What, Of This Goldfish, Would You Wish? By Etgar Keret

How does the motif of wishing apply to each of the story’s major characters: Yoni, Sergei, and the goldfish? Their plot is centered around wishing. Yoni wishes to make a documentary about what people would ask for from a goldfish. Sergei wishes to have a friend. The goldfish wishes to be free.

What is similar and different about their wishes? Their wishes are all centered around other people. Yoni has to rely on other people to give him their wishes. Sergei needs to save his wish to keep the companionship of the goldfish. The goldfish needs Sergei to use his last wish to be free.

Wishes. Dreams. Goldfish. The short story, “What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?” by Etgar Keret, goes over the struggle of a man having to give up his only friend. It introduces a young kid going around towns asking people what they would wish for from a magic goldfish. When the kid, Yoni, and the man, Sergei, meet, Sergei feels threatened by Yoni because of Yoni’s interest in his pet goldfish which can actually grant wishes. Sergei accidentally knocks out and kills Yoni and has to debate using his last wish, losing his only friend in the process. The motif of wishing is important to each character because they each have a wish they are trying to fulfill throughout the story.

Yoni wishes to make a documentary about what people would ask for from a goldfish, “He’d knock on doors… asking, ‘If you found a … goldfish that granted you three wishes, what would you wish for?’” Then, Sergei wishes to have a friend, “He’d just stick it on a shelf… and talk to him all day… anything… not to be alone.” Finally, the goldfish wishes to be free, “The fish swishes his fish tail back ad forth… he’s truly excited. The goldfish can already taste freedom.” The development of the story progresses through the wishes of the characters and what they would do to achieve