Lewis Carroll's Alice Adventures in Wonderland

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Aside from the very obvious madness and chaos of the scene, there is also a very stark example of the dream logic displayed in other parts of the story. There is also a sense of the feelings of loneliness. Alice is the only one that seems upset about the unfairness of the situation, especially when she grows back to her full size and everyone turns on her. This shows the separation she has from the other characters in terms of their state of mind. This is also where another aspect of the dream logic comes into play. Alice becomes the center of attention during the trial. When Alice grows back to her normal size, she draws all the attention to herself, the Knave all but forgotten in the chaos. When she was small, the King’s claim of “justice” is the absolute authority of a monarchy-based government. In a monarchy, all the power lies within the royal family. Alice’s size makes the King and his court feel threatened and orders that “All persons more than a mile high [are] to leave the court.” As Alice continues to grow, she becomes more aware of the absurdity and unfairness of the situation and more willing to speak out. When the Queen makes the ridiculously unfair declaration “Sentence first – verdict afterwards,” Alice replies with “Stuff and nonsense!” which causes the card soldiers to fly up in her face in an attack. The scene ends when Alice dismisses the King, Queen, and their court as “nothing but a pack of cards!” The cards continue to fly at her violently as she wakes up from her dream. This is yet another aspect of dream logic. When something sudden and frightening happens in a dream, it often wakes up the dreamer. It is Alice’s realizations that give her power o...

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Bush, Brady. Making Sense of Nonsense: A Literary Analysis of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. N.p.: n.p., 26 Apr. 2004. PDF.

Carroll, Lewis, and Helen Oxenbury. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 1999. Print.

Keenlyside, Perry. "CARROLL, L.: Alice' S Adventures in Wonderland (Abridged)." CARROLL, L.: Alice' S Adventures in Wonderland. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.

"Poem Origins: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Poem Origins: Alice's

Adventures in Wonderland. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.

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"Poet Lewis Carroll." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 12

. May 2014

Soder, Samantha. Parody and Nonsense Poems in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. N.p.: Viewpoints, Sept. 2010. PDF.

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