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How Does Carroll Present Alice In Wonderland

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'"Who are you?' said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I - I hardly know, sir, just at present - at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.'"

-Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1865

We are a world in motion. People are constantly changing and developing throughout their lives and I am no exception to this rule. In my opinion, the lessons I have learned that have helped shape who I am mirror the ones learned by Alice in the famous novel by Lewis Carroll. I want to look closely at how the story presents Alice's transition between childhood and adulthood, how it showcases that not all …show more content…
In fact, sometimes there is no answer at all. Consider the question the Mad Hatter asks Alice, "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" Alice assumes that the Hatter is prompting her with a riddle. She tries fruitlessly to solve it, but only ends up feeling incapable and irritated. This continues to occur to Alice as she is presented with a number of unsolvable puzzles. She tries to answer Cheshire Cat's questions, play the Queen of Heart's croquet game, and partake in the Caucus race, but to no avail. The problem arises because Alice is trying to apply rules, purpose and rationality to inherently wondrous events. This mirrors the way life contradicts our expectations. When I was younger, I was taught specific spelling rules. Everyone has probably heard, "I before E, except after C," at least once in their lives. This rhyme caused quite some trouble for me growing up. I tried to apply this rule in all situations, leaving me with words like wierd, sceince, and biege. The frustration I experienced while trying to learn how to spell is parallel to the frustration Alice feels trying to apply her logic to the irrational situations in Wonderland. Carroll teaches us that you cannot expect to find meaning in the situations that you encounters, even when they appear to be familiar problems that would normally have solutions. Alice and I have both learned that life resists …show more content…
In fact, when Alice falls down the rabbit hole, she finds herself in a rather nightmarish place. This is ironic seeing as in the beginning of the novel she dreams of a place where everything contradicts itself. The world of her imagination is picturesque and idealistic. In fact, in the 1951 disney movie version of Lewis Carroll's novel Alice even sings a song about a world of her own. Wonderland is basically a world of Alice's own, is it is happening in her dreams. However, even though she thinks it will be magical and fantastic. She was disappointed to find that her expectations were not met. She finds that even in a land of her dreams there is the consistent threat of losing one's self. Death lurks behind a majority of the ridiculous situations Alice find herself in. "Off with her head!" The Queen of Hearts would call out. There is good an evil inside all events and objects. Everything as the ability to disappoint you, when it does not meet your expectations. In my own life, I have suffered many disheartening moments. I have expected higher grades, grander titles in competition, and better pay at work. Yet, I have been let down. It is important to drive meaning from this lesson. Something that I have found throughout my experiences is that nothing is perfect. Even if you are the wealthiest person in the world, you will still go through your own trails and tragedies. Alice expects perfection

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