The Complete Alice in Wonderland (62 page)

The Secret of the Snark?:
From the nature of the Snark, and the way that it reflects a person’s doubts and fears, I believe that Snarks are phantasmal manifestations of those self-same thoughts. There are several sub-species, but they are all fantastical beasts of nonsense. To hunt for a Snark, then, is to chase after one’s own impossible fears, perhaps in the hope of conquering them. (The word itself is probably a portmanteau, combining the words “snail” and “shark.”)

The Spawn of the Questing Beast?:
In portraying an uncatchable fabulous creature, Carroll is (either intentionally or not) drawing a parallel to the Questing Beast of Arthurian legend. The Beast is a nightmarish monster, much like the Jabberwock or the Boojum. It is a symbol of ill omen, the coming of bad tidings. We can only wonder if the Snark is the ancestral spawn of the Questing Beast itself, a Victorian manifestation of the fears of a darker yet modern age.

The Ship of Fools:
In creating his ragtag crew, Carroll was probably inspired by the legend of the Ship of Fools. This allegory dates back to the 1400s, depicting a drifting vessel crewed by various madmen, seeking paradise in the unknown parts of the world. The allusions to Christopher Columbus and other such fatalistic daredevils are obvious.

The Sundry Crew:
Fit the First explains to us just
who
is aboard the Ship of Fools—the Bellman, or crier, is the captain; the Boots is a cleaner of footwear; the Maker of Bonnets and Hoods manufactures not headwear (like the Hatter of Wonderland), but rather canvas sail coverings; the Barrister brings law into the madness; the Broker helps to keep the account; the Billiard-Marker keeps the gamesmen afloat; the Banker protects their investment; the Baker is of curious background (as we shall see); the Butcher is looking for something to make meat of; and the Beaver makes lace and acts as a good-luck mascot. All of these begin with B, for no particular reason, much like the things which began with M at the Mad Tea-Party. (However, the reason may simply be that a Boojum and a Bandersnatch appear in the poem, and Carroll may have wanted alliteration with those words for poetic effect.)

The Crew All Aboard:
Holiday’s illustration of the crew shows the Bellman on the upper deck looking out to sea. Beside him are the Barrister (looking back the way they came) and the Baker (looking down on all the others). Below them are the Billiard-Marker (playing), the Banker (ready and waiting to weigh precious metals), the Maker of Bonnets and Hoods (working in shadow) and the Broker (tapping his lips with his cane).

The Secret of the Baker:
Among the crew is the Baker, a mysterious person with forty-two boxes of goods. He is suffering from amnesia, and works as a Baker. There are several clues which point to the fact that the Baker is actually Lewis Carroll himself, such as the forty-two years/boxes and his mysterious uncle.

Having Said This Thrice:
The reiteration of an invocation is common in magic, and three is a number of magical power. If something is said by a “Magus” three times, it is made true despite all impossibility.

The Beaver Saved Them from Wreck:
The Beaver chooses not to speak, but since he’s capable of making lace he may well be one of those sentient beasts from either Wonderland or Looking-Glass Land. He is currently acting as a good-luck mascot, whom the Bellman strictly believes in. His belief alone is enough to instill the Beaver with protective powers, as we shall see (when the Beaver must keep the Butcher from killing him!).

The Forty-Two Boxes:
There is a convincing theory which has been laid out by others, in which Carroll
himself
is the Baker. If this is the case, then the forty-two boxes correspond to his age at the time he wrote
The Hunting of the Snark
, and the fact that he left all the boxes behind on the beach tells us that in following the Bellman (Tennyson) he was truly forsaking his past and sailing into unfamiliar territory.

Forgotten His Name:
The Baker is an amnesiac as he makes way to Jabberwock Isle. We are reminded of Alice falling down the rabbit-hole, wondering who she was. Carroll, as the Baker and the author, is disoriented by his appearance in the world of his own imaginings, suddenly made all too real.

His Courage is Perfect:
Tennyson (the Bellman) is quite willing to have Carroll along on the journey to seek the Snark, even though he does not fully respect him. Carroll may be referring to Tennyson’s reluctant admiration for Carroll’s success in writing fanciful stories of make-believe.

