The unnamed narrator is an observant individual walking through a commercial market. They possess a vivid imagination and a deep respect for the natural world, viewing a dead fish not as food, but as a fallen, majestic creature. The speaker compares the violent, energetic power of the living ocean with the cold, capitalist reality of the human market where the fish is sold.

A massive, dead fish placed on display for sale. Though currently lifeless, the tuna receives heavy personification as a former king of the ocean and a fierce predator of the dark abyss. It represents the raw, untamed power of nature that humans have reduced to a simple commodity for consumption.