God Is Not A Fish Inspector

In the short story “God is not a Fish Inspector” by W.D. Valgardson, the protagonist, Fusi Bergman, a 70-year old fisherman is reminded by multiple sources that he is too old to fish. This provides him with the necessary drive to prove that despite the physical ailments that come along with fishing, he is able to continue to do so. The story describes multiple incidences where Fusi’s daughter, the fish inspectors as well as society in general remind him that he should not be fishing at his age. When an individual is told that they are not capable of doing something, it gives them the necessary drive and motivation to prove people wrong. A father-daughter relationship could be one of the sweetest relationships to come across or the complete opposite. Emma, Fusi’s 48-year old daughter is one of the people that Fusi was determined to prove wrong. Emma constantly taunts and reminds her father that he is too old to be fishing and because he is illegally fishing, he will not be forgiven at the gates of heaven. Fusi knows her too well to take her words to heart. Emma has strongly motivated Fusi to prove her false. Every morning he wakes up at 3:00 am, and goes fishing against her will, which proves that a man “three score and ten” is capable enough to fish. Fusi argued to her that god has said nowhere in the bible that a man his age cannot fish. For every accusation Emma threw against her father, Fusi had a equal or stronger response, proving that her allegations had no negative affect on him. I can personally relate to Fusi’s situation because I live with a 70-year old grandmother who faces similar situations in her everyday life. She has been working almost her entire life, now that she is 70-years old my parents expect her to stop doing major chores around the house. It bothers her knowing that my parents do not think she has the capacity to carry on her daily routine. Therefore she goes against their will and continues to do all the chores, proving that she still