Literary articles - Lewis Carroll 2024

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)

Lewis Carroll is best known as the author of “ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”. His real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, but he did not want himself to be known with his real name in his works. The author of “Lewis Carroll's Biography Paper” , Erin Reeves, expresses that “Dodgson viewed logic as a game, a recreational tool that honed his mathematical and reasoning skills. It is interesting to note that all his logical works were published not under his own name, as his academic writings were, but under his literary pseudonym of Lewis Carroll” (11).

In “ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” the author, Carroll was also interested in logic and mathematics and reflected puzzles, games and a different dimension of language to his this literary work. Reeves states that “Dodgson delighted in entertaining his young guests with stories from his ever vivid imagination, poetry, and games of his own invention, and kept up correspondence with countless children throughout his adult life, often losing interest when they grew up” (14).

Lewis Carroll's “ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” is one of the most famous children's fantasy books. This book has twelve chapters with the mix of prose and some blank verses. It was published in 1865, during the Victorian era. At the very beginning of this book, Lewis Carroll opens the book with a poem named “the golden afternoon” that narrates his one of memoirs before the book's publication. This memoir is related to real Alice. He wrote this book for Alice Liddell who was the youngest daughter of the Dean of Oxford Church. Reeves explains that “Both Dodgson and Alice Liddell told the story of the day in 1862 that they and her two sisters were enjoying a rowing party on the nearby river, when “came the old petition of ‘Tell us a story,” and so began the ever-delightful tale” (3). In the light of this information, Carroll's book, “ Alice's Adventures inWonderland” is about a little girl named Alice who falls dawn throughout a rabbit whole into a fantasy world. She meets supernatural creatures and characters with extraordinary atmosphere in this fantasy world where there is an enchanted garden. At the end of the book the reader and Alice figure out that her adventures are composed of Alice's dream.

The protagonist of this children's fantasy book, Alice, is a curious little girl from a wealthy Victorian family. She is changeable as a character because she cannot decide whether she wants to grow up or not. In addition, she does not want to be under her parent's rules and control, almost like every child. In the very beginning of the book, she seems that she is so bored and tired because of the boredom and rules of the real world. In a summer day she moves away from reality completely and then she unconsciously finds herself in Wonderland. The reader follows her adventures in Wonderland from beginning to the end of her awakening from sleep.

1.1. Dreams and Reality throughout Alice's journey into Wonderland

Lewis Carroll writes “ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ” to entertain children. Therefore, he applies the elements of fantasy to be able to catch children's interests on a line between dreams and reality. Carroll's this approach attracts not only children's attentions but also adults' attentions because people want to hide behind dreams to be far away from the problems and boredom of real world. The protagonist of this fantasy book, Alice, sets out throughout an imaginary world in her dream, and the reader pursues her between her dreams and reality. As a result, the reader starts to daydream the depths of Alice's dream. This situation makes the reader move away from the real world for a while. Therefore, the reader tries to figure out the differences of dreams and reality like the protagonist, Alice in the book.

At the beginning of the book, the author, Carroll, presents the real world through Alice's eyes: “Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, ‘and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice ‘without pictures or conversation?” (4). This situation reveals that Alice feels bored because of doing nothing. In addition to this, she cannot act like her sister because Alice is a little girl. Therefore, Carroll makes the reader feel that Alice thinks to run away from the boredom of the real world. At this point Carroll indicates that it is a summer day: “The hot day made her feel very sleepy” (4). Alice falls asleep and her dream plays a great role to escape from reality because dreams reflect imagination that is far from the real world.

At first, Carroll invites the reader into Alice's dream with this sentence: “Suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her” (4). The reader tries to understand whether the White Rabbit acts in her dream or the real world, and the reader remembers that Alice feels herself sleepy due to the warm summer day. Carroll describes the rabbit in her dream:

“When the rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked

at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind

that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat pocket, or a watch

to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and

fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.

In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the

world she was to get out again” (4).

Carroll emphasizes that the protagonist, Alice, starts to have an interesting dream with the appearing of the White Rabbit, and the author makes the reader think about Alice's dream at the same time. That is, when a person falls asleep, he or she feels relax and loses his or her conscious in dream. The Austrian psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud, who is known with especially his psychoanalytic theory states that “Dream is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind” (604). In the light of this information, Freud claims that dreams are related to one's unconscious mind, thus nothing includes by accident in one's dream. As a result, it is clear that Alice thinks about a White Rabbit with pink eyes before she falls asleep due to the boredom of the real world. This statement shows the relationship between sleeping and wakefulness like dreams and reality.

