God Is Not A Fish Inspector Analysis

In the short story God is not a Fish Inspector by W.D. Valgardson, Fusi Bergman, a man with a youthful heart, struggles to accept his failure to fish efficiently due to his feeble body. As a result of the conflicts that dominate his life, Fusi gives in to his inevitable fate, and loses the single thing that sets him apart from his former friends and acquaintances. The deterioration of his body, his opposition against the old folk’s home, and the adverse relationship with his daughter contribute to Fusi’s ultimate defeat. To begin, Fusi struggles with his aging body and its affect on his ability to fish. Once Fusi is away from shore, he is reminded of his younger years. When he was twenty, he had the ability to bring in “five
Fishing gives Fusi motivation to live, but his age puts a limit to his abilities. This puts Fusi in a position where he is forced to be at war with himself. Next, Fusi’s resistance towards the old folk’s home makes room for fear. Fusi describes the old folk’s home to be like a prison, where “someone is watching over you every minute of the day.” (pg. 48) The tenants of the old folk's home are people Fusi had once known. Now, “they all seemed to be interchangeable as time erased their identities.” (pg. 48) This illustrates that Fusi assumes living in the old folk’s home is the equivalent of losing the right to be an adult. He will no longer be independent, expected to follow the same routine as the others. Fusi believes age does not matter and refuses to let the old folk’s home be his fate. He wishes to die in his own home, knowing he did not adhere to the rules of anyone but himself. Fusi is troubled that life inside the old folk’s home will cause him to lose his identity and eventually lead him to become another elderly man awaiting his death so that he can be free. The cycle of life comprises of childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age, the last stage in the human life cycle. To Fusi, the old folk’s home signifies the final