... To Talk of Many Things

 

If you recall Lewis Carroll’s The Walrus and the Carpenter [i] as only an unusual, word-play, a bit of nonsense doggerel, you may have missed something. But it could be fortunate if as a child you missed the conniving betrayal by the two principals, who lure a multitude of oysters to their doom with promises of “a pleasant walk, a pleasant talk.” And once having assembled boatload and-a-half of oysters, the walrus continues the pretense even while preparing the bread and butter that should have been a sign to the oysters:

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
   "To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
   Of cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
   And whether pigs have wings."

And in the ending of the piece, the depth of the betrayal of the innocents is made clear:

"0 Oysters," said the Carpenter,
   "You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?"
   But answer came there none—
And this was scarcely odd, because
   They'd eaten every one.

Walruses eat oysters; it hardly makes sense to heap derision on this one on that account. The Carpenter? I’m not so sure. Had we not been cautioned in earlier verses of the poem to their dullness of mind, we might be more inclined to write off these two deceivers with appropriate derision. They are of the kind who think the beach would be a better place if all that darned sand would be removed.

I can’t claim to know what goes on in the thoughts of Donald Trump, or Jordon Peterson, or Alex Jones, or Rex Murphy, or Marjorie Taylor Greene. Of course, I can’t read the deepest motives of Justin Trudeau, Chrystia Freeland, Pierre Poilievre, Scott Moe or Danielle Smith, either. When I hear them holding forth on “shoes and ships and sealing wax; cabbages and kings,” I must say I feel like an oyster being cozened by walruses. And when they spread the butter really thick, I start to think, “ah yes, the promised pleasant walk, the pleasant talk.” 

The rest can be deduced from Lewis Carroll’s inimitable take on human history.

I’m not sure assigning roles to the carpenter and walrus symbols wouldn’t raise more questions than answers, and Lewis Carroll died in 1898, so won’t answer if asked. Why choose a carpenter and a walrus, beyond the fact that one has three syllables and the other two and as a pair make a nice, musical line? In my reveries, I recall that Jesus was a carpenter and a walrus is one of the most voracious, largest, most formidable of creatures. Church and state? Socialism and Fascism? If it was symbolism that Carroll was after and not just poetic sounds, the two antagonists in combination—whatever they are—cooperate to lure us oysters into a state where we’re easily consumed.

We oysters all know by now what content “the pleasant walk, the pleasant talk” really contains: a myriad of strawmen conjured in the imaginations of people hungry for power and recognition, symbolized here by the walrus’ enormous appetite. Here are some strawmen examples:

1.      Freedom: Canada used to be a “free” country, but Justin Trudeau’s policies rob the oysters of the freedom he doesn’t want them to have.

2.      Justin Trudeau: The prime minister is an evil, ignorant tyrant whose aim is to reshape Canada in his own misanthropic style.

3.      The Environment: Canada needs to be a world leader in reducing the use of fossil fuels and conserving nature, and we’re doing it.

4.      Media: Mainstream Media are in the pockets of the government, so only news from independent sources is worth listening to.

5.      Government: Governments in Canada are mostly illegitimate because parties win elections with less that half the votes.

Each of these has a germ of truth, but the walrus and the carpenter ignore the complex realities that could support or refute their validity, and instead, paint for the oysters a slanted “strawman” version at which to direct their approval or anger. The number of “oysters” who will parrot descriptions of this or that strawman without being able to defend their opinion with any detailed support shows how easy it was for the walrus and the carpenter to lure oysters onto a slice of bread.

There are some elder-oysters who recognize what “shoes and ships and sealing wax, cabbages and kings” talk--especially when accompanied by “a pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,”--really promises. Perhaps our elders need to be more vocal; perhaps we need to be more attentive to their hesitation when such delights are promised.

The eldest Oyster looked at him,
   But never a word he said;
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
   And shook his heavy head—
Meaning to say he did not choose
   To leave the oyster-bed.

---

[i] The Walrus and the Carpenter is in the public domain. The full text can be found at The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll - Poems | Academy of American Poets.