Little Jack Horner

Sneaky Jack Discovered! - Nefarious Jack and the Girl Who Blows His Cover

The Jack-as-troublemaker reading of the Little Jack Horner rhyme fits well with this illustration. He appears to be in a room by himself, perhaps hoarding a contraband pie, certainly up to no good, as evidenced by the girl, who appears to be surprised by what she sees after opening the door; after all, the wreath above the door signifies Christmastime, a season of family sharing of special food, not of awarding Jack an entire pie from which he may then pluck with his thumb a single plum for himself. The mouse or rat in this illustration is curious; it could represent Jack's seclusion, putting him in a seldom-used room frequented more by mice or rats than people. Additionally, as there is only a single stool-like piece of furniture in the corner upon which Jack is sitting, and as he is perched there comfortably and happily, it is unlikely that this is a corner to which he has been banished. The girl in the illustration is significant not only because she, with her accusatory or surprised expression, posits Jack in the role of the perpetrator; but she also is a second person in the depiction of a rhyme that includes only one person, Jack. Nursery rhymes are specific about the people they include; this specificity aids in their simplicity and succinctness, which in turn allows for their easy transmission from one person to the next, and from one generation to the next. The appearance of another person in the scene is a noteworthy departure from the fairly constant text of the rhyme, and could be interpreted as suggestive of further details of the rhyme not traditionally included.