The Walrus and the Carpenter

The theme of deception and betrayal is prominent throughout “The Walrus and the Carpenter.” The most obvious illustration of this theme is the manner in which the Walrus and the Carpenter betray the oysters after luring them to a remote part of the beach with promises of “[a] pleasant walk, a pleasant talk” (Line 33), but this theme is foreshadowed in the very first lines of the poem, where the sun’s decision to shine in the middle of the night is seen by the moon as a kind of betrayal, thinking the sun had “no business to be there” (Line 9).

The Walrus and the Carpenter deceive the oysters by promising them companionship. The Walrus says that he and the Carpenter will “give a hand” (Line 36) to the oysters who decide to join them and, on a few occasions, entices them with conversation, “to talk of many things” (Line 62). The Walrus’s apparent charm makes many oysters “eager for the treat” (Line 44), and they hurry to follow him and the Carpenter.

The Walrus and the Carpenter pose as the oyster’s friends, but they obviously have ulterior motives. After walking for a while, when the oysters are tired, the Walrus and the Carpenter make it clear that they are going to eat the oysters.