Complete Alice in Wonderland - L. Carroll [153]
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