What's more, curiosity is one of the most important characteristics of Alice's personality in this fantasy book. Her curiosity could also be pointing to the nature of imagination and fantasy. That is, the power of curiosity might take her step forward from reality to dreams . Her curiosity and also fantasy start after she sees the White Rabbit with its extraordinary action and features. She immediately feels so curious about this fantastic White Rabbit, therefore she starts to follow it without considering where it goes. She watches it entering a hole with curious eyes and at that moment she falls into this rabbit hole after it. Lewis Carroll emphasizes this event in his book “ Down, down, down. Would the fall NEVER come to an end!” (5). The author remarks the depth of Alice's dream while he explains how deep the rabbit hole is. That's why dreams have no limitations, but they have depths and they are infinite.

The father of psychoanalysis, Freud, also points out that “Nothing can be brought to an end in the unconscious; nothing can cease or be forgotten” (91). This view emphasizes the limitless and depth of dreams. This statement shows that anybody's dream cannot be drawn a line like a fence. While Alice falls into the deep rabbit hole in her dream, Carroll underlines the word of “ down” to be able to express how deep Alice's dream is. After a long time, the downfall comes to an end. Carroll explains that “ Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on to her feet in a moment” (5). The author's explanation shows that she does not feel any pain in spite of the noise of her fall because there may be no place for pain or suffering in dreams unlike reality. This situation demonstrates that Alice is slowly isolated from reality by the author, Carroll. From now on Alice and the reader completely move far away from the real world. At that point Carroll opens a door for a fantasy world to Alice and the readers after Alice falls into the rabbit hole and Alice can set out a fantasy journey throughout an imaginary world which is Alice's Wonderland, for a while with the effect of her depth of dream.

Alice's Wonderland is an enchanted place which can be built by imagination. In this connection Wonderland is not in the rabbit hole or underground, but this imaginary land is in Alice's unconscious mind after she falls into dream. Therefore, the reader starts to think that everything is possible in Alice's Wonderland, thus reality is outside and far away from Alice's dream, the fantasy world. At this point the reader joins Alice's fantasy journey to be able to wonder in her imaginary world for a while.

Firstly, this curious little girl cannot understand what happens and what this strange land is. Later, she starts to say nonsense words to emphasize how curious she is. Carroll brings the language structure of his book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in a different dimension to express her curiosity “Curiouser and curiouser! cried Alice” (8). This curiosity helps her to be able to enter into her dreamland. As a similar view, the critic, Nina Auerbach, states that “Alice becomes “curiouser and curiouser” as she moves more deeply into Wonderland” (181). The little girl's dream witnesses the fantastic atmosphere of Wonderland and her unconscious mind allows these supernatural events. That's why she is so curious to travel throughout Wonderland, but she cannot figure out even her identity in this fantasy land. Carroll states Alice's monologue: “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? That's the great puzzle!” (9). This statement emphasizes that Alice understands the different atmosphere of Wonderland because everything is almost far from real world.

The author, Carroll, adds her monologue: “I'm sure I am not Ada,' she said, ‘for her hair goes in such long ringlets, and mine doesn't go in ringlets at all; and I am sure I can't be Mabel, for I know all sorts of things, and she, oh! She knows such as very little! Besides, SHE's she, and I'm I, and oh dear, how puzzling it all is!” (9). This statement shows that Alice is so confused with her own identity because of the atmosphere of her dreamland. She questions who she is because she starts to feel herself so strange and she cannot normally think anything. The critic, Nina Auerbach emphasizes the personal experience of Alice after she firstly encounters fantastic elements throughout her journey into Wonderland.

“Other little girls traveling through fantastic countries, such as George

Macdonald's Princess Irene and L. Frank Baum's Dorothy Gale, ask

repeatedly “Where am I?” rather than “Who am I?” Only Alice turns

her eyes inward from the beginning, sensing that the mystery of her

surroundings is the mystery of her identity” (Auerbach, 181).

Moreover, Freud asserts: “An unconscious idea strives for transference into the foreconscious in order later to penetrate consciousness” (115). This view establishes a connection between Alice's unconscious mind that is free in her dream and questioning her own identity. Alice tries to question herself to perceive her conscious because she notices that she loses her conscious mind. This situation is also related to dream psychology. She cannot get rid of the effect of this atmosphere for a while, and she continues to talk to herself: “Let me see: I'll try if I know all the things I used to know. Let me see: Four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is- oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate!” (Carroll, 9). Her this monologue shows that she tries to check whether she remembers about her school lessons in the real world or not, but she cannot remember anything in a right way.

