Blog Two: Realities in Alice in Wonderland

"I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that's the great puzzle!" (Chapter 2: The Pool of Tears)

    Though in this particular quote Alice was talking about her size, little did she know of the hidden reality this question posed. As the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland progresses, I discovered the theme of the book to be of Alice growing up, changing from her child-like state of mind to adult thinking, and understanding the confusion of this process. Many parts of the book lead to this idea, such as the continual growing and shrinking. These forceful transformations relate to the changes going on within her and prove a valuable point. For example, when Alice was small, she thought she was worthless. But at the height of three inches, she was able to use her reasoning skills to escape the giant dog. This proves that size isn’t everything; adapting to difficult situations means more in adult life than simply a person’s physical size.

         I also found the idea of the baby turning into a pig interesting. To me, turning into a decent adult is a major part of this transition, and the baby turning into the pig is a metaphor of it turning into a disagreeable person, proving to Alice the seriousness of this change in her life. This quote says it all:

“If it had grown up, it would have made a dreadfully ugly child; but it makes rather a handsome pig, I think.” (Chapter Six: Pig and Pepper)

         By the end of the book, Alice’s reasoning, logic, and personality is more mature compared to the beginning. The court trial reveals it all, for as major injustices were being placed, Alice grasped this concept and spoke her mind against it all. She was able to think for herself rather than abide to the rulings of the court. She also increasing shows composure in frustrating situations, revealing a huge amount of self-control. This book constantly hints at ideas relating to growing up and the struggle in finding yourself, and in the end, Alice realizes the difficult task she has ahead of her. 


-Taylor C.