In Alice in Wonderland, unlike other fairy tales, the story represents a child's true progression through life. In real life, in the industrialized world, a child has to figure things out on her own. Alice in Wonderland is a perfect example of childhood through adolescence.
What are the symbols in Alice in Wonderland?
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. The Garden. Nearly every object in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland functions as a symbol, but …
What similes are there in Alice in Wonderland?
Jun 13, 2020 · Alice's Adventures in Wonderland represents the child's struggle to survive in the confusing world of adults. To understand our adult world, Alice has to overcome the open …
What is the hidden meaning behind Alice in Wonderland?
All Characters Alice The White Rabbit The Caterpillar The Duchess The Cheshire Cat The Queen of Hearts The Mock-Turtle Symbols All Symbols The Garden Eating and Drinking, Growing and …
What is the main message in Alice in Wonderland?
Mar 20, 2015 · 217. 217. A lice’s Adventures in Wonderland is infinitely greater than its critics. Of the thousands of books and articles it has inspired over the past 150 years, very few treat it …
What is Alice in Wonderland about?
In Alice in Wonderland, unlike other fairy tales, the story represents a child's true progression through life. In real life, in the industrialized world, a child has to figure things out on her own. Alice in Wonderland is a perfect example of childhood through adolescence.
What does the garden represent in Alice in Wonderland?
On a more abstract level, the garden may simply represent the experience of desire, in that Alice focuses her energy and emotion on trying to attain it. The two symbolic meanings work together to underscore Alice's desire to hold onto her feelings of childlike innocence that she must relinquish as she matures. Click to see full answer.
What is the mental illness in Alice in Wonderland?
In addition, although Alice exhibits symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, and the Mad Hatter those of both Bipolar disorder and PTSD, Alice in Wonderland is a story so infused with mental illness that both of these characters actually had syndromes named after them: Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (disorientating condition.
What is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland about?
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland represents the child's struggle to survive in the confusing world of adults. To understand our adult world, Alice has to overcome the open-mindedness that is characteristic for children. Apparently, adults need rules to live by.
What does the caterpillar teach Alice?
The Caterpillar actually teaches Alice how to cope with the difficulties she encounters in Wonderland. He teaches her how to change size by eating the mushroom and thereby to adapt to her environment when needed .
The Garden
Alice finds herself in a giant hall at the end of the rabbit hole, surrounded by locked doors. She becomes frustrated and sad, homesick for her family and her pet, but when a tiny door… read analysis of The Garden
Eating and Drinking, Growing and Shrinking
Alice is on the verge of growing up and, in Wonderland, she experiences many bizarre physical changes. Being in Wonderland is unpredictable and disturbing at times, much like transforming from a child into an adult… read analysis of Eating and Drinking, Growing and Shrinking
What does Alice's sudden physical changes reflect on?
What almost everyone agrees on is that Alice’s sudden physical changes comically reflect on an inevitable fact of life. Fictional children can stay the same age forever, but real children grow up.
Who published Alice in Alice?
Robert Douglas-Fairhurst’s The Story of Alice is published by Harvill Secker.
How does Carroll's story develop?
Beginning with a rabbit that disappears and reappears, like a magic trick that has infiltrated real life, Carroll’s story develops by generating a real dream’s characteristic mixture of vagueness and vividness. Nothing remains the same for long. Even words start to blur into each other.
Who said Alice is a father in getting down the hole, a foetus at the bottom, and
Psychoanalytical interpreters have seized on it with particular relish. William Empson gleefully pointed out that Alice is “a father in getting down the hole, a foetus at the bottom, and can only be born by becoming a mother and producing her own amniotic fluid”.
Did Alice in Wonderland use drugs?
Actually there is no evidence that Carroll ever tried drugs beyond some alarming-sounding homeopathic remedies, which included dosing himself with “aconite and arsenic” to cure a stubborn cold. But for many people, the hookah-smoking Caterpillar and his magic mushroom remain far more closely associated with the 1960s than the 1860s.
