Is Alice in Wonderland and Absurd Book?

Lewis Carroll’s novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, has been interpreted as an absurd and nonsense book for children. It is a nonsense book, but it is also so much more. Carroll has intertwined nonsense and logic therefore creating sense with nonsense. By looking past the absurdities of this book you find new meaning. You find that the novel is full of references and parallel aspects of the victorian era in topics of etiquette, education and prejudice. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is also a tribute to a child’s ability to adapt and accept a hostile environment.

Carroll has cryptically satirized adults’ and their treatment of children, by portraying them as authorarian and strange creatures. This work of fiction was written in the Victorian era, a time now remembered for its stifling propriety and constructive morals. Carroll has mirrored these aspects of Victorian society through Alice’s behavior in Wonderland. In chapter one, when Alice is falling through the air, she tries to curtsey. Alice has always been taught to curtsey before she speaks, showing that even whilst falling through the air; etiquette is one of her main priorities, like it was in Victorian society.

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In those times, education was not as imperative as being socially adept. Alice, being brought up with these standards, believes that by saying words such as ‘latitude’ and ‘longitude’ would make her seem highly intellectual and create a fantastic first impression. Education was very limited to young girls such as Alice, in the Victorian era, and we see this through her behavior and encounters with the creatures in Wonderland. Alice thinks that to create a good first impression she should use words such as ‘latitude’ and longitude’.

The fact was that Alice actually had no idea what these words meant, but thought they would be ‘grand’ words to say. We see this behavior once again when Alice is talking to the Rabbit and states that “four times five is twelve” and that “London is the capital of Paris and Paris is the capital of Rome. ” Because Alice thinks that the mouse doesn’t speak English, she tries to recall a small phrase she learnt from a French textbook, which is completely irrelevant to the situation. By doing this we see her difficulty of translating text-book knowledge to the real world, which can often be quite unwelcoming.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is also a tribute to a child’s ability to adapt and accept a hostile environment. Part of this ability comes from the fact that children of the Victorian era were made to follow instructions and never question them. This is seen in Down the Rabbit-Hole when Alice comes across a small bottle with the label ‘drink me’ tied to it. Alice first looks at the bottle to see if it is marked ‘poison’. When Alice sees that there was no such marking, she ventures to taste it.

This shows that even after taking some caution, Alice still follows through with her instructions, only because there is no marking that indicates any risk. However, this results in a dramatic reduction in her height. Even after this incident, she decides that there is no use in crying and looks for other solutions. This is an example of a child having to take what has been given to them and even after terrible consequences, having to find other solutions. This highlights Alice’s ability to accept whatever situation she is in and adapt accordingly.

Carroll sees the world of children as a precarious place, shadowed by adults who are authoritarian and sometimes absurd. He has depicted this idea through his portrayal of Wonderland and its creatures. Carroll cryptically mocks the absurdities of adults by portraying them as pompous, authoritarian, mystifying and strange creatures. The creatures of Wonderland have many strange customs such as the caucus race. This race involves all the party being placed along a course, here and there. There is no traditional “ready, steady, go”, but they begin to run when they like and finish when they wish.

After a certain amount of running has been done, someone suddenly cries out “the race is over! ” There is no clear winner or loser in these races because everyone wins and each contestant receives a prize. This reflects Victorian adults, as the animals who are opinionated, have strong ideas of what constitutes appropriate behavior. The Caterpillar in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a good example of Carroll’s enigmatic depiction of adults. Whilst talking to Alice, the Caterpillar is quite aggressive and stern, as seen when he says “What do you mean by that? Explain yourself! Alice becomes aggravated by his short and angry remarks, and begins to walk away. The Caterpillar then yells at her to come back, convincing her that he has something important to say. Alice, thinking that this sounded promising, comes back. The Caterpillar then makes a very hypocritical statement by telling Alice to “keep her temper”. This shows the hypocritical nature of adults and how children are always thought to be wrong. In conclusion, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland can be seen as a book filled with nonsense and absurdity but by upon further contemplation, you find new meaning.

It is a book that satirizes the stifling propriety and limited education of the Victorian era through its depiction of Wonderland. The novel flatters Alice’s ability to accept and adapt a hostile environment. Carroll also cryptically mocks the strange customs and absurdities of adults by portraying them as authoritarian and strange creatures. This novel makes sense with nonsense and uses unusual logic to do so. It is Carroll’s peculiar creatures and cryptic style of writing that makes this book a fantastic piece of literature.



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