Alice & Wonderland, Theme of Bizarre

At the mention of the name Alice, one tends to usually think of the children’s stories by Lewis Carroll. Namely, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two classic works of children’s literature that for over a century have been read by children and adults alike. These two stories tell the tale of a young girl named Alice who finds herself in peculiar surroundings, where she encounters many different and unusual characters. Although Alice is at the centre of both stories, each tale is uniquely different in its purpose, characters and style.

In 1862, floating upon the river Isis, Charles Dodgson narrated for Alice Liddell and a few others in company his original tale of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Gliding along underneath the blue sky, Dodgson wove his words into one of the most classic children stories of all time. Thesis: Although Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland may have only begun as a children’s story, many adults have sought to discover the “true meaning” of the novel. Curiosity has led to years of searching and interpretation of the origins of Carroll’s novels, and the symbols inside, developing into theories ranging from practical to nearly impossible, eventually evolving into their own stories in the film industry.

Based on the children’s literary work written by Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland is a fictional film that was directed by Tim Burton.  The film is set in Wonderland inside of Alice’s dream, so viewers are able to recognize the lack of order and the fantasies of children.  One of the major themes seen in the movie is childhood, specifically the development into adulthood, which is depicted in other characters besides Alice.  Alice, however, is used as the primary symbol for what children in the Victorian Age should not ideally act like, since they were expected to dress properly and attain a certain level of education.  Furthermore, Sigmund Freud’s dream theory and tripartite give further insight into the characters and what they represented during the Victorian Age. The id, ego, and the superego are applied to the unconscious and conscious mind states, and how the unconscious state is still somewhat available during a conscious state.  In Alice in Wonderland, psychoanalysis is used to portray the Red Queen as the id, the Absolem

The fantasy film adaption of Lewis Carroll’s original novel ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ was directed by Tim Burton and produced in 2010. The visually engaging version of Alice’s quirky adventures is comprised of many vivid mise-en-scene effects in the dynamic scene where Alice slays the Jabberwocky. These vast arrays of elements include colour, lighting, set design, props, makeup, creative costumes and sound effects.

At first she only wishes to be normal, saying “mere ordinary people like John and myself”. She goes mad because her role in society is limited and her ability to express herself is constricted. The wallpaper symbolises her imprisonment and the domestic life that traps so many women in the late nineteenth century. Yellow usually symbolises happiness, but ironically, in this narrative the narrator is being trapped and driven mad by the color. She only sees a “repellent, almost revolting color; a smoldering yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.” Eventually, she sees patterns which come into focus as a desperate woman, constantly crawling and stooping, looking for an escape from the main pattern which resemble the bars of a cage. The narrator sees herself behind the wallpaper, realising for the first time what her status is. Like all other women during the late nineteenth century, she wishes to break free from this sort of environment where women are considered to be nothing more than housewives. At that time in society, women were expected to live their life bound at home, taking care of cooking, houseworks and raising children. Free time for women was meant for them to be sewing and doing the laundry instead of socializing in society. Many women began to protest, some became vocal participants of women’s rights movement. The narrator has to hide the only thing she finds comfort in from everyone,

In Wonderland the creatures and characters show Alice how the real world is but in hidden ways that she will not understand until she gets a little older. When Alice first encounters the Duchess, the Duchess is caring for a baby. Franticly the Duchess basically throws the baby into Alice’s arms, and Alice unsure of what to do, goes on a walk with the baby through the woods. Slowly Alice begins to realize that the baby she was carrying, was slowly beginning to transform into a pig (47-48). This symbolism that Carroll illustrates shows Alice how babies are going to change. By turning the baby into a loud messy animal, it demonstrates how babies will drastically change, and are handful. Since Alice is only a child, she has never had to deal with a baby from an adult perspective, until doing it unknowingly in Wonderland.

Tim Burton is a director who takes pride into his precious work. Burton’s films, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands, and Alice in Wonderland, use cinematic techniques that show his personal style. His style is joyful as in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when Charlie wins the ticket, funny like Edward Scissorhands in the scene when Edward is greeted in the new town and he does not know how to act normal for the people, and a bit unusual in Alice in Wonderland when Alice had fallen into the tree. Most of Burton’s work is slow, shady, and has hand-molded characters that move with multiple picture screens, which make viewers easily depict they are his. The secret to his work always has the audience seeking for more. Tim Burton’s extraordinary and unique work stands out among the best fantasy films in America’s motion pictures.

