Fish is seen as having two or three aspects to his role as narrator. The whole story is told in retrospect by Fish, in the few “seconds it takes [for him] to die”. In this way, the story is told by the whole, united Fish who is “Fish Lamb. Perfectly. Always. Everyplace. Me.” By telling the story through the eyes of the united Fish, who has been separated for so long, Winton emphasises his message of “stickability”; that the only way to find true peacefulness and fulfilment is by returning ‘home’, to the unity of family. The proof of this message is seen in the union of the Pickles and the Lambs through the birth of Wax Harry and through Rose’s longing to return to Cloudstreet.
Fish also narrates the text as the omniscient “drowned Fish”, or the Fish who stayed behind in the water, and who has yet to become whole. Thus, he has access to all the places, times and characters of the text, allowing the reader to follow the stories of all of the characters and gain access to their innermost feelings. This emphasis on the spiritual, through the narration of the drowned Fish, portrays Winton’s message that we are each unique and individual. However, as Fish views the characters’ stories as part of one whole story, with family centralised, the reader is positioned to do the same. This again places emphasis on the importance of family as a central body, a place to come back to, with which we a re inextricably linked.
The third and final aspect of Fish’s narration is that of the fey Fish, the physical side of Fish that was “Whump[ed]” back to life, courtesy of Oriel Lamb. This side of Fish longs for the water, where he was split from his other half, so that he may be whole again. He feels compassion for, and loves, both families, although he will not acknowledge Oriel’s existence. The fey Fish represents one the many marginalised bodies of Australian society. However the reader is positioned to love him as the other characters do, and even to respect him more than the other characters of the novel, because of his unquestioning, unfaltering understanding and love of them, regardless of their actions. Although he does not recognise Oriel, he still loves her. His symbiotic relationship with Quick demonstrates the spiritual notions of the text. Because of these things, it is through the physical half of Fish that the notion of “stickability” is possibly most strongly demonstrated. The ‘trinity’ of each aspect of Fish’s narration also suggests the strong spiritual, Christian values of the text, such as “stickability”.
First person point of view generally has the disadvantage of limiting the story to the ideas of one character and therefore limiting the events that the character can ‘see’ or experience. However, the unique point of view, that of first person omniscient, at its closest description, in Cloudstreet reveals much about the ‘story’ and about the thoughts and views of each of the characters. In turn, contributing to the impact of the messages Winton attempts to impose on the reader, specifically that of “stickability” and the strength and importance of family in a person’s life.
