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Jade Klein

The Aquatic Uncle, by Italo Calvino revolves around a family separated geographically, with some members living on land while others have chosen to stay in the water. Calvino narrates this story through Qfwfq, a youngster in the community who at some point decided to join a group of young fish that “slapped their fins on the muddy banks to see if they would work as paws, as the more talented ones had already discovered.” The choice to make the shift from being an amphibian to a reptile, leaving part of the family behind is a life changing decision. Everyone can relate to a time where they have personally had to make a choice and sometimes that choice can mean leaving behind others that you care about. Family dynamics are interestingly depicted through fish in this story. Qfwfq’s Uncle N’ba N’ga, decided to stay behind and live as an amphibian, unlike the rest of his family. To me, Uncle N’ba N’ga stands out as the individual in the family secure enough to not need to follow the pack, and we can all relate to a family member like that. Change is something that relates to every character in the story, in the case of both Ofwfq and Uncle N’ba N’ga, they are fearful to move and leave their comfort zone. At the end of the story there is only one character brave enough to make a drastic change, despite what people are doing around her. LII leaves behind N’ba N’ga and moves to live in the water. It doesn’t matter if you are a fish or a human, change can be scary but in the end the individual is generally happy because they didn’t follow what others wanted and instead followed their own heart.