The belly of the whale is when something (or someone) blocks you from accomplishing your goal. It could be physical or mental.
In the Odyssey, the whole book Odysseus is in the belly of the whale. The war, trying to get home, losing his men, having to prove himself to his wife, everything Odysseus did prevented him from his goal — getting home to his wife and son. It took him the whole time to get back to his wife and son, and when he did, he had to prove that it was him. How bad would that suck, having to prove it’s you to your loved ones?
In Watership Down, the new warren is in the belly of the whale the whole book. They’re looking for a new home, and on their way they encounter a lot: a fox, a crow, some rivers, roads, bridges, strangers, cult rabbits, traps, cats, dogs, birds, mice, a farm, railroad tracks, storms, rain, and last but not least, the insane cult rabbits. To humans, all those listed above seem like nothing (except maybe the insane cult rabbits, those might draw your attention or something) but to rabbits, that’s some scary shit. They finally find safety and they come out of the belly, together.
In Pinocchio, the dad is literally in a belly of a whale, and Pinocchio has to save him to become a real boy. Pinocchio overcomes a lot in the movie, and I don’t remember them all, I just remember seeing the movie and wondering if people could literally live in the belly of a whale and catch fish like he did, my mom didn’t like that question and just laughed at me and told me NOT to try it. In 101 Great American Poems, Fog, by Carl Sandburg, is sort of like the belly of the whale. It keeps people from moving slow, sometimes it even stops people. It’s dark and mysterious, and it sucks when you’re trying to drive.
wow! Well evaluated ideas. keep up