The Fly: Themes | SparkNotes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

The Relentless Passage of Time

The boss’s and Mr. Woodifield’s advanced ages serve as a reminder of the relentless passage of time. Time has treated both men differently, however, as Mr. Woodifield is in ailing health while the boss is still robust and active. As their lives wind down in the aftermath of something as tumultuous as a world war, the subtext is that time inevitably marches forward, regardless of personal tragedy. The boss’s frustration at realizing he can no longer cry over the loss of his son reveals his inability to accept the passage of time. The boss attempts to remain frozen in time by continuing to work and renovate his office. In contrast, the trip Mr. Woodifield’s daughters take to the military cemetery with its manicured lawns and overpriced tourist traps nearby is proof that other people affected by the war are moving on despite the tragedy because they recognize that time stops for no one. The boss fears the passage of time not only because it represents his own mortality, but because he worries his lack of outward emotion betrays the depth of the loss he feels. The reality is that the passage of time does change grief, even though the pain never truly goes away. The lesson the boss misses when he judges his emotions is that his pain is an expression of his love for his son, something that time can never alter.

The Inevitability of Death

“The Fly” is a story saturated with death, and the characters are in direct confrontation with their own mortality. The most glaring example of this is the titular fly, who is killed by the continual drops of ink. The fly is a living creature that the boss feels sympathetic toward but which he nonetheless kills. This death affects him deeply, as he started to assign meaning to the fly’s ability to survive. He wants the fly to overcome hardship and to live, but things are not that simple. When met with fatal conditions—whether that be ink drops or war—all things subject to mortality will die. There is no magical, fairy-tale intervention that can overcome this reality, and the boss is left facing the fact that death is inevitable.

The death of the boss’s son shatters his own life. The boss did not anticipate that his son would die while building the business he wanted to pass on. He is forced to consider how anyone can die, how death can be chaotic and cruel. He struggles to accept the reality of death as he recalls his son fondly, as if his son’s virtue should have spared him from such a tragic fate. The death of his son re-writes all of his expectations about life. The boss flounders and finds no purpose in all his successes since he no longer has his son to pass his legacy to. Ultimately, the boss is forced to confront the fact of death and how little control he has over it.

The Nature of Grief

The boss’s ongoing grief is central to the narrative. The narrative does not lead with the death of the boss’s son, so when the seemingly vibrant and busy boss is ambushed by Woodifield’s mention of his dead son, it is as jarring to the reader as it is to the boss. The revelation that the boss is living with such extreme grief is inherently upsetting. In the immediate aftermath of his son’s death, the boss expects the pain will never fade, and it is therefore upsetting to him when he is unable to cry after Woodifield leaves his office. The boss clearly judges himself for not being able to access the strong emotions he felt immediately after his son’s death, and he channels that frustration into his torment of the fly. While the passage of time has made the wound less raw, it is clear the boss’s traumatic loss will always be with him. In contrast, Woodifield is presented as more at peace with his own grief. Although the narrative never explains his connection to the dead soldier Reggie who is buried near the boss’s son, it is implied he was Woodifield’s own son. The intentionally vague relationship serves as a reminder that grief is a deeply personal affair that should not be measured or compared against anyone else’s loss.

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