Lewis Carroll’s, “Walrus and the Carpenter” may seem whimsical and nonsensical, but it is, in reality, very dark and ominous. This story, as a whole, is about the horrors of child labor. Carroll is trying to convey a fear and a warning that they way children are being treated and used could lead to the destruction of an entire generation.
The walrus in this story is upper class, a politician or a factory owner, and the carpenter is working class. The overall message is being conveyed to the people, the masses. The upper class do not need to fear for their children, but the working class and the poor are the ones who have children dying while performing jobs that no child should be performing. Coal mining, chimney sweeping, factory working, most children die trying to bring in money.
Humanities 101 