Have you ever heard about those fish that fasten themselves onto the bodies of other predator fish? They feed off of the scraps of the predator fish and are essentially protected from other fish that might eat them. These clingy fish are called remoras. I remember being fascinated by their existence when I learned about them in Biology. The relationship described between the remora and its’ host is categorized as commensalism, specifically phoresy. You may be wondering why I would start a blog post talking about such a small insignificant fish. But I can tell you that a strong parallel exists between these little fish and Vlepo in Frenzy by Percival Everett.
The character of Vlepo is similar to these remora fish because he himself is also dependent upon his host, Dionysus. He goes only where Dionysus goes, and he sees only what Dionysus wants him to see. He feels for Dionysus’ and uses his voice to narrate the whole story. He is extremely inferior to Dionysus, he works only to serve his master. However, I would argue that this relationship between Vlepo and Dionysus is not commensalism. Commensalism is defined as an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm. It is undeniable that Dionysus does indeed benefit from Vlepo because through Vlepo he is able to feel and even see into the minds of the other characters. But in some ways, I think Dionysus causes harm to Vlepo. This can be through both emotional and physical abuse, although Vlepo may not notice that this is being done to him, for he is blinded by the love he has for his master. Dionysus commands Vlepo to turn into a variety of objects, like lice and bedroom curtains. Vlepo even admits that he puts a lot of effort to provide pleasure for Dionysus through his reporting, but is often left unacknowledged for his work.
I never thought I would be able to make a connection between a character like Vlepo and these real life remora fish. I just could not stop thinking about the link between the two while I was reading Frenzy. I haven’t learned about remora fish in a while, but I think this discovery emphasizes the importance of good literature. Well written works bring about new findings that one can relate to other parts of their life. So maybe one time I thought I would only need to know about remoras and commensalism for my freshman year Biology lecture, but sometimes random knowledge like that is prompted when one least expects it.