The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

“The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” has the quality of a fairytale romance, although unlike those love stories, the greatest obstacle in the poem is not a murderous queen or a wicked dragon, but the lack of a ring. The ring is easily found, and the owl and the pussy-cat wed in a magical, beautiful setting. The poem ends on the image of the two creatures dancing on a moonlit beach. The fairytale aspect of the poem then comes not from the play of archetypes, but from its depiction of wonder and magic. What makes the world of the poem magical is the possibility that anything can happen here.

The suggestion of whimsy and endless possibility begins with the poem’s first image. The lovestruck couple here are a talking pair of an owl and a pussy-cat. They decide to sail the sea in a beautiful “pea-green” (Line 2) boat, and carry a bundle of cash. The poem’s highly visual quality lends itself to whimsy and imagination. Lear cannily chooses two animals that lend themselves to “cute” depiction, making the animal figures non-threatening. The image of the “beautiful boat” (Line 2) is similarly evocative. Another literary choice Lear uses to enhance the poem’s magic is the frequent binding or juxtaposition of incongruous elements. Consider the lead pair: In reality they would make an unlikely couple, since pussy-cats, in fact, prey on owls. Here, the two are sailing romantically out to sea. In a similar vein, the owl and the cat carry honey, which neither of these animals eat, as well as wads of cash. The cash the pair carry is inexplicably bundled in a five-pound note. These whimsical details deepen the air of wondrousness in the poem.

Lear uses juxtaposition in the context of an abstract, surreal backdrop matched with concrete details. In search of the ring, the owl and the pussy-cat sail for a long time in an unnamed, unknown sea. Not much is told of this 366-day-long journey, but at the same time, their destination is announced: the land of the bong-tree. Once on the island, it is unclear how they got to the woods, or what was done to the boat—the poem’s whimsical focus tends to ignore such mundane or practical details. Nevertheless, the specific detail of the pig standing in the woods, carrying a ring on his nose, is very crisp. The reader is not told how the couple found the turkey to officiate their wedding, or the exact geography of the island. The wedding feast though is described in detail, with the owl and the cat celebrating with mincemeat and quince, an apple-like fruit.

Some of the concrete details in the poem are made up, yet sound right in the context. The greatest example of this is the “runcible spoon” (28), a phrase which fits in well with the line’s meter, but has no preexisting meaning, as “runcible” was a pseudoword constructed by Lear himself. Other examples of such whimsical word-use are “Piggy-wig” (Line 18) for a pig, and the land of the “Bong-Tree” (Line 17). Structurally, the poem is in the form of a ballad or song. Its tightly rhyming lines, refrains, and accentual meter enhance its song-like quality.

The poem is also magical because of its depiction of a sweet and perfect romance. The owl and the pussy-cat are in love with each other, but more than that, they appear to genuinely like and admire each other, and share similar minds. The poem shows, rather than tells, their love, so their mutual love is apparent through their actions. While the owl calls the pussy-cat the most beautiful cat he has ever seen, the cat compliments the owl as, “you elegant fowl” (Line 12). When the cat proposes marriage, the owl, it is implied, immediately accepts. In perfect coordination, the couple sail away to the island, find the pig and the turkey, get married, feast, and dance. For the young readers of the poem, the owl and the pussy-cat portray an ideal of perfect, happy love. Older readers might infer that such perfect love is possible only in a fantasy setting such as that of the poem, but even so, the poem still offers an escape from the realities of the adult world.