What is Alice told to do in Alice in Wonderland?
Wonderland demands that Alice perform actions before she discovers the consequences. For instance, Alice is repeatedly told to consume something without being told what it is, such as the "Drink Me" bottle and "Eat Me" cake in Chapter 1. Although Alice sometimes wonders whether she should keep sampling unidentified food and drink, she generally complies. Some scholars have suggested that this is because Alice typifies the obedient Victorian female obeying the rules of a patriarchal society. However, Alice's own curiosity also plays a part, as she often simply wants to see what will happen when she drinks and eats the things she's given. (And of course there wouldn't be a story without Alice consuming these items.)
What is Alice in Wonderland about?
Despite its dreamlike qualities, Alice in Wonderland shares the same focus as many other fantasy and adventure novels, that of the main character's journey. This journey is not only geographical but also psychological and emotional. In tandem with her journey through Wonderland, Alice progresses toward adulthood, learning to question the orders she receives and to rely on herself.
What does the garden symbolize in Alice in Wonderland?
In Alice in Wonderland, the garden's symbolism is fluid. Obviously it shares imagery with the Garden of Eden—a lost paradise. It can also be seen to represent unattainable beauty. It looks beautiful when Alice sees it from afar, but the loveliness vanishes as soon as she's actually inside the garden in Chapter 8. Gardeners are painting the roses, a croquet game is being set up, and the angry Queen of Hearts is storming around spreading panic wherever she goes.
What is the garden Alice sees in Chapter 2?
Walled gardens were popular in the 19th century. Walled vegetable gardens were more common than the walled flower garden Alice enters, but walled flower gardens are generally more attractive to the imagination.
What chapter does Alice get the white rabbit's gloves?
Alice complies with many other orders in the course of the story, such as going to get the White Rabbit 's gloves and fan in Chapter 4, even though she is not the serving girl he has mistaken her for. This may also be seen as her being obedient or curious, but it should be noted that the major shifts in the story occur—Alice achieving access to the garden and eventually waking up—when she ceases to follow orders and acts on her own initiative.
How many size changes does Alice have in Wonderland?
Alice undergoes 12 size changes in Wonderland, almost always as a result of something she eats or drinks. Repeatedly, she's the wrong size for whatever she's trying to do—too big to get into the garden, too small to reach the key that would help her get in, and so on.
What does the caterpillar give Alice?
Until the Caterpillar gives Alice the mushroom, she can't control how big or small she gets; she just has to accept whatever happens. Of course, children can't control their growing in real life, and children at the age of puberty are famously awkward; they feel too small for some things and too big for others. The growing and shrinking in the book are clearly signs for growing up—for reaching maturity. As Carroll depicts it, growing up is a painful and confusing process, and it doesn't necessarily have positive results.
What is the adult symbolism in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?
Even though the rumors aren’t true that Lewis Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland during a hallucinogenic trip, the book still remains a fascinating study of reality while being a prime example of the nonsensical fantasy genre. Just because something is nonsense doesn’t mean you ...
How old is Alice in Wonderland?
The main character, Alice, is a little girl of undefined age (though in the sequel she claims she’s seven and a half, so we can assume she’s at least seven years old) who has years of physical and mental change ahead of her.
What is Alice's acquaintance with the caterpillar?
Her acquaintance with the caterpillar gives rise to a curious event in which Alice needs to tackle a mysterious mushroom to maintain her ever-changing size.
What does the mushroom represent in Alice's story?
In a less risqué analysis, the mushroom could simply represent the young girl learning decision making skills, problem solving to come to a solution (in Alice’s case, maintaining her normal size).
Where does Alice start her adventures in Wonderland?
The Adventures in Wonderland begin with young Alice sitting in a garden. Idyllic and beautiful, this verdant space draws parallels to the Garden of Eden. Rather than plucking a forbidden apple, though, Alice gives in to desire and crawls into the tree.