Carroll indicates Alice's monologue related to mathematics questions: “ I'm sure those are not the right words, said poor Alice and her eyes filled with tears” (9). This quotation shows that she gives wrong answers to her own mathematics questions because she may not get certain answers in Wonderland, her dreamland. That is, unlike in the real world, she sees that everything is so weird in her dreamland after she goes down towards the rabbit hole. Another critic, Helena M. Pycior, asserts that “Alice finds that mathematics is no mainstay of truth and certainty, and cannot save her from the madness of the underground world.” (221). Alice tries to look for meaning in her dreamland while she struggles to understand the relationship between dreams and reality. In this sense she asks herself mathematics questions so that she can determine whether she is in the real world or in her dream, but she cannot find an explanation for herself about what happens, and who she is in this fantasy land. As a consequence, she starts to look for her own identity in her dreamland.

Before Alice exactly enters the enchanted garden of Wonderland, she has to deal with some problems. One of the problems is that she finds herself in a room which is locked with different types of doors after she falls down from the rabbit hole. She sees the garden from a tiny door that is one of the doors. Carroll explains her difficulty: “That WAS a narrow escape! said Alice, a good deal frightened at the sudden change, but very glad to find herself still in existence; and now for the garden!” (10). This situation indicates that Alice would like to wander in the garden of Wonderland, but she cannot enter the Wonderland easily. Therefore, she starts to cry and says:

“Come, there's no use in crying like that!' said Alice to herself, rather sharply;

‘I advise you to leave off this minute!' She generally gave herself very good

advice, (though she very seldom followed it), and sometimes she scolded

herself so severely as to bring tears into her eyes; and once she remembered

trying to box her own ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet

she was playing against herself, for this curious child was very fond of

pretending to be two people” (Carroll, 7).

The protagonist, Alice, shows that she looks for her identity with her this monologue and at the same time, she really wants to be in the enchanted garden of Wonderland, but she has a trouble with the tiny door that's why she cries. However, she manages to stop herself from crying anymore. In another Word, she advises herself, like an adult. Therefore, this behaviour indicates that she has a changeable identity. She sometimes behaves like a child, and she cries when she cannot enter the Wonderland for the first time. On the other hand, she sometimes acts like an adult, she thinks clearly. This situation shows that she has started to grow up from childhood to adulthood in her dreamland. In addition, the critic Jennifer Geer adds: “ The Wonderland frames suggest that the tale of Alice's dream fosters the happy, loving childhood that will enable her development into a good woman” (2). This statement informs that she may come to the phase of self-discovery with the help of the extraordinary nature and supernatural characters of her dreamland, Wonderland.

Alice's purpose is to free herself, and get away from the boredom of the real world and the pressure of society and that of her parents in this fantastic place. However, Alice is tired of some problems that she has to deal with, and she questions herself over and over again:

“I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole and yet and yet

it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder what CAN

have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that

kind of thing never happened, and now I am in the middle one!

There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought!” (Carroll,18).

Carroll tries to tell the effect of fairy tales with Alice's monologue, and he emphasizes that fairy tales are kinds of literary escapism just like Alice's fantastic journey. During her adventure, she starts to believe in the combination of dreams and reality . Freud states: “The unconscious wish has already made its way to the day remnants, either during the day or at any rate with the beginning of sleep” (87). This statement demonstrates that she has thought that fairy tales could be real before she falls asleep and her dream world or unconscious mind reveals this situation.

After Alice enters Wonderland, her journey starts with different adventures and supernatural creatures that behave as if everything was normal. She tries to understand what happens in this land, but suddenly she finds herself as she joins the supernatural characters in Wonderland. She struggles to deal with this extraordinary atmosphere. She meets Cheshire, the cat that always grins and suddenly appears and disappears. This characteristic of the cat holds up a mirror to the fantastic atmosphere. This cat may remind of Alice her own cat, Dinah in the real world, but she cannot establish a connection between Dinah and Cheshire cat because of the effects of dreams and reality . After Alice and Cheshire cat encounter many times, an interesting conversation starts between this supernatural cat and Alice. That's why Alice wants to understand the logic of Wonderland during her fantastic journey. Cheshire cat gives an interesting answer to Alice about Wonderland. Carroll shows the conversation:

“The cat: We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.”

“How do you know I'm mad?” said Alice.

“You must be” said the cat, “Or you wouldn't have come here.

Alice didn't think that proved it at all” (32).

