Nonsense Books · Chapter
The Two Old Bachelors explained
Two impoverished old bachelors, with only a Muffin and a Mouse, attempt to make a stuffing for dinner but lack Sage and Onion.
What happens
Two impoverished old bachelors, with only a Muffin and a Mouse, attempt to make a stuffing for dinner but lack Sage and Onion. They climb a hill to capture an ancient Sage for stuffing, but he knocks them down with his book. Returning home, they find the Mouse has eaten the Muffin and fled. The bachelors leave their home and are never heard from again.
Themes in this chapter
Nonsense and Absurdity
The absurd premise of chopping a Sage into stuffing and the bachelors' ridiculous quest.
Loneliness and Longing
The bachelors' poverty and isolation, culminating in their silent departure and disappearance.
Characters to notice
- The Two Old Bachelors
The two protagonists who try to make stuffing from a Sage.
- The Mouse
Caught by one bachelor, later escapes after eating the Muffin.
- The Onion
Onions are borrowed but Sage is missing.
Key passages
“Two old Bachelors were living in one house; One caught a Muffin, the other caught a Mouse.”
Two elderly unmarried men share a home; one captures a muffin, the other a mouse.
Sets up the absurd situation and the bachelors' meager resources.
“They left their home in silence by the once convivial door; And from that hour those Bachelors were never heard of more.”
They quietly departed through the door that had once been cheerful, and were never seen again.
Concludes the tale with the bachelors' mysterious disappearance.