Beneath the surface of a children's nursery rhyme lies a slightly mystical element. Skimbleshanks seems to possess an omniscient quality. He patrols the corridors when the passengers are asleep, and the poem suggests that he sees things humans do not.
While the musical emphasizes the theatricality of the character, the poem remains the purest distillation of Eliot’s intent. It celebrates the dignity of work and the comfort of routine. Skimbleshanks is not a cat who hunts mice or sleeps in the sun; he is a working professional. He takes his job seriously, and in doing so, he makes the chaotic world of the Night Mail feel safe and reliable. skimbleshanks the railway cat poem
Eliot paints a cozy, Edwardian picture of travel. Skimbleshanks ensures that: The berths are clean and the sheets are "neatly spread." There is no dust on the floor. The "commotion" of noisy passengers is kept to a minimum. Beneath the surface of a children's nursery rhyme
Like many of Eliot's Practical Cats , Skimbleshanks found a second life in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats . In the stage production, his character is often portrayed as a tap-dancing, energetic figure, dressed in a railway uniform or sporting a glowing vest. While the musical emphasizes the theatricality of the
Unlike Macavity (the “Hidden Paw”), Skimbleshanks represents law and reliability.