Alice's conversation with Cheshire cat shows that dreams, like her Wonderland, may not be logical all the time. The critic Nina Auerbach takes a different approach to this conversation between Alice and Cheshire cat: “Although Alice cannot accept it and closes into silence, the cat's remark may be the answer she has been groping toward in her incessant question, “who am I?” (183). Auerbach explains that Alice forgets her identity with the enchanted impact of Wonderland and this supernatural cat reminds of her that she has escaped from reality with the help of her dreams .

Another critic Tyler Shores also reveals: “Dreams are a significant aspect of Alice's adventures” (206). Alice's dreams play a major role during her journey because Wonderland is designed by her dreams or imagination and this fantasy land does not accept reality or logic, but it may open a door to the impossibilities for this little girl, Alice and the readers to escape from the problems of the real world. As a result, Alice and the readers may find a solution for their own problems thanks to Alice's fantastic journey through Wonderland. That's why the protagonist, Alice, may complain about her troubles in the real world all day and then she suddenly finds herself in Wonderland dealing with her problems in the depths of her dream. This situation is related to her unconscious mind that is free in dream.

1.2.Awakening and Coming Back

It is time to leave Wonderland or to wake up for Alice. That's why she feels that her “physical size” (Carroll, 66) starts to change slowly. Before she comes back from her fantastic journey, she notices herself that she gets used to talking to the supernatural creatures of Wonderland in her dream(land)s. Suddenly, one of the creatures informs her that “the trial's beginning!” (Carroll, 58), and everybody should go there including Alice. When they enter the court of justice, they meet the King and Queen of Hearts because this trial belongs to the Queen of Hearts who thinks the Knave of Hearts steals her tarts. During the trial, Alice's name is read out by the White Rabbit “as a witness” (Carroll, 60-65).

First of all, she does not know what to say, then she realizes that she should not be afraid of anybody there, since she is getting bigger than everyone in the trial. Later, she finds that everything in the trial of Wonderland is nonsense, and she says loudly: “Stuff and nonsense!” (Carroll, 69). Because of Alice's this expression, she and the Queen of Hearts start to argue, and the Queen orders the cards of Hearts “off with her head” (Carroll, 69), but Carroll explains that Alice has grown up enough to defend herself:

“Who cares for you? said Alice, (she had grown to her full size by

this time.) You're nothing but a pack of cards! At this the whole pack

rose up into the air, and came flying down upon her: she gave a little

scream, half fright and half of anger, and tried to beat them off, and

found herself lying on the bank, with her head in the lap of her sister,

who was gently brushing away some dead leaves that had fluttered

down from the trees upon her face” (69).

Alice opens her eyes and understands that everything consists of a dream. Freud clarifies: “The waking activity revives during the day one of the unconscious wishes.” (87). This explains the psychology of Alice; her dreams present her unconscious mind during her fantastic journey. After she wakes up, she visualizes her dreams or journey into Wonderland. She understands that she has grown up from childhood to adulthood. The critic, Jennifer Geer, explains Alice's situation: “Alice's experience in Wonderland are mediated through the adult narrator who tells of her adventures” (6). This critical thinking may indicate that Alice has started to know herself, and even her own identity, she questions her personality at the beginning of her adventures in her dreamland. Therefore, she may get a chance to discovery herself thanks to her fantastic journey, and she may start to think the real world is full of dangers and wars for both a child and adult. Due to these reasons, she might apply her fantastic journey to escape from reality into dreams.

In the end of the book, Alice tells her sister: “Oh, I've had such a curious dream!” (Carroll, 69). After Alice wakes up, she gets rid of the pressure under her unconscious mind that helps her to be in Wonderland during her dream. Geer states that “the novel's closing paragraph, in which Alice's sister dreams of the girl's future, uses the tale to link a delightful childhood with domestic happiness” (3). This view may reveal what Alice's journey has taught her and the readers, after Alice wakes up from her deep dreams. Alice turns into a heroine, and she can become a person who has discovered herself. As a result of her fantastic journey, she may make the real world liveable, and so she may be far away from the boredom of the real world. In another word, she has learnt to struggle with the difficulties of the real world.

All in all, Geer adds that “In Wonderland, Carroll ultimately suggests that both adults and children want power as well as comfort, and that the domestic world of little girls and fairy tales is the unlikely site of power struggles over the comforts of home and childhood” (2). This statement suggests that likewise Alice, every adult and child sometimes want to escape into the world of fantasy to feel better, and reconsider his/her identity. That's why Alice grows up in Wonderland, where she spends time during her dream, and she is not a little girl anymore as she has entered Wonderland for the first time. In the end she moves toward the aim of her fantastic journey that is self-discovery.