Could this be the truth??

Question

this maybe a little crazy but In the story 'Alice in Wonderland' theres a shorter story- 'The Walrus and the Carpenter' poem: what's the
metaphorical meaning?
It colorfully details the sham that is organized religion. The Walrus - with his girth and good-nature - obviously refers to either the Buddha, or - with his tusks - the lovable Hindu elephant god, Lord Ganesha. This takes care of the Eastern religions. The Carpenter is an obvious reference to Jesus Christ, who was purportedly raised the son of a carpenter. He represents the Western religions. And in the poem. what do they do? They dupe all the oysters into followmg them. Then. when the oysters collective guard is down. the Walrus and the Carpenter shuck and devour the helpless creatures, en masse. I don't know what that says to you, but to me it says that following faiths based on these mythological figures could insures the destruction of one's inner-being.Organized religion destroys who we are or who we can be by inhibiting our actions and decisions out of fear of an intangible parent-figure who shakes a finger at us from thousands of years ago and says "No, no!" ...what do you think??? maybe thats the truth????a children's tale? maybe not.....i dont completely go with this idea its just a thought...

Answer 1

I vaguely remember the tale of the carpenter and the walrus.

That was so many years ago that I never analyzed it... interesting take. It certainly makes sense, and I buy it...

However, I think that we, us humans, tend to interpret all literature the way we want to. We like to over analyze things
and read in to the sentences more than what really might be there.

Think about it, how do we know what some author five hundred years ago meant when he talked about the tall-black-clock... how do we know that the river in such and such story clearly represents the turbulent life of the main character?

We don't, it just sounds good, and earns us A's in English/literature classes ;)

Answer 2

Sounds interesting. It's been years since I read Alice in Wonderland, but I'll read it again as soon as I can get to my copy. I've starred your question so I can find it again after I've read the "story within a story" that you referred to.

(Edit)

I just checked Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walrus_and_the_Carpenter

There are many interpretations of the poem,whether it be in politics, religion, or business. The poem is often suggested to illustrate the nature of genocide.

In The Annotated Alice, Martin Gardner noted that when Carroll gave the manuscript for Looking Glass to illustrator John Tenniel, he gave him the choice of drawing a carpenter, a butterfly, or a baronet (since each word would fit the poem's meter). Tenniel chose the carpenter. Because of this, the carpenter's significance in the poem is probably not in his profession. Although the two characters of the poem were interpreted later as two political types, there is no indication of what Carroll may have intended; Gardner cautions the reader that there isn't too much intended symbolism in the Alice books. The books were made for the imagination of children not the analysis of "mad people".

Many portions of the Wonderland tales can be tied only to sheer whimsy, and while Carroll's life observations do make themselves obvious from time to time, it is possible that "The Walrus and the Carpenter" is not one of them: Carroll's character The Duchess said in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that "everything's got a moral, if only you can find it".


You can read the poem here:
http://www.ruthannzaroff.com/wonderland/walrus.htm

Answer 3

like I said before everything about religion its just a fairy tale that our parents teach us in our childhood

Answer 4

God doesn't try to trick us. He comes out and tells us what he wants. He wants exclusive devotion. He wants us to live lives in agreement with his commands

Answer 5

Are you later going to accuse believers of believing fairytales? If so, Im going to bookmark this question :\

Answer 6

That's really pretty interesting take.

Maybe that was really what the author believed.

Answer 7

sorry to burst your bubble, but I saw something as a different scenario, lol, but, only the author knows what they intended to portray.

You may as well use the Beatles song about the same subject as your findings as to "truth"

Peace be with you :)

Answer 8

RELIGION IS MAN MADE-FAITH AND BELIEF IN GOD IS A PERSONAL DECISION

Answer 9

Perhaps you're reading too much into it. It's just a poem.

Answer 10

Truth is supported by evidence... So... No.