The Hunting of the Snark Gardner sees the poem as dealing with existential angst, and states that the Baker may be Carroll's satire of himself, pointing to the fact that the Baker was named after a beloved uncle, as was Carroll, and that the two were around the same age at the time of the writing of the poem. Alternatively, Larry Shaw of the fan magazine "Inside and Science Fiction Advertiser" suggests that the Boots, being the Snark, actually murdered the Baker. Also references to religious issues had been suggested, like the Baker's 42 boxes being a reference to Thomas Cranmer's "Forty-Two Articles" with a
Johnny Carroll Johnny Carroll Johnny Carroll (October 23, 1937 – January 13, 1995) was an American rockabilly musician. Born John Lewis Carrell (Carrell was printed incorrectly as Carroll on the record label), Carroll began recording for Decca Records in the middle of the 1950s. He released several singles, but none of them saw significant success, though they are now critically acclaimed. His records were eclipsed by the success of other rockabilly and early rock & roll musicians such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash. His career ended toward the end of the 1950s, but he made a comeback in