The speaker of “Jabberwocky” is not a character in the poem, but rather narrates the story in the third person. As such, the speaker is fundamentally a storyteller. It’s worth noting that the speaker uses an approximation of the ballad form to tell their tale. A ballad is a traditional verse form that has long been used in songs and poems that recount significant folk legends and historical events. In this sense, ballads preserve stories that are important to a community. With regard to “Jabberwocky,” the speaker uses the ballad form to tell the story of a boy who, at his father’s request, sets off on a quest to slay a monstrous creature. However, given that the events recounted in “Jabberwocky” are fantastical and ultimately quite silly, it would be better to qualify the speaker as a satirical balladeer. In other words, the speaker is a teller of tall tales who uses a mock-heroic style. Their primary goal is arguably not to commit great events to historical memory. Rather, they mainly seek to amuse and delight their readers.

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