Alice begins by startling at the sight of the Cat sitting on a tree bough, while the Cat only grins at Alice. As dear Alice asks for advice on which way she ought to continue, the Cat claims, “if you do not know where you want to end up, then surely it does not matter which way you go” (Carroll 49). This simplistic view of decision making plays on the complexity that humans weave into simple decisions of everyday life. Alice’s confusion is spotlighted by this overtly simple take on decisions, and her confusion can then be tied to the absence of a concrete identity. The Cat proceeds to reveal that in Wonderland, “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad,” and this awareness and acceptance of “the fury” within himself further serves to bold Alice’s insecurity (Carroll 49). Perhaps, if Alice knew who she was to others – and to herself – in Wonderland, she would not deny the madness of Wonderlands creatures, including

Similarly, Alice in Wonderland also uses satire throughout the movie. First and foremost, everyone who lives in the red queens castle, that’s not an animal, faked having large features. Some had big ears, a big nose, or a big belly. This showed that

Many themes are explored when reading Lewis Carrol’s, Alice in Wonderland. Themes of childhood innocence, child abuse, dream, and others. Reading the story, it was quite clear to see one particular theme portrayed through out the book: child to adult progression. Alice in Wonderland is full of experiences that lead Alice to becoming more of herself and that help her grow up. It’s a story of trial, confusion, understanding, and success. And more confusion. Though others might argue that the story was distinctly made for children just to get joy out of funny words, and odd circumstances, the tale has obvious dynamics that confirm the fact of it being a coming of age story.

This leads to Alice creating another person, pretending to be two people. In Alice's card she is divided between the child she is and the young adult she is becoming. “‘But there is no use now,’ thought poor Alice, ‘to pretend to be two people! Why there's hardly enough of me left to make one respectable person’” (Carroll 12). At this moment Alice slipping into the madness of Wonderland. This is causing her to question how much of her sanity is left, as well as whether or not it is enough for her to continue as a functioning member of society. She seems “mad” because, ‘....this curious child [Alice] was very fond of pretending to be two people” (Carroll 12), Alice was often talking to herself. However,

   Lewis Carroll's Wonderland is a queer little universe where a not so ordinary girl is faced with the contradicting nature of the fantastic creatures who live there. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a child's struggle to survive in the condescending world of adults. The conflict between child and adult gives direction to Alice's adventures and controls all the outstanding features of the work- Alice's character, her relationship with other characters, and the dialogue. " Alice in Wonderland is on one hand so nonsensical that children sometimes feel ashamed to have been interested in anything so silly (Masslich 107)."

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland shows us how a child's innocence can create an imaginative world that would be considered abnormal and insane through the eyes of an adult. Alice dreams of creatures and animals that have the ability to talk, and she constantly shifts in shape and size, perverting the proportions of Wonderland around her. She also has conversations with other characters that the are full of nonsense and odd remarks. Perhaps Alice's irrational personality is best displayed during the scene "A Mad Tea-Party" when Alice encounters a Hatter, March Hare and Dormouse sitting down for teatime. She walks up to the crew nonchalantly and sits down to join them. Immediately, the Hatter begins to make remarks about Alice's appearance and her manners. He is rude and snappy, having a criticism for everything that Alice

'Alice in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll seems a first a simple fairy tale, but in fact its meaning is a lot more profound. This novel criticizes the way children were brought up during the Victorian era. Carroll presents the readers with the complications these offspring must endure in order to develop their own personalities/egos, as they become adults. For Alice, Wonderland appears to be the perfect place to start this learning adventure. A way to understand her story is by compering it to the world as if being upside-down. Nothing in Wonderland seems to be they way it’s supposed to. The first lesson, Alice must learn in this peculiar journey through Wonderland is to achieve separation from the world around her and to stop identifying herself through others, in order to discover who she

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll endures as one of the most iconic children 's books of all time. It remains one of the most ambiguous texts to decipher as Alice 's adventures in Wonderland have created endless critical debate as to whether we can deduce any true literary meaning, or moral implication from her journey down the rabbit hole. Alice 's station as a seven year old Victorian child creates an interesting construct within the novel as she attempts to navigate this magical parallel plain, yet retain her Victorian sensibilities and learn from experience as she encounters new creatures and life lessons. Therefore, this essay will focus on the debate as to whether Alice is the imaginatively playful child envisaged by the Romantics, or a Victorian child whose imagination has been stunted by her education and upbringing.