Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland: The Inevitable Loss of Childhood Innocence

1490 Words3 Pages

The novel enwraps with “Alice and her sister sitting on the bank of a river. Unquestionably bored, she is reading a book over her sister’s shoulder. Suddenly, she spots a small white rabbit in a pea coat, dart across the grass. What astounds her is that the rabbit takes out a small watch from its pocket and exclaims, "I will be late". Alice had never heard a rabbit talk and moreover felt that it was bizarre for a rabbit to own a pocket watch. Curiosity takes Alice down the rabbit hole and this leads her into a land where her main pre- occupation seems to be either growing tall or becoming short.” (Carroll)

Her longing to get through a little door that leads to a stunning garden takes her on an exploration to the house of a Duchess, a mad tea-party where she meets the Mad Hatter and March hare. Her encounter with the caterpillar is very helpful as it is through the caterpillar that she is able to know the way in which one could adjust their height reliant on the situation. Her experience in the house of White Rabbit is another fascinating occurrence. (Carroll) Overall, “her adventures before entry into the attractive garden are of a kind that leads her to question herself and the knowledge that she has about herself and of the world.” (Senna) The bottom line of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures of Wonderland there is growing up to be done and a puzzle to be solved. (enotes)

Throughout the progression of the book, Alice goes through many irrational physical changes. Discomfort with the feeling of never being the right size, deeds as a symbol for the fluctuations that occur during puberty. Alice finds these changes to be disturbing, and feels uneasiness, hindrance, and sadness when she goes through them. She struggles to sustain ...

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...001. 26 March 2012.

Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Oxford: Macmillan & Co., 1862–1863.

de Rooy, Lenny. An Analysis of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. n.d. 25 Mar. 2012.

Kelly, Richard. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; Through the Looking Glass. Oct. 1996. 17 Mar. 2012.

Lazzari, Marie. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson- Introduction. 1996. 26 Apr. 2012.

Lorring, Raina. Helium. August 2011. 20 Mar 2012.

—. Literary Themes: Loss of Innocence in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. August 2011. 20 Mar 2012.

McIntire, Sarah. Growing Up in Alice in Wonderland. 2007. 25 Mar. 2012.

Mingin, William. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Feb 2003. 19 Mar 2012.

Senna, Carl. CliffsNotes on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. n.d. 18 Apr 2012.

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