Green Sunfish Symbolism and Meaning
The green sunfish is a freshwater fish found throughout the central United States. With its small size but aggressive nature, this fish has taken on some symbolic meanings in literature and culture.
Introduction
The green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) is one of the most widespread sunfishes in North America. Its name comes from the bright green coloring on its scales and fins. These small fish reach about 7 inches in length and prefer warm, vegetated ponds and lakes.
Though diminutive in size, the green sunfish is scrappy and will defend its nest aggressively. This tendency has imbued the fish with symbolic meaning related to ferocity, parenthood, and protection. The green sunfish has made appearances in Native American legends and modern literature as a metaphorical device.
Native American Lore
Some Native American tribes told legends featuring the aggressive green sunfish. These stories highlighted the fish’s scrappy nature and tendency to punch above its weight.
- The Cherokee tribe told tales about a legendary fight between the green sunfish and the largemouth bass. In these stories, the brave green sunfish challenges the powerful bass, showing its ferocious nature despite its small size.
- Tribes such as the Algonquin associated the green sunfish with motherhood and fertility because of the way it cares for its young. The green sunfish builds nests and guards its eggs and offspring fiercely.
Modern Literature
In recent writings, the green sunfish has kept its symbolic meanings related to aggression and parenthood. Writers use this freshwater fish as a metaphorical device when highlighting a character’s protective tendencies or willingness to fight battles against the odds.
Ferocity and Aggression
- In Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Flight Behavior, a green sunfish appears in a key scene that foreshadows coming hardships that demand grit and bravery from the main character. The small but pugnacious fish serves as an important symbol of the tenacity required to weather approaching storms.
- Poet Stanley Plumly utilizes the green sunfish in his work Poliomyelitis to highlight the contrast between illness and vigor. The fish symbolizes a persistent strength within the sick boy who is the focus of the poem.
Parenthood and Protection
- In Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, the green sunfish represents the author’s instinct to safeguard her family and their way of life. When threats loom, she becomes aggressive like a mother green sunfish guarding its nest.
- Louise Erdrich’s novel The Birchbark House features a green sunfish that symbolizes the protective and nurturing instincts of the story’s mother character. She is willing to battle fiercely to provide for her children, like the scrappy fish protects its offspring.
Conclusion
Through Native American tales and modern literature, the green sunfish has come to symbolize several key traits: aggression despite long odds, protective parental instincts, and determination in the face of threats. The next time you come across one of these small but ferocious freshwater fish, remember their cultural symbolic meaning related to grit, bravery, and devotion to family. With its pugnacious spirit, the green sunfish persists as a metaphor for the mighty power of small creatures.