The Character of the Butcher:
The Butcher has nefarious motives, and wants to kill the Beaver, despite the Beaver being the good-luck mascot for the crew. Fortunately, the Bellman has some kind of power over the Butcher (Perhaps, the Bellman refused to take the Butcher along on this once-in-a-lifetime hunt, unless the Butcher swore to behave himself?) It is possible the Bellman wanted the Butcher along for his skill with a knife, in case something dangerous (like a Bandersnatch) were to attack them on the isle.

The Character of the Banker:
The Banker is a shameless and mercenary sort. He is amused by the Beaver’s fear for its life, and willing to sell him insurance policies. Such policies would give the Beaver the illusion of protection, while enriching the Banker, and not really making the Beaver safe at all!

Fit the Second

The Map of the Bellman:
The Bellman is here indeed revealed to be the Captain of the Ship of Fools, and everyone is willing to follow him into nothingness, simply because he is charismatic and they believe in him.

The Landing:
Tennyson has taken them to the Isle of Man, and they are not impressed with their surroundings. As the Bellman, however, he gives a pretty speech that encourages the crew to hunt the Snark.

The Nature of the Snark:
Carroll tells us much about Snarks. The flavor of will-o’-the-wisp implies that they are vaporous and non-corporeal, leading men to their deaths in treacherous wastelands. Their habit of getting up late might mean that they are nocturnal predators (surely, preying on dreamers). Their slowness in jest makes them serious and grave, and difficult to amuse while they are threatening their prey. Their fondness for bathing-machines tells us much of their adoration of Victorian folly, and their ambition exemplifies the willingness to exert power over others.

The Snark as a Boojum:
The majority of Snarks (as manifestations of doubts and fears) are harmless. A dreadful few, however, are so convincing in their unreality that they cause the people who dare behold them to go “out like a candle,” as Alice once feared in Wonderland. This confounding situation is also reminiscent of the dream of the Red King in
Through the Looking-Glass
. (Who, in waking, causes all those he is dreaming of to be snuffed out of existence.)

The Fainting Baker:
If the Baker is Carroll, he is probably (despite his amnesia) remembering how the first line of
The Hunting of the Snark
came to him. As the writer of the poem, Carroll now finds himself trapped in his own unreality, and therefore very vulnerable to being made non-existent by a Boojum. We now know why he fainted dead away as this realization hit home!

Fit the Third

The Capture of the Snarks:
We learn in Fit the Third that the Captain has organized the expedition for the sole purpose of capturing a live Snark. The reasons for this are unknown, but the presence of the Broker and the Banker tell us that the expedition is well-funded and expecting a financial return. Most likely, the hunt is a “proving” one, in which a Snark is going to be returned to the mainland for royalty to marvel over. (The presence of the Butcher, of course, implies that the attempt at a live capture may go badly.)

A Dear Uncle of Mine:
Carroll is probably referring here to Robert Wilfred Skeffington Lutwidge, his own favorite uncle. Skeffington introduced Carroll to photography, and may have encouraged his inventive streak as well. Sadly, in May of 1873, Skeffington was attacked by patient William McKave at the Fisherton Lunatic Asylum. He died of his injuries shortly thereafter. Carroll may have been inspired to write
The Hunting of the Snark
based on this tragic incident.

“O Beamish Nephew”:
There is an intentional parallel here with “Jabberwocky,” where the young man is warned of the dangers of the Jabberwock, a monster which inhabits the same island that the ship is journeying to in
The Hunting of the Snark
.

The Frail Uncle and Frightened Nephew:
The illustration for Fit the Third shows a small house near the harbor. Out the window can be seen the ship, the Bellman ringing his bell, and the Baker’s memory-boxes (which they will forget to put aboard, causing his amnesia). The bedridden uncle is warning his nephew the Baker about Boojums, and the dismayed Baker himself is falling backwards while clutching a stool for balance.

I Engage With the Snark:
If Snarks are indeed manifestations of doubts and fears, it follows that they would appear in dreams as ridiculous creatures. The ones that are Boojums, of course, are exceedingly dangerous because of their insistence upon their own reality (and the lack of the dreamer’s reality as well).

