Alice in Wonderland by Charles L Dodgeson (Lewis Carrol) is a classic masterpiece and example of great literature. Many people know of this book as merely a child’s tale or a Disney movie. As both were adopted from the book, many of the ideas were not. I have my own feelings and opinions of this book. Remarkable use of words and an originally creative theme and plot structure are both used in this book. The author of this novel used many hidden meanings, symbolism, and ambiguous terms to greatly describe the actual nature of the story. Many people have different views as to the type of book it is and the novel’s actual meaning. Although this book inspires many people to laugh, it also inspires them think.
The novel has a creative and dissimilar plot structure. Alice, the protagonist and a very curious little English girl, is doing some “boring” work and sees a white rabbit. She decides to chase this rabbit down a hole. At the bottom of the hole, there is a bottle labeled “Drink Me”, she wanted to find out what it tasted like, so she tried it, finding it to be “very nice”, but it made her grow to be 9 feet tall until she waved a fan the rabbit gave to her. Then, Alice slips into a lake made of her tears and scares the inhabitants away by talking about her pet cat. She then ends up in the rabbit’s house again where she drinks from another unlabeled bottle just to grow huge yet again. Next, she gets driven out of the house and runs into the woods where she plays with a huge puppy.
A huge caterpillar sitting on a mushroom and smoking a pipe gives her confusing advice and tells her that the different sides of the mushroom will make her bigger or smaller. Alice takes from both sides, now able to change her size when she wants. She goes to a house in the woods and the Duchess gives Alice her baby. Outside, the baby turns into a pig and runs away. The Cat sitting on the branch tells her where to find a Mad Hatter and a March Hare. Alice joins them for tea and time stands still. During the tea party, the mouse falls asleep while telling a story and they are all rude to Alice, so she leaves. A beautiful garden is before her and it is the Queen’s croquet ground during a party. The King is timid and most of the people were playing cards.
During the game, the Cat and the White Rabbit say that the Queen, who tries to behead the Duchess’s cat, condemned her. The cat disappears to free the Duchess. Then, the Queen drags Alice to an animal called a Gryphon, who then takes her to the Mock-Turtle. The Turtle is sad, so Alice and the Gryphon sing for it. Trial started when Alice was dragged in. The trial is for the Jack of Hearts is accused of stealing the Queen’s tarts. Judge of the trial is the King, with some animals as the jury and the White Rabbit as the court herald. The Mad Hatter is called as a witness and Alice starts to grow in her seat. When she gets up, she knocks the jury off the box and has to put them back in.
When the King and Queen try to condemn the Jack, Alice yells at them. Then The King and Queen are very rude to Alice until she loses her temper. She yells at the cards and gets into a fight with them. Suddenly, they all leap on her. Alice then finds herself lying on the riverbank with her sister helping her. Her sister is told all about Alice’s dream and then Alice has some tea. She thinks about weather she will remember her adventures when she grows older and has her own children.
This book, in my opinion, uses many examples of symbolism and ambiguous terms and comments. It also has some great themes. Expressed examples of this are found throughout the novel. I think that this novel may have been influenced by the use of opium. In the author’s time, opium was habitually used in 5 out of 6 families. The caterpillar smoking was probably alluding to the use of opium. Also, the caterpillar talking about the mushroom would do to Alice if she ate them. This was probably alluding to the use of mushroom narcotics. Another allusion to the use of drugs and alcohol was when Alice fell down the hole and drank the bottle that tasted “very nice”. Nonetheless, there are many psychological meanings and symbolism in this book, that I can’t describe all of them.
Most of the book revolves around the experiences of a child in a world of dream. Some themes of the story are that Alice shows her curiosity in actions, which can be dangerous. This is supported by Alice’s following of the white rabbit down a hole. Another theme of this story is Alice as a dynamic character. She changes from an undisciplined child into a wise young woman. Some supporting details of this are the comments Alice made after she woke up. She explained them in an adult manor and with control. Another supporting detail is that Alice had to overcome the nonsense and finally go into the adult world. These examples of symbolism and themes are one of the contributing factors in what makes this book one of the most creative novels of its time.
I had many feelings and opinions about this novel. After reading the opening chapter of this book, I realized how varied this was compared to the Disney movie or the children’s tale. Expecting an easy read, I soon realized that this book had many entirely different meanings than to the other interpretations. It caught my attention and surprised me.
Having finished the book, I felt excited and jovial. This book had caught me looking for an easy read, but I soon found out that this was one of the greatest novels ever written. The writer’s genius and creativity captivated me and inspired me to continue reading this book. A picture of the author was drawn into my head. I thought that the author was a creative, outgoing, and careless yet brilliant individual who does drugs. To my surprise, the author of this novel was a Victorian Mathematician and a logician. Expecting the exact opposite, I was stunned. In my opinion, the title Alice in Wonderland suits this novel very well. I feel very compelled to read more books of his time. This book was very opinionated in its meaning because of its creativity and ambiguity.
In conclusion, this book is one of the best ever written. It has withstood the test of time and false interpretation. Among children this book is known but falsely known due to the interpretations of the Disney movie and children’s tale. The author’s genius and creativity was shown with its astonishing usage of creative thoughts and ideas, symbolism reflecting many traits of its time, and original plot structure. Even though it is a classic piece of literature, there is still controversy over the actual meanings and thoughts about what the author was endeavoring to convey. I had many exciting and thoughtful feelings regarding this book. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone over the age of 12 or 13.
