Jabberwocky

The father enters the poem in Stanza 2. Whereas the first stanza describes the environment in which the poem’s narrative occurs, it is the father’s voice that actually sets the story in motion. He warns the son about the various fantastic monsters the son must guard against, and it is this warning that implies or indicates that the son is about to set off on a dangerous journey of some significance. The father’s voice then renters the poem in Stanza 6, welcoming his triumphant son home and proclaiming the day to be a significant day (given the joyful tone of the preceding lines), when he exclaims, “O frabjous day” (Line 23).

The father’s voice represents the archetypical character, or symbol, of the wise old man. The wise old man is a character commonly found in fairy tales, legends, myths, and dreams. His narrative function is both to help move the story forward, and to do so by giving the protagonist or hero important information that the hero cannot otherwise obtain on their own. In “Jabberwocky,” the father tells the son about the dangerous fantastic monsters that he may encounter on his journey.