# The Broom, Shovel, Poker, and Tongs — Nonsense Books character guide

> The Broom, Shovel, Poker, and Tongs in Nonsense Books by Edward Lear.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mrs. Broom, the Broom, Miss Shovel, the Shovel, Mr. Poker, Mr. Tongs

**First appearance:** 0053-the-broom-the-shovel-the-poker-and-the-tongs

## Snapshot

A household set of hearth tools who step out together for a walk, turning the humdrum parlor into a small society on the move.

## Who they are

Mrs. Broom, Miss Shovel, Mr. Poker, and Mr. Tongs leave their posts by the fire to take the air as a group, each with a distinct temperament that surfaces in their chatter. Their excursion mirrors the book's recurring fantasy of domestic objects slipping their duties and discovering the world outside. They matter because they show how easily Lear's imagination converts the most ordinary corner of a house into a cast of characters with opinions and errands of their own.

## In the story

### [Nonsense Songs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nonsense_books_se/chapters/nonsense-songs)

The Broom, Shovel, Poker, and Tongs take a drive in the Park, singing songs of love and nonsense.

### [The Broom, the Shovel, the Poker, and the Tongs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nonsense_books_se/chapters/the-broom-the-shovel-the-poker-and-the-tongs)

The four household objects take a drive, sing songs, and experience romantic tensions before reconciling.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nonsense_books_se/chapters/i)

The four household objects take a drive in the park and sing together.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nonsense_books_se/chapters/ii)

The Poker sings to the Shovel, expressing romantic admiration.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nonsense_books_se/chapters/iii)

The Tongs sings a song of longing to Mrs. Broom.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nonsense_books_se/chapters/iv)

Mrs. Broom and Miss Shovel are the main characters in this chapter, arguing and then reconciling.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nonsense_books_se/characters/the_broom_shovel_poker_tongs
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nonsense_books_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nonsense_books_se/characters