Authority In Alice's The Red Queen

629 Words2 Pages

Even as Alice’s antagonist, the Red Queen aids in creating a mindset growth in Alice by teaching her the importance of manners and respecting authority, while also giving her the understanding that she has the right to her own opinions and will not always agree with those of her authority figures. The lesson of manners and respecting authority is demonstrated when the Red Queen takes Alice to the top of the hill and tries to get to know her better by asking, “Where do you come from? . . . And where are you going? Look up, speak nicely, and don’t twiddle your fingers all the time” (171). The Red Queen does not shy away from trying to exert her power of authority over Alice in every interaction they have. Before the Queen even begins to learn …show more content…

However, as a Queen and someone of extreme power, Alice is much more likely to understand the importance of carrying herself in the right manner and learn how to properly treat authority figures. In addition, at Alice’s dinner party, the Red Queen encourages a growth mindset in Alice by questioning her manners saying, “ ‘but I daresay you’ve not had many lessons in manners yet?’ ‘Manners are not taught in lessons,’ said Alice. ‘Lessons teach you to do sums, and things of that sort’ ” (254). Earlier in the novel, Alice would go along with what the Queen said or demanded to make things easier, but as she has grown, she has built confidence in herself and begun the learn that it is okay that she has different beliefs than the Queen. For Alice lessons are not for manners, but for the Queen they are, and now, Alice has grown enough to understand that it is okay to have unique beliefs and express them freely, while still being respectful of the other person. Alice’s mindset has started to evolve throughout her interactions as she has crossed the chessboard and she has discovered that she can still respect her authority while expressing contradicting opinions, as long as she does so in a respectful and thoughtful

Open Document