English Literature
The Jabberwocky is the principle example of nonsense poetry but is a clever allegory for the traditional bildungsroman story. Its theme is the idea of growing up with the Jabberwocky representing the trials and fears that we must overcome in the process of becoming an adult. Within this essay, I will discuss the themes, imagery and language used in the poem to create this central idea. Mina Loy stated that “poetry is prose bewitched” (Gioia & Kennedy 1114) and in The Jabberwocky, Carroll tells an important story that is just this.
Carroll has clever used language to distract his reader from the poem’s reality: the fact that we have all lived this story in our own lives. The words on the page are relatively meaningless and you must look past them to realise their message. The narrative focuses on a young boy who, upon ignoring the warning of his father, goes out and slays the Jabberwocky, a terrifying and dangerous creature. The nonsense language, such as “All mimsy were the borogoves” (Carroll), is juxtaposed with the maturity of the boy and is designed to demonstrate the adolescent stage of life where one has a foot in both child and adulthood.
As it is a short poem, Carroll has focused his intentions on the central theme of growing up. It does, however, also address the ideas of masculinity, man versus the natural world, and good versus evil. The first of these is linked to the boy’s coming of age; a natural part of male adolescence is a sudden awareness of masculinity and the need to assert it. In the poem, the boy asserts his by destroying the Jabberwocky. In turn, this obliteration is also a metaphorical presentation of the destructive persona of man in the natural world: Carroll is commenting on how man consistently asserts its own masculinity over nature in an arrogant and negative way. Alternatively, Carroll is also discussing the triumph of good over evil by presenting the boy as the victor which does contradict the former. In short, there are a number of potential readings of the poem.
The Jabberwocky presents some strong imagery, in spite of its scarcity of real worlds. The reader is transported into a dark forest, alive with noises and danger, as the boy travels further into its depths and closer towards adulthood: “The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood” (Carroll). This quote is exemplary of Carroll’s ability to stage scary whilst basing it securely in a fantastical setting. The language is childish and stands starkly at odds with the threatening nature of the narrative.
In conclusion, Carroll’s main intention here is to portray the journey from child to adult and he does so by presenting the reader with a boy vanquishing the demon and standing strong and proud as a result, reaping the respect of his father. This is portrayed through every aspect of the poem: the nonsense language, the violence of the boy’s actions, and the arrogance that he displays. He does, however, succeed in his mission which would suggest that Carroll’s message is that, through even the hardest of trials, we transform from innocent children into confident, strong adults who are capable of handling our problems with independence.
References
Carroll, Lewis. Jabberwocky. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2008. Print.
Gioia, Dana & Kennedy, X. J. Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. New Jersey: Pearson Education Ltd, 2012. Print.
