Simply Explore… Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Blurb:

Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit-hole and into a series of extraordinary adventures in Wonderland, a country of crazy logic where the absurd and surreal are the norm. Riddles have no answers, songs turn into nonsense and everything is punctuated with dreadful puns.

The animals who live there can not only speak but are positively argumentative; however, the self-possessed Alice is well able to cope with everything she meets.

Which is just as well, as these include a hookah-smoking Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the Mock Turtle and a baby who turns into a piglet. Alice runs in the Caucus Race, attends the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and plays croquet with flamingoes and hedgehogs. Even the Queen of Hearts with her threats of execution all round can hold no real fears for Alice…

WARNING: SPOILERS

Synopsis:

One warm afternoon, Alice falls asleep and begins to dream of Wonderland. She encounters creatures, human, and different events that test her identity. Each section can be simplified to:

The rabbit-hole
The ‘DRINK ME’ liquid and ‘EAT ME’ cake
The caucus race
The White Rabbit’s house
The Caterpillar
The Duchess’s home
The Cheshire Cat
The tea party
The Queen’s game of croquet
The Mock Turtle
Court
Alice’s sister dreaming about Alice

Major Themes and Motifs:

Imagination
Justice
Time and Space
Curiosity
Identity
Abandonment
Childhood
Death
Nonsense
Nature and Nurture

Major Characters:

Alice-

Alice is the protagonist and a child who has an older sister, older brother, and a cat called Dinah. She falls asleep and in her dream, she chases the White Rabbit down a rabbit-hole because she is curious. She makes her way through wonderland. Alice has a problem identifying herself and this is a matter that reoccurs; such as when they try to get Alice to tell a story, creatures order her around, or even how she lectures herself on who she ought to be. Her character transforms and by the end, she has gained so much confidence that she has an argument with the Queen of Hearts. When she wakes up, she appears to have returned to her childish ways.

Alice’s Sister-

Alice’s sister who reads books without pictures or conversations and wonders about the joys of childhood after waken her sister up from her Wonderland dream.

What Rabbit-

A white rabbit with pink eyes suddenly runs by Alice one hot afternoon. Alice chases him down the rabbit-hole and the two repetitively bump into one another; the first making the rabbit drop his gloves and fan, then at the Rabbit’s house, then at the Queen’s game of croquet, and lastly at court. Alice’s interest in the White Rabbit seems to diminish with time, but the Rabbit himself develops from a timid creature who is late to a herald that isn’t afraid to correct the King.

Dinah-

Alice’s cat who is mentioned a lot at the beginning of the book. She likes to eat mice and birds.

The Duchess-

A savage woman who becomes calm after being moved to a different environment. At her home, there is a thick layer of pepper in the air causing her to be savage to Pig, the Cheshire Cat, the cook, and towards Alice. After in custody for a while, she’s more pleasant but appears to be more mindful with her words. The Duchess discusses knowledge with Alice.

Mouse-

He is first spotted by Alice in her pool of tears. He doesn’t like cats or dogs and gets irritated when Alice won’t listen to his explanation.

Bill-

A lizard that is forced to go down the chimney by Pat and the White Rabbit. He gets kicked out of the chimney by Alice. At court, he is one of the members of the jury. During the trial he gets his pencil taken away, tipper upside down and has an ink pot thrown at him. Bill is an unfortunate character.

Caterpillar-

A caterpillar who is found sitting on a mushroom, smoking a hookah, by Alice deep in the woods. The first thing he says to Alice is, “Who are YOU?” The caterpillar lectures Alice, similar to how she lectures herself, and asks her why she thinks the way she thinks. He points out her own uncertainty about her own identity while the two of them recite stories and poems.

The Queen of Hearts-

A Queen who loves to sentence people by having their heads cut off. She is frequently mentioned by the other characters, most of whom have been sentence but no one in Wonderland has actually been decapitated by the Queen. She is ruthless to all but her husband, and has difficulty telling other people apart. She likes to play croquet. She attends court. The Queen of Hearts gets into an argument with Alice over which should come first: sentence or verdict.

Pig-

A baby that is held by the Duchess, where he sneezes and howls. Alice takes him away, and the baby turns into a pig. Alice lets the pig go and he bounds for the woods.

The cook-

The cook stays at the Duchess’s house where she fills the air with pepper. She throws cooking equipment at people. The cook is the second witness to be called to the stand and she comes in with a pepper-box. She disappeared when the Dormouse distracted the court.

Cheshire Cat-

He is the Duchess’s cat. The Cheshire Cat is first seen in her house sitting on the hearth and grinning. He reappears on a branch in the woods and talks to Alice. He sees himself as mad, and he makes plans to meet Alice at the Queen’s croquet party before vanishing. He causes chaos at the party, with everyone trying to determine if they could cut off a cat’s head when there is only a head.

