The Background
"Adventures of Isabel" is a unique poem written by the American poet, Frederic Ogden Nash. The poet is well known for composing up to 500 pieces of comic write-ups between 1931 and 1923. Here you will find a comprehensive analysis of this poem.

The Structure
"Adventures of Isabel" is written in one long stanza that has 40 lines. The AABB rhyme scheme is clearly noticeable in the poem. It’s simply written in a surrealist style which was obtainable during the Modernist period.

The Meaning
The major theme of the poem is that man has the capacity of controlling the incontrollable. He also has the ability to overcome circumstances in life. Actually, the poem tells a story of a little girl, Isabel who had lots of challenges to overcome. First, a bear tried to frighten her and was ready to eat her up. She remained unruffled and instead of crying or becoming afraid, she killed and ate up the animal.

After her ordeals with the bear, Isabel came in contact with an ugly witch who was determined to curse and turn her into a toad. Once more, she remained unruffled. She also refused to scream. She simply squeezed the witch, turned her into milk liquid and drank everything. Shortly after that incident, she met a horrible looking giant with one eye. The giant said he’ll use her for dinner. Isabel refused to be moved. She simply beheaded the giant and continued her adventure.

Next, the young girl met a troubled doctor who tried to offer her some treatments and pills. She refused to be scared. She remained calm. Her unruffled attitude ended up calming and treating the troubled doctor.

From the above details, the poem simply portrays how one can still conquer in life despite all the challenges out there. It’s possible to make it in life irrespective of the obstacles. All we need is to keep facing challenges squarely. We shouldn’t be overwhelmed by them rather, we have to fight them and continue our race in the journey of life.