Pat (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
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Ape?
| Pat | |
|---|---|
| Alice character | |
 Pat is believed by some to be the ape that appears in the Caucus Race | |
| First appearance | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland |
| Created by | Lewis Carroll |
| Portrayed by | Scott Baio, Freddie Earlle, Jason Byrne, Bill Thompson, Jon Glover |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Guinea pig? Ape? |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Gardener |
| Nationality | Irish |
Pat is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He appears in the chapter "The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill." He works for the White Rabbit like his friend Bill the Lizard. Carroll never gives any description of the character other than being a gardener, and his species has been widely debated, with evidence showing he is likely to be a monkey or a guinea pig.[1]
When the White Rabbit mistakes Alice for his maid, Mary Ann, she drinks from a bottle that makes her grow. The Rabbit thinks she is a monster, so he asks Pat to climb down the chimney to get the monster out of his house. Pat refuses, so the Rabbit decides to send Bill the Lizard to climb down instead. When Bill climbs down the chimney, Alice kicks him, causing him to fly out of the chimney and back into the Rabbit's garden.
Pat's appearance has been of much debate as Carroll never gives any description of the character, so it is unknown whether he is supposed to be an animal, human, or bird. However, there are several theories as to what species he is.
Pat is strongly hinted to be Irish, judging by the way he speaks. He says several phrases that could be considered Irish, such as, "Sure then I'm here! Digging for apples, yer honour", "Sure, it's an arm, yer honour!' (He pronounces it arrum.)". Carroll continues to hint at his Irish roots by claiming he is "digging for apples". In Victorian times Irish apples was a slang word for potatoes. Pat is also commonly an Irish name, short for Patrick.
According to The Annotated Alice, Pat is likely to be one of the two guinea pigs that help to revive Bill[2] after he comes shooting out of the chimney. If this is true, then Pat also makes a second appearance, as the two same guinea pigs are said to be jurors in the Queen's court that are suppressed for cheering.
A second theory, suggested by David Lockwood, is that Pat is the ape that appears in the Caucus Race[3] and the Pool of Tears. This is because Pat is strongly hinted to be Irish, and in Victorian satirical cartoons Irishmen were almost always depicted as having the appearance of apes. Furthermore, in several Punch cartoons of Irish workers, they were not only depicted as having an ape-like appearance but were frequently given the name Pat or Paddy. However the ape is not mentioned in the text and only appears in Tenniel's illustrations, so it is possible that this is only a product of Tenniel's imagination and not Carroll's.
In the Marvel Classics Comics adaptation published in 1978, the White Rabbit's comment ("An arm, you goose!") is taken literally and Pat is depicted as a goose.
Other theories suggest that Pat is simply a lizard, like his co-worker Bill. Many Disney fans confuse Pat with the Dodo, as the characters are merged in the film, though there is no evidence to support the idea that they are the same character in the book.