Hatter-

He is introduced by the Cheshire Cat who describes him as mad and lives in THAT direction. He has a tea party with the March Hare and the Dormouse where he asks a lot of questions. He has quarreled with time, causing it to stop. At court, he is the first witness where he rambles at the witness stand, pulling both the March Hare and the Dormouse into his explanations. The Queen calls for his head to be cut off once he was outside but Hatter scampered off without his shoes before they could arrest him.

March Hare-

First introduced by the Cheshire Cat who described him as mad and lives in THAT direction (a different one to the Hatter). Alice decides to visit his house for multiple reasons: mostly because it would be more interesting and that since it was May, he may not be that mad. The Hatter and Dormouse have a tea party at his house, and he goes with the Hatter to the courtroom.

Dormouse-

Alice finds him sleeping at the March Hare and Hatter’s tea party where they use him as a cushion. He talks in his sleep which can contribute to the conversation or be off topic. He quarreled with the Hatter in March were, according to the Hatter, he went mad at a concert given by the Queen of Hearts. After being brought into the courtroom by the Hatter, he gets thrown out by the Queen because he interrupted.

Knave of Hearts-

A servant of the royal family who is accused of stealing some tarts. Since Alice wakes up before the trial conclude, his verdict isn’t revealed but is most likely found guilty considering the judge and jury.

King of Hearts-

The husband of the Queen of Hearts, who can comfort his wife and calm her down. The King pardons people for execution when his wife isn’t around. He is the judge at court but he doesn’t follow normal procedure, he finds trivial things important and makes up rules as court goes on.

Mock Turtle-

A creature first mentioned by the Queen. He talks with tears in his eyes and was once a real turtle. The Mock Turtle gets angry from interruptions and talks to Alice about knowledge and learning in schools.

Gryphon-

He obeys the Queen and takes Alice to see the Mock Turtle. The Gryphon is commanding and doesn’t like simple questions. He gets irritated quickly.

Detailed Description of the Events Within the Novel:

Chapter I. Down the Rabbit Hole

Alice chases the White Rabbit down a rabbit-hole.
After falling for a long time, she comes across a long hallway of doors.
She finds a golden key that opens a small door that she can’t fit through.
Alice searches for a solution and finds the ‘DRINK ME’ potion.

(A re-creation of the liquid)

Alice shrinks to ten inches in height
She goes back to the door, but found it locked and the key is out of reach.
Alice finds and eats a ‘EAT ME’ cake.

Chapter II. Pool of Tears

Alice begins to grow.
She opens the door, but now she can’t fit through it and begins to cry.
Alice hears someone moving through her pool of tears.
The White Rabbit comes and goes, dropping gloves and a fan.
While fanning herself, she cries and thinks about identity.
The fan makes her smaller but when she tries to go through the door again, she’s in the same predicament.
Alice slips in the salty water made from her tears.
In the water, she finds a mouse whom she offends.
Alice, the mouse, and other creatures get washed up.

Chapter III. A Caucus-Race and a Long Time

All the creatures, including Alice, decide on how to get dry.
They all run in a caucus-race.
After drying off, Alice asks the mouse why he hates cats and dogs while thinking of his story as a poem.
The mouse walks away, offended.
All the other creatures get offended when Alice mentions her cat.

Chapter IV. The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill

The White Rabbit comes along, looking for something.
The Rabbit mistakes her for his housemaid and chases her to his home.
Alice searches for gloves and a fan.
She finds another ‘DRINK ME’ potion which causes Alice to grow.
The White Rabbit tries to force her out of the house by sending Bill down the chimney, burning the house down, and throwing cakes at her.
She eats a cake, shrinks, and runs away.
In the woods, Alice finds the Caterpillar

Chapter V. Advice from a Caterpillar

The Caterpillar asks: Who are YOU?
Alice isn’t sure and the two quarrel on identity.
In frustration, Alice tries to walk away but he calls her back .
They discuss people changing.
The Caterpillar tells her that one side of the mushroom makes her grow big and the other small.
Alice eats some of the mushroom, grows, and scares a pigeon in the trees.
Alice returns to the mushroom and shrinks to her usual height.
She leaves and finds a house.

Chapter VI. Pig and Pepper

Alice watches an interaction between a fish-footman and a frog-footman.
She returns later and eventually makes her way inside the house.
There, she finds the Duchess, Pig (a baby), the Cheshire Cat, and the Cook

The Duchess, Pig and Alice sneeze because of the pepper in the air.
Alice asks about the cat grinning.
The Duchess and Alice talk about knowledge.
Alice leaves the house with the baby that turns into a pig, she lets him go.

