What do you think the “rat” was? Read below pls...

Question

Three Little Kittens (since the poem is kind of long, so I get just the important part of it...)

"Oh mother dear, we greatly fear 

That we have soiled our mittens."

"What! soiled you mittens, you naughty kittens!"

Then they began to cry, "Meeow, meeow, meeow"

Then they began to sigh.

The three little kittens they washed their mittens

And hung them out to dry,

"Oh mother dear, do you not hear

That we have washed our mittens."

"What! washed your mittens, you are good kittens."

But I smell a rat close by, 

"Meeow, meeow, meeow" we smell a rat close by...

Words of the Three Little Kittens Nursery Rhyme

A cautionary tale

with words directed toward to a mother and child and the common occurrence of losing an article, then finding it and finally being rewarded! The word "meeow" shows effective use of onomatopoeia where a word sounds like the action. The mother cat was correct in her view that she could "smell a rat!" This Nursery Rhyme first appeared in the" Only True Mother Goose Melodies" in 1843.

Answer 1

Hi Carmilla!

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that you're asking what the rat symbolized in the poem, so I'll do my best to answer that. Things like symbolism and representation in poetry are often up for debate, so I'll explain my interpretation, which I hope will help you dissect the poem further :)

In my opinion, the rat symbolizes yet another reward for good behavior. As you mentioned, "Three Little Kittens" can be read as a cautionary tale, and as a mother teaching her children that there are consequences for their actions. First the kittens lose their mittens and lose their pie privileges. Then, when they find their mittens, they get some pie (a reward). When the kittens soil their mittens, they have to wash them. When they're washed, the mother smells a rat, which, if we rely on the pattern of events throughout the rest of the poem, would be a reward for their behavior. To provide further evidence, the mother cat says, "...washed your mittens, you are good kittens...", implying that there is a reward coming for being "good".

This purpose of this poem seems to be to teach children that when they're "bad", they lose privileges, and when they're "good", they gain rewards, and the rat is one of those rewards for the kittens.

Hope that helps! Please feel free to reach out if you need more help.