21 pages • 42 minutes read
Edward LearThe Owl and the Pussy-Cat
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1871A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Ring
The ring is an important motif as well as a key symbol in the poem, since it is mentioned several times and represents the perfection of true love. Across different cultures, the ring—shaped as a circle—symbolizes protection, unbreakable bonds, and union. Engagement and wedding rings further symbolize a promise as well as the closed circle of matrimony. In “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat,” the ring evokes all these meanings, and additionally functions as the object of the poem’s central quest.
The search for the ring moves the poem’s plot forward, and spurs a voyage. Symbolically, what the lovers are looking for is idyllic love. Once the ring is found, their quest for love and marriage is completed, and the owl and the pussy-cat celebrate with a feast and a dance. The importance given to the ring has a deeper meaning: that true love is the ultimate treasure worth finding. Even though the ring is purchased for a mere shilling, its value is far greater.
The Runcible Spoon
The word “runcible,” coined by Edward Lear, has now entered the English dictionary, and is defined as a fork curved like a spoon—in other words, a spork. Lear himself used the word in several other poems, and in contexts other than silverware. For instance, he used the phrase “runcible cat” in “The Pobble who Had No Toes” (1846). It is therefore difficult to tell if “runcible” (Line 28) denotes a metal, a substance, a shape, or a quality. In this sense, the runcible spoon symbolizes Lear’s love for language itself. Its existence suggests that words do not always have a single or unchanged meaning, or even start out with a meaning. Furthermore, meanings are assigned to words arbitrarily, with the runcible spoon showing that language is magical, whimsical, and ever-changing.
Night, Stars, and Moon
An important motif, night-time appears twice in the poem. In the first instance, the owl is described as he “looked up to the stars above” (Line 5) and takes out a guitar to sing to the pussy-cat. Clearly, it is night, and the sky is filled with twinkling stars. In the second instance, the owl and the pussy-cat dance after their wedding feast at the edge of the sand “by the light of the moon, / The moon, / The moon” (Lines 30-32). Again, while night is not directly named, it is clear that the time is after dark, with the landscape bathed in moonlight. The night sky, stars and moon occur in romantic contexts—when the owl and the pussy-cat decide to get married, and after they are wedded—and thus illustrate the poem’s thematic preoccupation with love and companionship. Additionally, they contribute to the fantastical and magical imagery of the poem, creating associations with beauty, enchantment, and romance.
