What Does The Jabberwocky Mean

809 Words4 Pages
Alice in Wonderland has become a classic children’s novel throughout the world, but what makes this crazy fairytale so enticing? Is it the vast creativity of Lewis Carrol or is it the strange characters that the reader can often relate to? The story presents many alluring mystical creatures and whimsical lands. The Jabberwocky is just one example of these mystical creatures. “Jabberwocky” is a poem told to Alice that encourages her to defeat the Queen of Hearts. In the poem, a father warns his son to be aware of a creature called a jabberwocky that roams in the woods, but the son goes looking for the creature instead. The son finds the strange creature and cuts off its head. He then brings the head to the father who is delighted and overjoyed. In “Jabberwocky”, Lewis Carroll uses imagery, irony and symbolism to show the adventurous spirit in a young man’s heart that can overcome adversity.…show more content…
The beast is described as evil, and because of the young man’s defeat over the jabberwocky, emphasizes his triumph. The father warns his son about the creature with “eyes of flame” and shows the evil of the Jabberwocky. This statement provides evidence that the Jabberwocky was truly foul. Another way he uses imagery is by describing the sword as a heroic instrument. He says, “The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!” By using the word “snicker-snack”, the author creates an image of a rapid slice as he cuts off the Jabberwocky’s head. This gives the man a heroic illustration. As the poem progresses, it says that the son went “galumphing back” to his father. This creates an image of a son skipping back to his father in triumph. This shows the man’s triumphant spirit. The father even describes his son as a “beamish boy”. This emphasizes his childlike nature, sense of adventure and joy. The poem has many vivid images that show the adventurous nature of a young

More about What Does The Jabberwocky Mean

Open Document