The Cheshire Cat reappears and she asks him where she should go.
The Cheshire Cat introducers her to the Hatter and the March Hare, who are both Mad.
The Cat changes the topic to the Queen and says he’ll see Alice there before disappearing.
Alice decides to visit the March Hare.

Chapter VII. A Mad Tea-Party

Alice arrives at a tea party to find Hatter, March Hare and the Dormouse.
The Hatter tells a riddle and Alice intends to find an answer.
They discuss Time, who doesn’t like to get beaten.
No one knows the answer to the riddle and they discuss what it means to waste Time.
They prompt the Dormouse to sleepily tell a story.
Alice frequently interrupt and irritates the others.
She leaves and wanders back to the hallway with the gold key and small door.
After successfully completing her task, Alice walks through the door to a garden.

Chapter VIII. The Queen’s Croquet-Ground

Alice finds some gardeners painting some rose bushes red.
The King and Queen of Hearts parade in with the White Rabbit.
The Queen asks who Alice is.
She asks for the heads of the gardeners but Alice saves him.
The Queen asks Alice to play croquet.
Alice talks to the White Rabbit about the Duchess who is waiting execution.
The game begins.
The game is chaos without people taking turns and the Queen calling for executions.
As Alice thinks of escaping, she sees the Cheshire Cat.
They discuss royalty and Alice introduces the King to the Cat who tries to execute him.
Alice decides to turn back to the game.
She returns to see everyone arguing because the Cat is only a head.
Alice raises the point that the Cat belongs to the Duchess.
They fetch the Duchess, and by the time they return, the Cheshire Cat is gone.

Chapter IX. The Mock Turtle’s Story

The Duchess is glad to see Alice and they talk about morals.
The Queen threatens the Duchess, causing her to leave.
Alice and the Queen continue the game, and they talk about the Mock Turtle.
The Queen of Hearts wants her to meet the Mock Turtle, and she gets the Gryphon to take her to him.
The weeping Mock Turtle begins to tell his story.
They talk about their school days.
The Gryphon changes the subject to games.

Chapter X. The Lobster Quadrille

They talk about the Lobster Quadrille.
The Gryphon and Mock Turtle give Alice a demonstration.
They talk about lobsters and whiting, referencing the song of the Lobster Quadrille.
They ask Alice to tell a story and she decides to tell them her adventure.
They then ask Alice to repeat things, which she mixes with the Lobster Quadrille.
Mock Turtle sings “Turtle Soup.”
They hear a trial beginning.
The Gryphon takes Alice away.

Chapter XI. Who Stole the Tarts?

Alice arrives at the court.
She describes all of the people and their roles in the court.
The Knave of Hearts is on trial for stealing tarts.
They call up the first witness, the Hatter, who rambles at the trial.
Alice begins to grow again.
The Hatter is dismissed and runs out of the courtroom without his shoes, narrowly avoiding an execution.
The next witness, the cook, is called.
The Dormouse distracts the court, forcing him to leave the court, and allows the cook to slip away.
They call on the next witness: Alice.

Chapter XII. Alice’s Evidence

Alice has grown and causes chaos while trying to it make to the stand.
She doesn’t know anything.
They bring up Alice’s height.
The trial gets interrupted with a letter being delivered.
They argue over the meaning of the verses on the letter.
The Queen of Hearts and Alice argue over which should come first, verdict or sentence?
The cards go up in the air and Alice wakes up from her dream.
She tells her sister of her adventures in Wonderland.
Alice’s sister dreams of the creatures in Wonderland and thinks about Alice’s childhood innocence.

THE END

Significance of the Text:

This text explores the natural curiosity of a child’s mind. It emphasizes how sometimes things that make no sense can make perfect sense to others. Alice herself grows from a character that acts relatively humble to a proud girl who isn’t afraid to argue with a Queen. This can be interpreted as a person changing and trying to define themselves in the chaotic world we live in.

Another thing that is essential to keep in mind is that this text is made deliberately for children. It is meant to be an exciting adventure that’s unpredictable with curious rules. Whilst some may take the events and the growth of each of the characters as a philosophical remark about identity, another lense must be considered as it is meant to be entertaining and relatable to children who wanted to explore the adventures of Wonderland.

Interesting Tidbit:

As mentioned before, it is essential to remember the intended audience of the novel. Lewis Carroll, his real name is Ludwige Dodgson, wrote this story for Alice Liddell. Alice is the daughter of Henry Liddell who is a good friend to the author. Dodgson would tell Alice and her sisters stories and eventually, their influence caused him to write Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. However, Dodgson had a fall out with Henry Liddle after he saw some of the photographs that Dodgson had taken of Alice. A more indepth examination of the real life influences to Dodgson’s work can be found in The Story of Alice by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst.