Goldfish Motif Essay

Motif: an image or idea that occurs many times in a work of literature. The motif in the short story, “What, of this Goldfish, Would You Wish?,” is wishing. In the short story, the motif of wishing applies to the characters, Yoni, Sergei, and the goldfish, based on each of their lives, and they’re similar and different from each other in the sense that the wishes are all for themselves and are wished under different circumstances.

To begin with, the motif of wishing applies to Yoni, Sergei, and the goldfish based on their lives. For example, when Yoni had the of creating a document, he wished for a successful document. This can be seen when he states that “he was sure he’d be able to sell it to Channel 8 or … a bank.” The quote shows Yoni was confident he would succeed in making a cinematic documentary to sell to a channel to have it used as a commercial. Meanwhile, Sergei came from Russia and had a traumatizing past, so he would wish for something simpler like a companion. This is revealed when Sergei states in the video at the end of the story, “Anything not to

For instance, the goldfish was found by Sergei, and he granted his wishes. However, the goldfish had been with him for a long time because he needs to grant one more wish; therefore the goldfish’s wish is freedom. This can be seen when Sergei notes ”the fish swish[ing] his tail back and forth in the water …when he’s truly excited. The goldfish can already taste freedom.” Sergei’s observation reveal that the goldfish desires freedom so much his body language shows that. In contrast, Sergei cherished his time with the goldfish because he was lonely and in need of a companion. This can be seen when Sergei gets alarmed at the risk of losing the goldfish and kills Yoni. Sergei’s actions show how he didn’t want to loose his only friend, the