Lewis Carroll must have had a truly wonderful mind. There is no way I could ever have thought up a world like Wonderland. The book is odd enough to stay interesting with every chapter, leaving the reader in suspense, just waiting to see what new adventures lie in wait for Alice. The personification throughout the story (talking cat, caterpillar, fish-footman, etc) allows the reader to see things from different perspectives. The chapters are not only lighthearted fun, but they also have meaningful symbolism and metaphors. Poor Alice never seems to be the right size, always too small or too large. However, after meeting with the caterpillar, Alice manages to balance out her height, controlling it for each new situation (back to her normal size, and then smaller to approach the March Hare's home). This could symbolize age. Often it seems as though you are too young (small) to be taken seriously or to be allowed to do certain things. And then when you grow up you become too old (big) to indulge in the innocent fantasies of being a child. Maybe Alice will finally find a way to be comfortable with who she is and take the caterpillar's advice to "'get used to it in time.'" Alice also seems to be plagued with a question that real people face everyday- who am I. These chapters bring to light the beginning of Alice's self-discovery. Wandering lost, not caring where she goes because she is constantly being distracted from her only purpose (to find the garden), and not truly knowing who she is, Alive will continue on a tantalizing, yet absurd, adventure that is sure to keep me turning the page.
Rebekah
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ReplyDeleteI want to focus on the recurring extended metaphor in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Throughout her entire dream sequence, Alice is trying to find herself- trying to find her place in the world and in the experiences of chapter 5 and 6, especially, things became clear. Alice deals with the issues of being too big or too small, acting just like any awkward adolescence- not quite knowing where she will fit. Alice is also wandering through Wonderland without any real purpose and when it comes time to make a decision, (go to the Mad Hatter's or the March Hare's) she finds it difficult. Another example, is when the caterpillar asks Alice who she is and she can't give him an answer. This metaphor of self-discovery helps me better understand what Lewis Carroll's purpose was in writing this strange tale.
I believe that he was creative in his own way. You can infer that he is a man who likes to wonder and be unique. In the book i also found some irony like when she explains how she was gonna drown in her own tears as well when she said that someone should write a book about her situation when it was already a book.
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