Lewis Carroll’s original story of Alice in Wonderland was released in 1865 and focuses on a young girl’s adventures in a dream world in which she experiences size changes and encounters different creatures. Alice’s adventures express the importance of imagination and adventure throughout childhood, and the story acts as a progression of how children grow into adults both physically and emotionally. Carroll builds this image of Victorian England through the language he uses throughout the novel, and it is particularly evident in the conversation between Alice and the Caterpillar. In Steven Pinker’s Sense of Style, he examines the different aspects to a writer’s style, and the implications that style can have on both the writer and audience when …show more content…
Although this appears to be a simple question, Alice is unable to answer it directly. In this way, Carroll is creating an opening to discuss the larger idea of identity through the conversation of these two characters. The flow of ideas and the interchanging between third-person narration and dialogue between the characters is easy to follow and comprehend. This is enforced with the selected capitalized words that appear throughout the passage, which keeps the reader on track with what is happening in the story. These aspects of the passage and writing reflect the audience that Carroll intended this for, which reads as an easy to follow story with larger complex ideas imbedded within. Carroll’s choice to use a caterpillar to have the conversation of identity and the process of growing up with is significant, because the caterpillar will undergo a physical change into a butterfly, similar to the physical changes Alice has undergone in Wonderland. Pinker comments on the task of a writer choosing the right mechanism to present ideas, “In classic style the writer has worked hard to find something worth showing and the perfect vantage point from which to see it” (Pinker 30). Carroll has carefully selected an animal that undergoes a physical change to reflect the emotional change Alice is …show more content…
The syntax in some sentences is peculiar, and they contribute to conveying the speech of a child. For example, Alice responds to the Caterpillar, “This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I—I hardly know, sir, just at present—at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then”(Carroll 38). The break in her thought process reveals the same confusion a child has, and the capital word “was” is stressed to place importance of the past tense. However, the last comment, “I think I must have been changed” appears to be odd in regards to syntax. That phrase is an affirmative sentence in which it has the subject, to be verb, and past participle. The arrangement of this phrase suggests that Alice firmly believes that she must have been changed
Of course there is no sure way to prove that Carroll did not intend any deeper meaning into the story, after all, he was a mathematician and a man of great knowledge of children (19th Century Literature Criticism 105), but lets take a look at the most obvious fact – the time, place and audience of the original story of Alice in Wonderland. Here are the words of Lewis Carroll as he recalls that day: Full many a year has slipped away, since that “golden afternoon” that gave thee birth, but I can call it up almost as clearly as if it were yesterday – the cloudless blue above, the watery mirror below, the boat drifting idly on its way, the tinkle of the drops that fell from the oars, as they waved so sleepily to and fro, and (the one bright gleam of life in all the slumberous scene) the three eager faces, hungry for news of fairyland, and who would not he say ‘nay’ to: from whose lips ‘Tell us a story, please,’ had all the stern immutability of Fate!
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a story about a little girl who comes into contact with unpredictable, illogical, basically mad world of Wonderland by following the White Rabbit into a huge rabbit – hole. Everything she experiences there challenges her perception and questions common sense. This extraordinary world is inhabited with peculiar, mystical and anthropomorphic creatures that constantly assault Alice which makes her to question her fundamental beliefs and suffer an identity crisis. Nevertheless, as she woke up from “such a curious dream” she could not help but think “as well she might, what a wonderful dream it had been ”.
Growth is inevitable and the most anticipated quest of man. It is a never-ending quest to evolve, fuelled by the constant hope for survival. Once natural growth halts, man’s focus shifts to the growth within. The coming of age, associates itself with this transformation from child to man, the step of letting go of childish ways and moving on to more mature things. The need for such a dramatic transformation is questioned by Miguel de Cervantes and Lewis Carroll in their texts, Don Quixote and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. While the texts follow two contrasting characters, they are brought together by the theme of fantasy. Cervantes’ Don Quixote is an old gentleman of noble lineage who becomes tired of the monotony and the lack of meaning in his life. Through his maddening and compulsive taste in books of chivalry, he concludes that the ideal life is that which is undertaken by a knight-errant. He chooses to leave his home and ensue the path of knight-errantry. Carroll’s Alice, on the other hand, is a young girl who cannot fully comprehend the world of adults but still adheres to the etiquette drawn out by society. She is transported to the land of Wonderland where the surreal is real, and where whatever she thought she knew, now becomes nothing at all. The importance of fantasy in the lives of their protagonists is shown by Cervantes and Carroll through the impact it has on the growth of the protagonists. This becomes evident through their placement in phantasmagorical settings, their interactions with the surrounding characters, and their final detachment from fantasy.
