Suarez- Big Fish

Edward Bloom is constantly described as a very likeable person; no matter who you are or where you came from, you will get along with Edward Bloom. His likeable characteristics stem from his sunny character and charming appeal. There are several characters in the film that take part in Edward’s adventures, several of them being more dark or grotesque characters in contrast with his sun shiny way of being. Despite being all sunshine and rainbows, as well as very likeable, Edward Bloom is still different from everyone who surrounds him, making him an outcast. This is how he relates to the darker characters, he knows he doesn’t belong and has accepted it, and because he doesn’t belong, he doesn’t treat the strange strangers as outcasts because he is one of them. One of the first “flashback” scenes where a young Edward Bloom is with several other small kids, and they go to the house of what is supposed to be the most powerful witch in Alabama. While all of the other children are shaking with fear, Edward takes on the dare of going up to the old witch’s house. This action also displays how he is different from the rest of the children his age; he isn’t afraid of the witch. When Edward sees the witch, instead of cowering and running away, or screaming in horror, he treats this woman as though she were any other person. He is honest, and straightforward with her and tells her that there are some people who would like to see her eye, to which she obliges. Another way that Edward is different than the rest of the children is that he isn’t afraid of the way that he dies; the legend says that when you look into the witch’s eye, you see how you die. While all the rest of the kids view their future death and flee is horror, Edward looks directly at his fate and accepts it without further consideration. Another scene that displays the merging of sunny Edward and the darker characters that consume the film is the scene with the giant that comes to his town in Alabama. The entire town is in a flurry of fear because there is a giant who they believe is going to eat the population. Fearless Edward steps in (again, he is an outcast in the sense that he is alone) and goes to confront this giant. At first he plays along with the stories that have been told about the giant, but then he listens to the giant’s problems, and helps come up with a solution. Burton merges the sunny and dark characters with understanding; instead of Edward judging these people who are different, because he himself is different, he treats them like normal people and can relate with them.