Journal Entry (Please grade)

Lewis Carroll

Info

- aka Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Horton 647)

- reserved academic professional whose personality came to life when telling stories to children (647)

- poems in books are almost all parodies of Victorian parlor songs and didactic verses (647)

Analysis - "The Walrus and the Carpenter"

This poem, whose humorous tone is meant for children, leaves a cynical aftertaste.  The Walrus and the Carpenter lure a crowd of young, fat oysters away from the safety of the sea in order to eat them.  Carroll uses foreshadowing several times to hint at this outcome.  In lines 37 through 42, the eldest Oyster refuses to follow the Walrus and the Carpenter (Horton 653).  Age is often associated with wisdom, making the young oysters' eagerness seem foolish.  In line 79, the Walrus wants to begin eating, to which the oysters reply, "But not on us!" (Horton 654).  This puts into the audience's mind the notion that the Walrus and the Carpenter wish to eat the oysters.  The two tricksters then conveniently ignore the oysters' cries, talking between themselves, until "they'd eaten every one" (Horton 655).

Application

Since Carroll wrote much of his work for children and humor, this poem probably doesn't have an intended philosophical purpose or a deeper meaning.  But the suddenness of the young oysters' fate still shocks me.  It reminds me of how certain sins can seem harmless at first.  We, as young, unwise human beings, often blindly follow after them, away from the ocean of God's love and protection into a pit of suffering.  The Walrus and the Carpenter ignore the oysters' cries; like Satan, they don't care about the ones they trick.  The eldest Oyster's reasons for staying behind are unknown, but I can follow his example and remember to think my decisions through carefully.

Citation

Horton, Ronald A. British Literature for Christian Schools. Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, 1992.