This article was written by Kaylee Ray-Williams of Northwood High School.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a classic fantasy story known by many, was written by Lewis Carrol in 1865. Alice, a girl who’s curious and level-headed, is the protagonist of the story. The tale takes place inside one of her extremely vivid and insane dreams.
The novel begins with Alice finding a white rabbit and following him down a rabbit hole. Interestingly, this is where the term “down the rabbit hole” comes from, as Alice literally falls down a rabbit hole. This idiom means to enter a state of wonderful, or worryingly, surrealism. This relates to the story perfectly.
“Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.” -Alice, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carrol)
Alice goes down the rabbit hole and is transported into a bizarre world called Wonderland, which is full of talking animals and other nonsense. “Down the rabbit hole” is also a metaphor for tripping on hallucinogens. Many believe that the author was on hallucinogens while writing this book and the story is about being on a drug trip.
Alice meets many outrageous characters in Wonderland, including the Cheshire Cat, the Duchess, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Dormouse and the Queen of Hearts. These peculiar people send Alice on crazy adventures while she is in Wonderland. She ends up in ridiculous situations: growing smaller and larger by drinking certain liquids and eating mushrooms; playing a strange version of croquet with the Queen of Hearts, who threatens to behead someone every five minutes; and a foolish tea party with the Mad Hatter, Mad Hare and the Dormouse.
"We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad." -Cheshire Cat, Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (Lewis Carrol)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is an astonishingly brilliant piece of literature that everyone should have the pleasure of experiencing. The entire novel is a metaphor for growing up and establishing your own identity. When Alice first arrives in Wonderland, she drinks and eats things that make her smaller or taller. Throughout the rest of the novel, she encounters items with similar properties. Every time she comes across one of these size-altering substances, Alice always effortlessly shrinks. However, it is more difficult for her to grow taller than her original state. This represents Alice’s reluctance to grow up. She finds it easier to stay young, but it is more difficult for her to grow up. In the last chapter of the novel, Alice suddenly starts to grow taller and does not stop until she leaves Wonderland (wakes up). Alice’s time in Wonderland had made it easier to accept growing up.
“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.” -Alice, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carrol)
Similarly, this novel illustrates Alice’s search for her identity as she becomes older. At the beginning of the novel, she is transported to Wonderland and is convinced she has become a different person. Throughout the novel, she struggles with finding out who this new person she has become is. At the close of the story, Alice recognizes her true identity. Alice’s experience is relatable to anyone exploring their own identity during big changes in life. Alice had to learn how to be who she is and who she wants to be.
Furthermore, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland subtly explores mental illness through each character, without explicitly stating so. The White Rabbit shows signs of generalized anxiety disorder, Alice has symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia and the Mad Hatter demonstrates evidence of bipolar disorder. The subtle demonstration of mental illness in a children's novel encourages de-stigmatization. All of these characters show subtle signs within their personality. Additionally, the novel does not focus solely on mental illness, which shows the audience that neurological disorders do not make up a person entirely. This will help further the idea that mental illness should not be stigmatized because it is common and normal. By including this in a children’s novel, kids are learning (even subtly) not to discriminate or exclude those who are different.
“Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.” -Lewis Carrol
Alice’s story has been prominent in my life, especially in childhood. Its whimsical atmosphere and eccentric characters were amusing and entertaining as a child. This story made me believe in an enjoyable future. Coupled with my fear of growing up, the novel created a sense of stability and comfort during great changes in my life. Overall, I believe this novel is exceedingly important to read, as a child or adult. This novel appeals to many audiences, for it has whimsical characteristics that can entertain children and meaningful undertones that adults can decipher and enjoy.
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