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Hunting the Snark

By Daniel Smith, Dramaturg for Boojum! and Caffeine Theatre Associate Artistic Director

Boojum! is loosely based on Lewis Carroll’s mock epic poem “The Hunting of the Snark.” This poem, written in 1874 and published in 1876, details the adventures of a ragtag group of Snark-hunters who have set sail with the Bellman.  Each member of the Crew has an occupation that beings with the letter “B.” Their world is inhabited by jubjub birds and bandersnatches, fabulous monsters that appear in Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky”. 

Literary critics have variously interpreted the Snark Hunt as an allegory: it may represent the search for happiness, the search for monetary wealth, a failed business venture, or even a Hegelian philosopher’s quest for truth.  Carroll famously rejected all interpretations of this poem, and of his other literary work.  Having received an inquiry about the meaning of “The Hunting of the Snark,” he wrote back: “I’m very much afraid I didn’t mean anything but nonsense.  Still, you know, words mean more than we mean to express when we use them.  So a whole book ought to mean a great deal more than the writer means.  So whatever good meanings are in the book, I’m glad to accept as the meaning of the book.”

If you would like to read “The Hunting of the Snark” in its entirety, you can find it online HERE

The poem is divided into eight sections called “fits.” Boojum! has pared down the crew a bit, and leaves out much of the action from the middle of the poem (Fits 5-7).  Peter Wesley-Smith and Martin Wesley-Smith have also given the Crew first names (Wal, Cora, Al, Carl, Clarrie, Errol, Alice).  Each of these names can be made from the letters in the name “Lewis Carroll.”

Here is a summary of “The Hunting of the Snark”:

Fit the First: The Landing.  The Crew is introduced: Bellman, Boots, Bonnet-maker, Barrister, Broker, Billiard-Marker, Banker, Beaver, and Baker.  The Baker does not know his own name, and has left behind 42 boxes of his belongings on the beach.  The Baker can only bake Bridecake (i.e. wedding cake).  The Butcher can only kill beavers.  The Beaver on board is tame and belongs to the Bellman.  The Baker advises the Beaver to get a “dagger-proof coat,” and the Banker offers to sell the Beaver life insurance.

Fit the Second: The Bellman’s Speech.  Despite having an excellent blank map of the sea, the Bellman proves to be a poor Captain.  He makes a speech about the Marks of a Snark, of which there are five: 1) the taste (like a will-o-the-wisp), 2) the habit of getting up late, 3) slowness in getting a joke, 4) fondness for bathing machines, and 5) ambition.  As the Bellman mentions that some Snarks are Boojums, the Baker faints.

Fit the Third: The Baker’s Tale.  The Baker explains that his Uncle told him how to hunt a Snark: with thimbles and care, with forks and hope, threatening its life with a railway share, and charming it with smiles and soap.  The Baker’s Uncle also warned him that if your Snark is a Boojum, you will softly and suddenly vanish away.  The Baker is petrified about the possibility of vanishing, and has nightmares about meeting with Boojums. 

Fit the Fourth: The Hunting.  The Bellman dismisses the Baker’s fears and reproaches the Baker for not mentioning them before.  The Baker claims that he did mention them when he boarded the ship, but only in languages other than English (Hebrew, Dutch, German, and Greek).  The Bellman defers the rest of his speech about Boojums in favor rousing the Crew to hunt the Snark.  Members of the Crew prepare for the Hunt: the Banker endorses a check; the Baker combs his whiskers and hair; the Boots and the Broker sharpen a spade; the Beaver continues making lace, while the Barrister cites cases about lace-making; the Bonnet-maker arranges bows; the Billiard-Marker chalks the tip of his nose; the Butcher dresses in yellow kid gloves and a ruff; and the Baker makes an effort to win with one eye. 

Fit the Fifth: The Beaver’s Lesson.  The Beaver and the Baker end up hunting in the same place.  They don’t trust each other.  They hear the cry of the Jubjub Bird and both are very frightened.  They get confused about how many times the Butcher has said “’Tis the song of the Jubjub” (three times and it would be true).  The Butcher tutors the Beaver in Math and Natural History.  They become best friends forever. 

Fit the Sixth: The Barrister’s Dream.  The Barrister has a dream about a trial in which the Snark is Defense attorney, Judge, and Jury.  After defending a pig on the charge of deserting its sty, the Snark finds the pig guilty and issues a sentence.  But all turns out to be moot, as the pig has been dead for several years.  Critics have analyzed this part of the poem as a satire on British courts in general, and specifically on the trial of the Tichborne claimant.  In 1865, a butcher from Wagga Wagga named Arthur Orton pretended to be Sir Roger Tichborne, who had been lost at sea.  Tichborne’s mother was completely taken in by Orton.  But when she died in 1868, Orton was tried for perjury. 

Fit the Seventh: The Banker’s Tale.  The Banker battles with a Bandersnatch and is so frightened by his ordeal that he driven mad and rendered unable to speak.  The Bellman orders the Crew to leave the Banker behind and continue hunting the Snark. 

Fit the Eighth: The Vanishing.  The Baker finds a Snark, but it turns out to be a Boojum.  He vanishes.  The Crew cannot find any trace of him.