Herc vs. Edward: Round Two
As we have seen, Daniel Wallace, the author of Big Fish, makes allusions to the “Labors of Hercules” in the
chapter “His Three Labors”. These allusions draw a connection between Hercules and Edward Bloom,
although Edward’s “Labors” are rather different than those performed by Hercules.
In most of his stories, Edward has hyperbolized details to make the story fanciful, amazing, or bigger than life.
However, even the wildest of Edward’s tales are not as amazing as the monsters and gods encountered by
Hercules. To create Edward’s “Labors”, Wallace does the opposite of what Edward usually does: he takes
elements and ideas from Hercules’s Labors and re-imagines them in a more realistic way.
Instead of cleaning massive stables, Edward cleans an incredibly messy kennel. Instead of stealing the girdle of
an Amazon queen, Edward must find the perfect girdle for a dismissive and demanding customer. And instead
of capturing the monstrous watch dog of Hades, Edward must face down a dangerous wild dog.
Now the challenge is yours: Choose 2 of Hercules’s Labors from the front of this page and
re-imagine them as Edward Bloom’s “Lost Labors”.
Brainstorming Task:
First, choose two Labors:
Identify the core elements:
- What is Hercules’s task?
- What monsters or obstacles stand in his way, and what special challenge do they present?
- How does Hercules overcome the task?
Now re-imagine:
- Is there a real life, or real world, situation this could be similar to? (Don’t be afraid to make it kind
of ordinary…there is a big difference between an Amazon Queen and a demanding customer)
- Can any of the elements function as a metaphor? Could you represent a monster as something like a
tough problem or a person with a monstrous attitude?
- Strip away violence where appropriate. Unlike Hercules, Edward is less likely to solve his problems
with violence.
Requirements:
Your re-imagined Labors should be 2 paragraphs each in length.
One Labor will count as a Classwork grade, one as a Homework grade.
Both Labors will be due on Friday, May 8.