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alice's adventure in wonderland
commentary on alice in wonderland
children during the victorian era
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In many ways, human beings possess a strong desire to understand each other. This understanding is used to form friendships, to solve personal problems, and, at times, to prevent the world from making the same mistakes it has in the past. Nowhere is the desire for human understanding more evident than in the study of literature. To expand knowledge beyond the people of today, literature empowers people to paint a picture of what history was like by analyzing the works of writers from the past. Many students understand the Victorian Era through the works of Dickens, but perhaps a more complete vision of the Victorian Era can be formed through Lewis Carroll. The symbolism in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland reflects the struggles …show more content…
As she sorted through several critical literary books and papers in hopes of better understanding Victorian literature, she found that almost all analyses of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland were similar in that they were all grounded in Freudian psychology. This means that literary interpretations of the book heavily emphasised the role of Lewis Carroll’s subconscious more than anything else, further implying that many of the bizarre characters and events that exist in Wonderland were dismissed as mere expressions of Lewis Carroll’s supposed insanity rather than conscious symbolism. However, if one chooses to take a different approach at interpreting Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, he will find that the seemingly nonsensical elements of Wonderland can reasonably reflect certain aspects of the reality of the Victorian Era. One such approach is that of Lydia Murdoch, who argues that Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a story about children becoming adults and the hardships they face when exploring the real world. In her article entitled “Alice and the Question of Victorian Childhood,” Murdoch uses the shifting role of children during the Victorian Era to suggest that Alice’s attitudes and behaviors, especially during the events towards the beginning of the book, are meant …show more content…
This is, of course, the part where Alice first changes her size. To fit through the small door, Alice drinks from a bottle that shrinks her. Once she becomes small enough to fit through the door, she notices that she left the key on top of the table. In The Anatomy of Story, John Truby notes that the purpose of changing the physical size of a character is often to show how the character relates to his environment. By shrinking Alice, Lewis Carroll’s intention may be to show how big the adult world is compared to children (174). After Alice eats the piece of cake that makes her larger, she begins to cry after she realizes that she can no longer fit through the tiny door. When she shrinks again, Alice drowns in the ocean created by her own tears, symbolizing how, in adulthood, people suffer the consequences of their own actions and emotional outbursts (Truby
The black silhouette of a child carrying a rifle accompanies the quote, a visual element that conveys to the audience the shocking reality of how small the child seems next to his weapon. This is in direct contrast to the image that opens the piece; a Tenniel illustration of Alice peering curiously behind a curtain, signifying the discovery that is experienced by both the reader and the characters within the short story. Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland was a story that I wished to thread subtly through my piece, in order to develop an idea of childhood wonder and curiosity, as well as a loss of innocence. The significance of Alice’s name is not entirely clear without the opening quote from Carroll’s Behind the Looking Glass (“Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do just to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”) By including a relevant quote from an Alice text, the naming choice is able to fully portray the notion of childhood I desired. The quote itself successfully conveys a playful innocence, and leaves the dark tone of the piece unexpected by the
“Alice in Wonderland” written by famous author, Lewis Carroll, is a fantasy novel printed with many respects and portrays a vivid reflection of society through satire. For instance, Carroll criticizes that Wonderland is a monarchy and not a democracy; it is separated between different social classes, and clearly speaks volumes of the scheme during Queen Victoria’s rein. During the Victorian Era, British imperial power took a large-scale expansion through many colonial parts of Africa, India, Asia, and other parts of the middle-east. Thus, increasing use of the English language outside of Europe and increasing trade with distant regions. This produced a strong spirit of animosity during Queen Victoria’s rein. However, later in the Age, writer’s like Lewis Carroll rebelled against blasphemy and stereotypical codes of conduct. “Alice in Wonderland” is one work of fiction that Lewis Carroll gives a prime example of his satirical entourage.
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.
Coming of age does not happen without change, Change does not happen without conflict. The Alice in Wonderland books by Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass; and Calvino, Invisible Cities are books that focus on the transformation of the individual and metamorphoses of the collective. This essay will specifically focus on identity and symbolism. Both novels allow us to enter a world of fantasy through distortion and alternate worlds. Thus allowing the reader to determine the underline rational to what is being hidden within the text
Lewis Carroll, by applying parodies, satirical events, and symbols, constantly parallels Wonderland with his own age of the 1800s for the duration of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Young Alice Liddell’s journey through this wondrous dream-land yields a new sense of logic, morals of life, and new viewpoints on the 1800s, as well as the present time era. The somewhat absurd but logical statements that make up Carroll’s novel are guileless in nature, but are able to confuse the reader all the same. The peculiar characters in the story are sent to relay certain morals that Lewis Carroll believed needed to be shared with the generation younger than him, and would not have been included otherwise. Carroll’s unswervingly logical writings, however confusing, have many layers, and should be examined as such requires.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Alice in Wonderland is a timeless and classic novel that has been rewritten and reinterpreted by authors many different times. Alice in Wonderland is put into the category of “Golden Age Children’s Literature” and is a novel with an enormous amount of value. With each new retelling of Alice in Wonderland new illustrations in the novel comes along. These new illustrations tell a lot about the culture of the artist and what their beliefs are. When Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland I am sure he did not expect Alice’s story to become such a key aspect of Golden Age Children’s Literature. Two editions of Alice in Wonderland that deserve to be studied are the Norton’s Critical Edition and the edition illustrated by Blanche McManus published in
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.
Lewis Carroll’s novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass take us through a journey Alice has while she is asleep. The Alice books are considered by some to be light and humorous while others believe that these books are heavy and sober. According to Martin Gardner, those who claim these books are heavy and sober have visions of “the monstrous mindlessness of the universe”. As people go through life, there are going to be ups and downs. There is no way to tell what will happen and how it will affect a person. It is through these experiences that one learns to go forward and continue through life. What Lewis Carroll is trying to get across is how a child views the world adults live in as they grow to live in it. Alice
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.
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 ...
Many of us have read Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and sympathized with the main character, Alice. The audience wonders why all of the characters in Wonderland are so strange and no one seems to notice but Alice herself. The tale brings a chilling feeling to it’s audience because we wonder what we would do if we were surrounded by nothing but odd circumstances and mad characters. However, if we truly think about the story, is the population of Wonderland mad? Or is it Alice that is different and strange? After all, Alice is in their world not vice versa. With these next few paragraphs we will take an in depth look at Wonderland, it’s population and Alice to determine who is really mad here.
Alice still abides by the typical Victorian ideals she was taught and becomes a surrogate adult in Wonderland. At home, however, she is still considered just a child and behaves as such. This confusion in the role Alice will play within the social hierarchy i...
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.