April 5, 2010
Nina Perez
The Incredible Mr. Limpet is a truly imaginative film about a man who is so obsessed with fish that he deeply desires to become one himself. Unsatisfied with his job as a bookkeeper, he enlists to be in the U.S. navy with his best friend George. I believe that he does so in order to come close to fulfilling his dreams of being a fish. The only feasible way to become fish-like as a human would be to work with submarines, boats, etc. Unfortunately his wife is extremely displeased with his adoration for fish. She is depicted as a nagging and rather unsupportive influence in Mr. Limpet’s life. Unfortunately, Mr. Limpet is denied by the Navy while his friend is gladly accepted. I feel that his denial into the Navy symbolizes his lack of a “manly” role in society; he is a bookkeeper, and therefore not strong/masculine enough to handle the duties required of him by the Navy.
Mr. Limpet does not have to leave his fate in the hands of the government for long because he eventually (and miraculously) turns into a fish after falling off of a pier. He gains strengths and finds that perhaps he may be able to help the U.S. Navy better as a fish rather than a human. They gladly accept him and allow him to rescue everyone from war enemies.
It is interesting to me that Mr. Limpet is accepted in the form of a fish. I believe that after his transformation he represents nature. He essentially ends up caring for everyone and ensuring that they are all safe. I like to parallel this with the idea of the Gaia Theory (Perez April 14). This theory states (in a nutshell) that nature will always end up taking care of itself to the best of its ability. Mr. Limpet makes sure that he safely accomplishes the duties of the U.S. Navy and even ensures that his former wife is financially stable.
Mr. Limpet also meets another fish with which he connects, Ladyfish. I think that she essentially is nature and is allowing Mr. Limpet to channel the goodness of nature through his new body/actions. It is stated that in Western thought, nature is often feminized (Okazawa-Rey and Kirk 539). Therefore, it is not surprising that Ladyfish depicts nature. It is however interesting to me how other women are depicted in the film. Mrs. Limpet is less than supportive of her husband and is practically the opposite of Ladyfish. I view Ladyfish as a caring and loving female. To me, her and Mr. Limpet are nature and can be considered the typical “mother nature”. In the end, Mr. Limpet takes sides with nature and chooses to remain a fish, abandon his old life, and reside with the peaceful Mother Nature.
Kirk, Gywn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women and the Environment". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009.
April 14 2010 Class Lecture - Nina Perez
Because Mr. Limpet is helping carrying forth with the Gaia Theory, would he not himself be part of nature, as Elizabeth and Miho are from Gaia Girls? While there is the stereotypical relation of women being the "only" saviors of nature in the movie, why does Mrs. Limpet not portray herself as one of these saviors? She seems to be thinking of "home" and how Mr. Limpet signifies home for her.
ReplyDeleteThis film strikes me as a little bizaare. I don't think I've ever heard of a story that involves someone representing nature working with the military. Maybe I would have to see the film, but it strikes me as peculiar. Nature is often seen as renewal and life, yet the military can represent death and destruction.
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