrete plot and important events in order to make a point. Tate also points out that Flanegan contradicts this notion on page 377 when the Commandant "realizes" that life is linear.

Jamie and Abbey echo each other in their posts by saying we should just let the book take us for a ride and be entertained by its ruses and the discomfort associated with it.

Paige points out that the end of the book is another example of the utter fiction of the novel due to the fact he escaped on a fake date in history. She later mentions that she herself wishes she could become a fish.
Kevin believes that Gould himself is a fish, as evident by the fact Gould refers to how evil things are in his human life, but how pure animals are (398-401). Kevin goes on to state that Gould “drowned trying to escape” his human life and enter that of the fish where he could live a life of purity.

Preethi and Morgan both agree that the ending of the book was ridiculous and the best way to summarize the novel is everyone is crazy.

Holly mentions the potential theme of and tendency of Flanegan to be very anti-colonialism. She references the “soiled sheet” that is used as a British Flag and the Commedant’s insatiable appetite to reproduce Europe in Australia.

Sarah draws parallels to the Book of Fish and In the Penal Colony by comparing the Officer’s death to that of the Surgeons. Both character’s had deep passions for their respected traits and died accordingly. The Surgeon died as a result of his gluttony via Castlereagh and subsequently became a part of his skull classification, and the officer died by his torture machine, except it backfired and was even more violent and brutal than it was supposed to be.
I drew the parallels between Book of Fish and Fight Club.