Martinez-Big Fish

Edward Bloom merges with the dark and grotesque characters in the movie because he is accepts them for who they are and does not judge them. Edward is very “sunny” and happy, but even though he is an average citizen from his small town, he is not afraid to befriend people who are not like him. He demonstrates his acceptance of the giant when he and the giant agree to take a journey together and they walk alongside each other. Edward is very eager to become is friend and is not afraid of him. The giant’s large size and uncanny physical appearance does not put a wedge in Edward’s ability to befriend him. Another instance in which Edward befriends dark and grotesque characters is when he opens the door to the circus master’s trailer. The circus master turns into a wolf at night and almost killed Edward, but Edward was able to look at him as a person and not a scary being. He throws the stick for him to go fetch it, a sign of him not being afraid of the circus master even though he changes his form every night.

Edward came from a small town and in this small town there was not a wide variety of different kinds of people. When Edward left his small town, he wanted to find something new. He wanted to explore the outside world and experience people and places, which he had never seen before. The reason Edward is able to merge so well with the more grotesque characters is because the grotesque characters are not judgmental and they accept people for who they are. This is the opposite of his small town as his small town is afraid of anything outside of the norm. The small town wanted to kill the giant because he was so big and did not even take the time to understand or get to know him because they were so blinded by his physical appearance. Edward loves the way people can accept each other for who they are without having to be judged by prejudices or physical appearances. Burton is using Edward to send a message about how society should treat misfits. Edward is a regular human being from a small town, yet he is able to get past unusual physical appearances because he understands the value of humanity. Edward’s want for adventure and his curiosity allow him to merge with the dark and grotesque characters in the movie because he is accepting of people and places that are outside the norm.