Complete Alice in Wonderland - L. Carroll [152]
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.
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