“Alice in Wonderland”

I’m sure all of us have heard of the book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (commonly shortened to “Alice in Wonderland”), which is an 1865 novel by the English author Lewis Carroll.  At a first glance, this work of literature might be considered by some as a children’s novel. However, this story has many deep and dark themes that a child wouldn’t normally understand. Therefore, if the novel is read by an adult, numerous meanings can be uncovered.

                It is necessary to begin with a short summary of this masterpiece. The book evolves around the adventures of young Alice, a dreamy, distractible girl, who, nevertheless, proves very practical when necessary. One day, she notices a rabbit running by in a waistcoat and carrying a pocket watch. Curious, she follows him down a rabbit hole into Wonderland, a bizarre, nonsensical world filled with strange characters, from a disappearing Cheshire Cat and a tea-loving Mad Hatter to the cruel Queen of Hearts, who orders Alice’s execution. Realizing that her trip to Wonderland is a dream, Alice escapes the queen by waking herself up.

                In order to understand the meanings and themes of the book we must first analyze the main characters. The most suitable character to begin this analysis is no other than the protagonist, Alice. Alice is a sensible prepubescent girl from a wealthy English family and the heroine of the story. Her adventures begin with her fateful jump down the rabbit hole, and the tale is an extended metaphor for the challenges she will face as she grows into an adult. She possesses unusual composure for a child, and she seems bright but makes many charming mistakes. She grows more confident as the book progresses. Alice approaches Wonderland as an anthropologist, but maintains a strong sense of oblige that comes with her class status. She has confidence in her social position, education, and the Victorian virtue of good manners.

                Another character that must be analyzed is the Queen of Hearts. As the ruler of Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts is an antagonist that Alice must inevitably face to figure out the puzzle of Wonderland. Unlike many of the other characters in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts is not as concerned with nonsense as she is with absolute rule and execution. In Wonderland, she is a singular force of fear who even dominates the King of Hearts. In the Queen’s presence, Alice finally gets a taste of true fear, even though she understands that the Queen of Hearts is merely a playing card. The Gryphon later informs Alice that the Queen never actually executes anyone she sentences to death, which reinforces the fact that the Queen of Hearts’s power lies in her words.

                The Duchess is also a notable and crucial character is this book. She is a milder version of the Queen. When Alice meets her, the Duchess is alternately cradling and shaking a howling baby. Suddenly, she casually tosses the baby to Alice and leaves. A few minutes later, the baby turns into a pig and walks away. Alice next meets the Duchess at the royal croquet game, where the Duchess is more friendly. As she and Alice chat, the Duchess finds a moral in every topic and practically every sentence. None of the morals make any sense, but the Duchess is proud of them.

Finally, another noteworthy character is the Mad Hatter. He is a madman who sits always at tea, ever since Time stopped working for him. He takes his tea with the March Hare and the Dormouse. Alice is temporarily their guest, although she finds the event to be the stupidest tea party she has ever attended. He’s rather uncivil to Alice, informing her that she needs a haircut and asking her to solve a riddle that doesn’t have an answer. Later, the nervous hatter is forced to be a witness at Alice’s trial making him a very crucial character.

                Now that the most crucial characters have been talked about, we ought to talk about the themes of the book. Firstly, we have growth in adulthood. This theme is central to both books. Alice’s adventures parallel the journey from childhood to adulthood. She comes into numerous new situations in which adaptability is absolutely necessary for success. She shows marked progress throughout the course of the book; in the beginning, she can barely maintain enough composure to keep herself from crying. By the end of the novel, she is self-possessed and able to hold her own against the most baffling Wonderland logic.

Next in the list we have size change. Closely connected to the above theme, size change is another recurring concept. The dramatic changes in size hint at the radical changes the body undergoes during adolescence. The key, once again, is adaptability. Alice’s size changes also bring about a change in perspective, and she sees the world from a very different view. In the last trial scene, her growth into a giant reflects her interior growth. She becomes a much stronger, self-possessed person, able to speak out against the nonsensical proceedings of the trial.

                Another recurring theme is games and rules. Every new encounter is something of a game for Alice. There are rules to learn, and consequences for learning or not learning those rules. Games are a constant part of life in Wonderland, from the Caucus race to the strange croquet match to the fact that the royal court is a living deck of cards. And every new social encounter is like a game, in that there are bizarre, apparently arbitrary rules that Alice has to master. Learning the rules is a metaphor for the adaptations to new social situations that every child makes as he/she grows older. Mastering each challenge, Alice grows wiser and more adaptable as time goes on.

Finally, we have death, which is a very dark theme. This theme is even more present in the second Alice book, “Through the Looking Glass”. Alice frequently makes references to her own death without knowing it. Childhood is a state of peril in Carroll’s view: children are quite vulnerable, and the world presents many dangers. Another aspect of death is its inevitability. Since the Alice books are at root about change (the transition from childhood to adulthood, the passage of time), mortality is inescapable as a theme. Death is the final step of this process of growth. While death is only hinted at in the first book, the second book is saturated with references to mortality and macabre humor.

In addition to these numerous themes, the book is filled many symbols. The White Rabbit symbolizes the passage of Time. Just as the rabbit hurries, time moves at a fast pace. The Cheshire Cat represents the Guidance that Alice receives during her adolescence. The cat acts as a role model, offering advice that helps Alice understand Wonderland. The Mad Hatter and March Hare symbolize challenges and intelligence. Both characters challenge Alice’s intelligence with riddles causing Alice to question what she really knows. The Queen of Hearts symbolizes the harsh Victorian Expectations of the time. During those times, women were expected to marry by 25, restraining their emotions and accepting their duties as housekeepers. These expectations frighten the young girl. The Duchess is a straightforward symbol for Life Lessons. She represents the life morals that Alice will learn as she ages. The Garden which symbolizes the Garden of Eden, beauty and innocence that Alice is not permitted to access. Additionally, it showcases a desire for experience.

In my opinion, this book is amazing. I loved the fantastic fantasy world Carroll created. I had never expected the events that happened because they were bizarre and unpredictable. I loved the Cheshire cat’s wit and intelligence. I also loved the hatter because of his eccentric personality. The book is brilliant for children, but with enough hilarity and joy for life in it to please adults too. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a lovely book, with which we can take a brief respite from our overly rational and sometimes dreary world. Overall, Carroll depicted a unique world that I hadn’t seen before. This why I believe the book is very fun to read and I would surely recommend it!

Ιοάν-Καταλίν Σταν (Β4), Πρότυπο ΓΕΛ Ευαγγελικής Σχολής Σμύρνης