The Walrus and the Carpenter
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"The Walrus and the Carpenter" is a poem by Lewis Carroll that appeared in his book Through the Looking-Glass, published in December 1871. The poem is recited in chapter four, by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to Alice.
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[edit] Summary
The Walrus and the Carpenter are the main characters in the poem, which is recited by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to Alice. Walking upon a beach one (sunny) night, the Walrus and Carpenter come upon some oysters, four of whom they invite to join them-- however, to the disapproval of the eldest oyster, many more follow them. After walking along the beach, the two titular characters get hungry and eat all of the oysters. Afterward, the Walrus regrets his actions and cries.
After hearing the poem recited, Alice remarks to Tweedledee and Tweedledum that she "..liked the Walrus best", because "...he was a little sorry for the poor oysters". After Tweedledee points out that the Walrus shelfishly hid and ate more oysters behind a handkerchief, Alice changes her mind and decides that "They were both very unpleasant characters". [1]
[edit] Interpretations
| "The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: |
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There are many interpretations of the poem, the majority of which depict the Walrus and Carpenter to be corrupt leaders (whether it be in politics, religion, or business) leading their followers astray (in the form of the little oysters). The poem is often suggested to illustrate the nature of genocide.
One such interpretation is that the Walrus and Carpenter symbolize the British government: the oysters symbolizing the lands the British government colonized and monopolized over time that didn't belong to them, such as China, India, and Africa.
Martin Gardner noted in The Annotated Alice that when Carroll gave the manuscript for Looking Glass to illustrator John Tenniel, he gave him the choice of drawing a carpenter, a butterfly, or a baronet (since each word would fit the poem's meter). Tenniel chose the carpenter. Because of this, the carpenter's significance in the poem is probably not in his profession. Although the two characters of the poem were interpreted later as two political types, there is no indication of what Carroll may have intended, and Gardner cautions the reader against '...too much intended symbolism in the Alice books.' It should be noted that it was Carroll's character The Duchess who, in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, said that "Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it". Many portions of the Wonderland tales can be tied only to sheer whimsy, and while Carroll's life observations do make themselves obvious from time to time, it is possible that "The Walrus and the Carpenter" is not one of them.
[edit] In popular culture
- In 1066 and All That, W. C. Sellar and R. J. Yeatman said that King Richard II of England exclaimed gloomily, "For God's sake, let me sit on the ground and tell bad stories about cabbages and things." This combines the poem's famous lines, "Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—Of cabbages—and kings," and dialogue from William Shakespeare's play Richard II, "Let's talk of graves and worms and epitaphs... For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground/And tell sad stories of the death of kings."
- In Disney's Alice in Wonderland, an adapted version of the poem is narrated in song and spoken word by Tweedledee and Tweedledum. In a virtuoso performance, character actor J. Pat O'Malley performs all four voices as well as the Mother Oyster. [2]
- A political interpretation of the poem is said to have inspired the 1967 song "I Am the Walrus" by The Beatles. However, John Lennon later said in an interview that he was the Carpenter and not the Walrus.
- Donovan set "The Walrus and the Carpenter" to music on his 1971 children's album H.M.S. Donovan. The song features many segments acted and sung by Donovan and his friends. Paul McCartney appears with Donovan on a bootleg recording of the song dating from around 1968.
- In the comedy movie Dogma (directed by Kevin Smith), a fallen angel named Loki explains his theory that the poem is really an indictment of organized religion (despite Carroll being an Anglican clergyman): The good natured Walrus represents either Buddha, or (since he has tusks) the Hindu elephant god Ganesha, and the Carpenter is a reference to Jesus. Hence, between them, they represent both Eastern and Western religions. They eat the innocent oysters, which represent the masses under the sway of religion. It should be noted the movie is satirical, and that this interpretation is presented by a character who specifically uses it to manipulate the Catholic nun with whom he is speaking.
- In the movie Harriet The Spy, a line is spoken during one of the most dramatic scenes from the poem. Of other things, it shows the intense bond between Harriet and Golly.
[edit] Sources
- ^ Carroll, Lewis (1995). The Complete, Fully Illustrated Works. New York: Gramercy Books. ISBN 0-517-10027-4.
- ^ Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn. (1951). Alice in Wonderland [DVD]. Walt Disney.
[edit] External links
- Text of the Walrus and the Carpenter (with illustrations)
- Audio - hear the poem
