The inappropriately overdressed, wild eyed and wild haired, riddle speaking, unbirthday celebrating, tea drinking mad hatter. The mad hatter is a term that came about before Alice in Wonderland ever existed, but the character was made famous by Lewis Carroll. My first small sculpture I made in high school was of the mad hatter. He is well known and well loved, but where did he come from and what exactly made the mad hatter mad?
The phrase “mad as a hatter” began in the early 1800’s and unfortunately the mad hatter was a victim of his occupation. The reason the term began in the early 1800’s was that around this time hats became quite fashionable. Specifically hats made of fur. Making hats out of these materials in the 1800’s was a complex process which involved hand brushing a solution containing mercury onto the fur to enhance its texture and make it more workable for shaping into hats. As we all know now, mercury is very poisonous. While making his creative constructions the hatter would continually, day after day, breathe this mercury solution into his body eventually causing the effects of a term known as “mad hatter syndrome.” The side effects of this syndrome include something known as “hatter’s shakes” which cause the body twitch and shake. Also loss of coordination, slurred speech, loosening of teeth, loss of memory and personality changes are all symptoms with which the mad hatter was afflicted.
This is a pretty serious reputation but the mad hatter did not act (mad) alone, as far as Alice in Wonderland is concerned anyway. Lewis Carroll provided the mad hatter with plenty of encouragement to keep his antics up with the characters the March hare and the dormouse.
The March hare was not a victim of his occupation, rather he was just another victim of love. The month of March was known to be the male hares mating season. Sometimes love makes one feel a bit crazy. I can’t help but be reminded of a show I watched once on the discovery channel about the mating season for moose in Alaska. One moose was so overtaken by his passions that he became smitten by a row of mailboxes. After some research they found that the male hare acted in the same characteristic manner all year when courting the lady hares but alas, the name stuck.
The loveable little tiny dormouse, this little thing appears to simply be along for the ride in the story. Quite literally perhaps as I recall the dormouse floating up in the air via an airborne umbrella coming out of the teapot that the mad hatter had closed him in.
All of these characters are a little bit crazy in their own way. Some of their namesakes’ stories of origin are sad and tragic, some are well, a bit funny. They are nevertheless treated as loveable, unique, memorable creatures in their story. Perhaps the world would be a better place if we all treated those who are a bit crazy, or a bit overtaken by their desires, or a bit silly with this same lightness of heart.
Dex, What Caused the Mad Hatter to Go Mad? The Straight Dope
Michael Quinion, Mad as Hatter World Wide Words
