preview

What Of This Goldfish Would You Wish Summary

Decent Essays

Throughout the history of humankind, mystical stories of magic in far off places have dazzled the populations of civilizations ancient and modern alike. Many of these stories contain mystical creatures known as genies. These lamp-dwelling beings function to grant three wishes. In some stories, other objects or animals replace genies. These stories typically embody motifs of greed, abnegation of personal gain, and benefit of third party people. While these motifs are present, they are frequently the consequence of a noble motivation with for the benefit of oneself and others. In “What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?” by Etgar Keret, the desire to feel independent, the necessity of individuality, and the inevitability or impetuousness drive …show more content…

The first paragraph of the short story confirms this. “… Just him. No camera crew, no nonsense. Just Yonatan, on his own …” The emphasis of working alone placed in the fragmentation of these sentences shows the mental importance the character has placed on liberation from society’s gnarled grasps. From this point, the author repeatedly uses the pronoun, “he” to underscore the isolationist ideals that Yonatan has undergone to complete his project on his own. His desperation for freedom from the world’s emphasis on teamwork and partnership extends so far that Yonatan expresses the will to cross the Israel-Palestine border without the assistance of others. Keret writes that, “[Yonatan] began to plan a shooting schedule … Maybe Hebron, ever. If he could sneak past the wall, Hebron would be great.” The diction in this selection shows an uncertainty in Yonatan’s ability to circumvent the wall and the security. “If” and “could” elaborate this point. If suggests that the ability is conditional; could advocates that the act is out of Yonatan’s capabilities. Despite this, the quote shows Yonatan is a person that places great importance on personal autonomy through the lack of mentioning taking anybody for assistance, and the use of “sneak” shows a blatant disregard for following regulations and procedures

Get Access