Rather than an antagonist in the traditional sense, the shark that attacks Amity is more of a symbolic enemy in the context of Jaws. The shark is the embodiment of natural nihilism: It has no personality or motivation. It acts purely on instinct, as evidenced by the lengthy descriptions of its sensory abilities as it tracks its prey through the water. To the shark, the travails of the people of Amity are meaningless. It acts a reminder that nature is not beholden to humanity, not even to the narrative conventions of heroes, villains, and characters that people attempt to project on to the world around them. The shark attacks because millions of years of evolution have endowed it with an instinct and a capacity to do so. It has no concept of economics, human trauma, or evil. The shark simply is.

The shark’s power also symbolizes the inherent power of nature. The people of Amity take the ocean for granted. To them, it is a natural resource to exploit each summer. They litter and cluttering the sea, damaging the environment because they need the money to survive.