‘The Whale’ examines the broken relationship between an absent father and his jaded daughter, which becomes the former’s dying attempt at redemption. Charlie, an English teacher in Idaho, has spiraled in his grief to the extremes of indulgence. As a result, the reclusive man has developed chronic obesity that is sure to take him out in a matter of weeks. However, before his distressed reckoning, the man hopes to reconcile with his daughter, Ellie, whom he abandoned eight years ago when he walked away from his family. However, the teenager’s bitterness toward her father—and the entire world—festers with each strained encounter.
Despite the self-loathing Charlie inflicts upon himself throughout the film, he holds a soft spot for others. This is best seen in his unflinching belief in Ellie’s goodness despite the many signs she showcases to the contrary. Yet, the earliest example of this comes from Charlie’s habit of leaving out a plate of fruits for the birds. Therefore, intrigue arises as the plot eventually finds the same plate shattered. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Charlie Has Love For the Neighbourhood Birds
Charlie’s introduction to the story paints a concerning picture of the character. He’s a lonely, dying man who seems to have made peace with the fact that his death will be a frantic affair to be experienced on his well-worn couch. He is so incredibly steeped in grief over the loss of his life’s love, Alan, that he seems to have given up on life for himself, too. For the same reason, he overeats, relying on food as a perpetual coping mechanism. This adverse compulsive eating disorder has created a medical crisis for the man, who embraces the promise of death. However, where he inflicts these fatal harmful actions upon himself, he has a wealth of care for others. Namely, the birds that visit his windowsill.
Charlie has a penchant for unhealthy food—be it the nightly order of Gambino’s pizza or a variety of sandwiches. It’s clear through his diet that the man has fallen into the pits of his despair and is now vying for his upcoming demise. However, he cuts up fruit for the little birds to ensure they visit his home every day. In a way, it’s his one single way of forging connections. Aside from Liz, Charlie seldom sees anyone else. He takes his online classes with his cameras off and has instructed his pizza delivery boy to leave the food at his doorfront. Therefore, the birds almost become a symbol of the little hope and yearning he fosters for the outside world, which remains out of his grasp due to his medical condition.
Ellie Destroys Charlie’s Connection With The Birds
After Ellie unceremoniously arrives at Charlie’s house—without her mother’s knowledge—it adds a whirlwind to the man’s life. Unwilling to go to the hospital and unable to change his lifestyle, Charlie has accepted his death. Yet, before dying, he wants to make amends with his daughter. It’s a way for him to ensure his life hasn’t been for nothing—a notion he can’t get rid of after blaming himself for being unable to save Alan. Therefore, he tried to bribe Ellie into spending time with him through promises of a hefty inheritance and completed school assignments. This allows Ellie to keep up her uncaring exterior while subtly needling her father for explanations for his abandonment.
Thus, even after Charlie makes it clear Ellie doesn’t need to force herself to visit him, she continues doing so. Still, she holds much anger toward him. Charlie left Ellie and her mother when the kid was only eight years old. He had fallen in love with one of his night school students, Alan, and wanted to pursue a life with him. In turn, Ellie’s mother, Mary, takes full custody of their child and forbids Charlie from being a part of her life. Furthermore, she routinely hides the extra money he sends for Ellie during his alimony payments. Given Mary’s alcoholism habits and narcissistic overview of the girl’s upbringing, it remains clear that Ellie wasn’t mothered under the best of circumstances.
Moreover, Charlie’s abandonment looms like a cloud over Ellie’s head, teaching her cruel and unfair lessons from a young age. For the same reason, she is perpetually apathetic, adopting rude behavior and an unsympathetic persona. Yet, while she lashes out her hatred into the world, Charlie remains at the center of it. Consequently, once she sees that her father—whom she hasn’t heard from in nine years is leaving out plates of fruit for strange birds, it paints an understandably depressing picture for her.
As far as Ellie is concerned, Charlie hasn’t shown her the same care in years that he’s shown to the birds. Therefore, she breaks the plate to drive the birds away, robbing her father of this simple happiness in his life. It’s a testament to Ellie’s belligerent behavior—of which there are many other examples. Still, even after Charlie glimpses at the evidence of the same, he chooses to continue believing in his daughter’s scope for goodness. Thus, in many ways, the plate—whole and then broken—becomes a metaphor for the characters and their complicated relationship.
Read More: Did Brendan Fraser Gain Weight for The Whale? Did He Wear a Fat Suit?