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“The Fish” takes place in an old boat on an unidentified body of water, where the speaker has gone fishing. This setting feels like an appropriate place for the speaker, since they’re clearly someone with a keen eye for the beauty of the natural world. That said, it’s notable that despite being outdoors on a pond or a lake, the speaker doesn’t make any direct references to the environment. Instead, for much of the poem they focus very closely on the fish they have just pulled out of the water. As the poem moves toward its conclusion, the speaker’s attention shifts from the fish to the interior of the boat, and to the bilge water that’s seeping in through its battered hull. A sheen of oil on the water’s surface reflects light in a vibrant rainbow pattern that plays against the rusted engine and bailer, as well as “the sun-cracked thwarts, / the oarlocks on their strings, / the gunnels” (lines 72–74). As demonstrated by the speaker’s close observations of the fish and the boat, they tend to fix their focus on whatever’s nearest. This focus creates a sense of immediacy and intimacy, despite the poem’s expansive outdoor setting.

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