Carroll wanted the fantasy story to be filled with ink drawings so he could present it to his younger friend who was called Alice Liddell, who coincidentally inspired the story (Engen, 1991). Tenniel’s task of illustrating the book was however regarded as “difficult” (Engen, 1991), although the illustrations themselves have been suggested to be Tenniel’s “greatest illustrations” (Engen, 1991). Despite that, there are slight differences in Tenniel’s styles from Punch to the styles he used in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. For example, Tenniel’s Punch magazine illustrations had a tendency to be very dark in shading and were a great deal more detailed. Although, his Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland illustrations were a good deal more reserved from shading and were not as detailed, nevertheless a whole lot more innocent as intended for the target audience of the
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a story that has been loved and read by different age groups. Lewis Carroll wrote the book in such a way that the reader, young or old, could be trapped into Alice’s world of adventure. The illustrations by John Tenniel help portray the story beautifully. Tenniel put pictures to Carroll’s thoughts exactly. When a student reads Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for the first time, it is always great if he or she could be introduced to his illustrations. However, it is a good idea for teachers to bring in different portals of Alice to help show how other people may view this little girl’s world. In addition, it will show that even though Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been written many years ago, people are still relating to Alice’s character. Overall, it is amazing to see how many different illustrators have portrayed Alice in a totally new and modern way, such Greg Hildebrandt. I decided to use Greg Hildebrandt’s illustrations to assist me in teaching about Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland because he portrays Alice as a much older looking girl. I believe this will help students understand how Alice’s character seemed older than seven years of age. He also depicts some of the characters as more humanlike than cartoon. I believe this will help students picture themselves into Alice’s world. In addition, Hildebrandt helps portray the bizarre story line that many people have come to love.
Alice in wonderland has compelled many artists and writings to adapt, Lewis Carroll 's book into movies. The original animated movie of Alice in Wonderland came out in 1951; which was produced by Disney. There have been many remakes, but for the purpose of this essay the 2010, live action remake by Tim Burton can reveal the most change. Keeping these two versions in mind, it is possible to get a snapshot of some ways American culture has shifted over the 59 year period. There are five main changes of importance from the original and the remake of Alice in Wonderland. Those changes are: the age of Alice, the dynamic of characters in Wonderland, the Gender roles, the violence, and the agency of Alice throughout the movie. These key changes can be linked to many subliminal messages being conveyed about American
Additionally, Alice continues to feel different when she meets the caterpillar and the pigeon. For example when she is with the caterpillar he asks her to recite a poem back to him. The caterpillar didn’t know what the poem exactly stated, but he knew that Alice had known what the poem said. When she was reciting the poem he told her that she has got the poem all wrong. The caterpillar told her this so she could realize that she had changed and she wasn’t the same person that she thought that she was. The caterpillar then asks her “who are you?” When the caterpillar asks Alice this she has troubles explaining who she is. The cater...
Most people know the name Lewis Carroll, and even more know about the taleof a little girl who fell down a rabbit hole straight into the adventure of a lifetime. But not many people know the name Charles Dodgson, the man behind the pseudonym and the one who constructed this wonderland from a summer time boat ride in 1862. Originally written for three friends, the Liddell sisters, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has inspired philosophers, artists, writers, theologians, and not to mention the general public. The culture in which this piece of art was written has shaped Alice’s dream-like journey from the first false step into an almost never ending fall to the last storm of cards. Dodgson’s enchanting work illustrates mankind’s childlike spirit that 1880s English society tried so hard to ignore.
Lewis Carroll demonstrates paradoxes within Alice and Wonderland as Alice is tossed within an entirely different world. Yet one of the greatest paradoxes is the transformation of Alice over the course of the novel as well as the transformation of the duchess. Alice begins as an ignorant child; she has difficulties in morphing to the logic and needs of Wonder...
Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland follows the story of young Alice trapped in the world of Wonderland after falling down through a rabbit-hole. The rabbit-hole which is filled with bookshelves, maps, and other objects foreshadows the set of rules, the ones Alice is normally accustomed to, will be defied in Wonderland. This conflict between her world and Wonderland becomes evident shortly after her arrival as evinced by chaos in “Pool of Tears” and Alice brings up the main theme of the book “was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I am not the same, the next question is who am I?” (Carroll 18). After Alice fails to resolve her identity crisis using her friends, Alice says “Who am I, then? Tell me that first, and then, if I like being that person, I’ll come up: if not, I’ll stay down here til I’m somebody else” (Carroll 19). Hence in the beginning, Alice is showing her dependency on others to define her identity. Nevertheless when her name is called as a witness in chapter 12, Alice replies “HERE!” without any signs of hesitation (Carroll 103). Close examination of the plot in Alice in Wonderland reveals that experiential learning involving sizes leads Alice to think logically and rationally. Alice then attempts to explore Wonderland analytically and becomes more independent as the outcome. With these qualities, Alice resolves her identity crisis by recognizing Wonderland is nothing but a dream created by her mind.
Although the novel is notorious for its satire and parodies, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland main theme is the transition between childhood and adulthood. Moreover, Alice’s adventures illustrate the perplexing struggle between child and adult mentalities as she explores the curious world of development know as Wonderland. From the beginning in the hallway of doors, Alice stands at an awkward disposition. The hallway contains dozens of doors that are all locked. Alice’s pre-adolescent stage parallels with her position in the hallway. Alice’s position in the hallway represents that she is at a stage stuck between being a child and a young woman. She posses a small golden key to ...
Lewis Carroll's use of puns and riddles in Alice in Wonderland help set the theme and tone. He uses word play in the book to show a world of warped reality and massive confusion. He uses such play on words to reveal the underlying theme of growing up', but with such an unusual setting and ridiculous characters, there is need for some deep analyzing to show this theme. The book contains many examples of assonance and alliteration to add humor. Carroll also adds strange diction and extraordinary syntax to support the theme.
When in Wonderland, Alice met some strange characters. She was quick to judge them all. The Cat then Alice about the people in Wonderland, “’Oh, you ca’n’t help that,” said the Cat: ‘we’re all mad here, I’m mad. You’re mad’” (Carroll 74). The Cat is symbolic of a realist. He tells Alice that everybody is crazy, which is true. However, part becoming an adult is realizing that everyone has flaws. This relates to the theme of growing up because Alice is learning what it takes to become an adult. The Cat shows Alice this message of life by using the characters of
...rld. He used Caterpillar’s misbehavior by doing hookah in front of Alice to send an urgent message to audience that children will see them all them. My opinion about Lewis Carroll’s writing is a moral. He used the animal characters to disobey the audience’s expectation. At the same time, I believed that the audience learned that the children have to deal what they see in their childhood. Once they deal with this, they are more likely to be prepared for whatever comes into their lives. Right now, the world is becoming out of control. More adults are doing weed, hookah, drinking, and swearing in front of children.. My prediction for this is it will continue to grow problems with the children because the population is increasing rapidly. Lewis Carroll is sending an urgent message to all the audience to be prepared for their children to see a lot of adulthood problems.
Alice in Wonderland belongs to the nonsense genre, and even if most of what happens to Alice is quite illogical, the main character is not. “The Alice books are, above all, about growing up” (Kincaid, page 93); indeed, Alice starts her journey as a scared little girl, however, at the end of what we discover to be just a dream, she has entered the adolescence phase with a new way to approach the mentally exhausting and queer Wonderland. It is important to consider the whole story when analyzing the growth of the character, because the meaning of an event or a sentence is more likely to mean what it truly looks like rather than an explanation regarding subconscious and Freudian interpretations. Morton states “that the books should possess any unity of purpose seems on the surface unlikely” (Morton, page 509), but it’s better to consider the disconnected narrative and the main character separately, since the girl doesn’t belong to Wonderland, which is, as Morton says, with no intrinsic unity. Whereas, there are a few key turning points where it is possible to see how Alice is changing, something that is visible throughout her journey. Carroll wants to tell the story of a girl who has to become braver in order to contend with challenges like the pool made by her own tears, or assertive characters, like the Queen.