Is Alice trying to play croquet with a flamingo?
Though seven is a bit young to be undergoing such drastic changes, this is without a doubt an allusion to puberty. Alice trying to play croquet with a flamingo. During her adventures, Alice is repeatedly asked to prove what she knows and often recites the lessons she’s learned to others she meets along the way.
Who illustrated Alice in Wonderland?
Alice in Wonderland, illustration by John Tenniel, 1865. This retreat away from reality reflects Alice’s desire to remain a child, rather than face the advancing sands of time.
What is Alice in Wonderland about?
Alice in Wonderland is an excellent representation of childhood and adulthood. Alice’s life is filled with good and bad choices, just like a child’s. Like most people, Alice learns from her mistakes and becomes more mature. She also has a better understanding of how to handle difficulties and how to see different situations.
What happens to Alice in Wonderland as she pursues her dream?
As Alice pursues her dream, she loses her self-respect. This is what most people experience when they reach puberty.
What is the story of Tweedle Del and Tweedle Dum?
Tweedle Del and Tweedle Dum tell Tweedle Dee the tale of the Curious Oysters. This story illustrates how curiosity can lead to dangerous outcomes. This illustrates how adults often use stories to terrorize children and destroy their creativity and curiosity. They encourage them to grow up and stop asking questions. Tweedle Dee, and Tweedle Dum are examples of parents trying to control Alice’s imagination.
What does the white rabbit tell Alice to do?
Alice is curious and gets herself into trouble. The white rabbit tells Alice to run into the house and grab his gloves immediately. She finds the words “Eat Me!” written on a cookie while searching for them. The biscuit is quickly ingested by her.
What happens when Alice eats?
For example: One of the more obvious examples of this theme is seen while looking at what happens when Alice eats or drinks things she shouldn’t – such as from bottles marked “Drink Me” or “Eat me”. When she does either, she begins growing bigger than usual, which can be interpreted both literally (as one would normally grow after eating food) and symbolically (her understanding of her own body changes).
What does Alice say about poison bottles?
Alice goes down the rabbit hole first and meets the door. She gives herself “excellent counsel” and states, “For one drinks much from poison bottles, it’s almost certain that one will disagree sooner or later with one.”
What is the formal operations stage in Alice in Wonderland?
The formal operations stage is when the child is able “apply logic to abstract, verbal and hypothetical situations”. This is around the age of 11-12. Alice is clearly not at this stage of thinking.
What is the only reliable part of Wonderland that Alice can count on?
Alice quickly discovers during her adventures that the only reliable part of wonderland that she can count on is that it will anger her expectations and challenge her understanding of the order of the world in which she lives.
What is a motif in a book?
Motifs? A recurring structure, contrast, or literary device that can help to develop and inform the. text's major themes. Dream. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" takes place in Alice's dream, so the characters and the real world mix with elements of Alice's sleepy state.
The Journey
Following Orders
- Wonderland demands that Alice perform actions before she discovers the consequences. For instance, Alice is repeatedly told to consume something without being told what it is, such as the "Drink Me" bottle and "Eat Me" cake in Chapter 1. Although Alice sometimes wonders whether she should keep sampling unidentified food and drink, she generally complies. Some scholars have …
The Hidden Garden
- Alice spends a lot of time trying to enter the garden that she sees for the first time in Chapter 2. Walled gardens were popular in the 19th century. Walled vegetable gardens were more common than the walled flower garden Alice enters, but walled flower gardens are generally more attractive to the imagination. In Alice in Wonderland, the garden's symbolism is fluid. Obviously it shares i…
Growing and Shrinking
- Aliceundergoes 12 size changes in Wonderland, almost always as a result of something she eats or drinks. Repeatedly, she's the wrong size for whatever she's trying to do—too big to get into the garden, too small to reach the key that would help her get in, and so on. Until the Caterpillar gives Alice the mushroom, she can't control how big or small she gets; she just has to accept whateve…