The Fly

One of many interpretations of the fly is as a symbol for the struggle with grief that the boss is experiencing. Its presence in the scene immediately follows the boss’s mourning of his son. By watching the fly overcome the impossible obstacle of ink covered legs and wings, the boss is forced to consider his own response to the tragedy of losing his son and all the dreams he had for him. When the fly finally manages to clean itself, the boss, who is not able to accept life again after his son, cannot handle this reminder of life after tragedy and drops more ink onto the fly. The boss thinks, “What would it make of that?” (82). The fly has become a testing ground for how one handles grief. When the fly once again survives, the boss experiences a mixture of emotions: admiration for the fly’s tenacity, relief that it hasn’t died, and tender impulses to help it. Yet he also still decides to drop one more drop of ink, which kills the fly. The boss is unable to witness this weaker creature overcome trauma when he himself is unable to overcome his own personal adversity.