Fit the Fourth

Preparing for the Hunt:
The Bellman and the Baker have heard that to capture a nonsensical creature such as a Snark, you must engage in nonsense. The rest of the crew, understanding this from the Bellman’s speech—but not necessarily believing the particular methods—are each engaging in their own form of nonsense in hopes of scoring the capture.

Fit the Fifth

The Dangers of Jabberwock Isle:
One of the perils of the island is that the hunters can easily become the hunted! We know that the Jabberwock laired here, in ages past, and was slain; but there are also Bandersnatches and Jubjubs and they are still in existence. (The survival of gentler species, such as Toves, Borogoves and Raths, is uncertain.)

“’Tis the Voice of the Jubjub!”:
This is a winking reference to Carroll’s parody poem in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “’Tis the Voice of the Lobster.”

Strange Creepy Creatures:
Holiday’s illustration for this Fit shows the Butcher carefully working out math, while his new friend the Beaver looks on and becomes enlightened. The “creepy creatures” include the Three Little Kittens, a toad-like creature gimbling with a gimlet, pigs that fly, and so forth. Far up in the distance, the Bellman rings his bell.

The Dubious Math of the Butcher:
Carroll is having fun with his mathematical fancy here. The Butcher’s stated equation, once the poetics are stripped out, is {[(3+7+10) x 992] / 992} – 17 = 3. In short, nothing is accomplished, but the Bellman’s thrice-fold reiterations of arcane truths are echoed once again!

An Unexpected Friendship:
Once threatened with identical perils (the attacks of Snarks, Jubjubs and Bandersnatches), the Beaver and Butcher find their loathing of one another perfectly inverted, and become the best of friends. The Bellman is relieved and inspired to see this occur, especially since he considers the Beaver his good luck charm on this journey.

Fit the Sixth

The Judicious Snark:
The Barrister falls asleep and dreams of a Snark. Surely, the types of Snarks seen by people are dependent on their own desires, fears and beliefs. Because of this, the Barrister dreams of a Snark overtaking the judge, and making a mockery of the law. This incident is quite similar to the Mouse’s tale of Fury in
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
.

A Glimpse of the Snark:
Holiday’s illustration shows the Snark from the back. Remembering that there are many sub-species (and this one is not a Boojum), this dream-Snark wears a robe and a wig, and unfurls a judicial scroll.

Fit the Seventh

The Banker and the Bandersnatch:
The Bandersnatch is a predator, quite corporeal and thoroughly unlike a Snark. The Banker, still caught in the ideas of nonsense and the hunting of the Snark, foolishly offers the Bandersnatch a deal in currency, which of course is futile; the Bandersnatch is merely hungry!

The Urgency of Twilight:
The Bellman is convinced that the crew cannot catch a Snark after nightfall, and so he leaves the Banker to his fate of newfound insanity. This obsession with catching the nonesuch creature at the expense of all else has a certain resonance with Captain Ahab and Moby Dick.

Fit the Eighth

The Vanishing:
This illustration shows the merest outline of the Baker, seized by a claw as he fades away into nothingness. Of course, the bell of the Bellman tolls for him.

The Vision of the Boojum:
There exists a rare “suppressed” illustration by Holiday, showing what the Boojum really looks like. It is obviously inspired by Tenniel’s Jabberwock, and may indeed be a cross of a snail and a shark. Carroll felt that the poem had more power if the Boojum were never seen by the reader, and Holiday agreed. Be careful if you find it—you might cease to exist!

It’s a Snark!:
Of all the company, it is the most imaginative crewmember (Carroll, the Baker) who manages to find a Snark at last. Unfortunately for him, it is also a Boojum—an idea so strong that it has taken on a life of its own, which is so convinced of its own majesty that anyone who beholds it ceases to exist. Beholding this, the Baker is snuffed out like a candle. We can hope that the Baker awoke from his nightmare safe in his bed, but it is entirely possible that he simply evaporated. Of course, as he vanishes out of the imaginary world of Wonderland and Looking-Glass Land and Jabberwock Isle, he is disappearing in the same way that Alice did when waking and returning to Oxfordshire, so there is
some
hope!