preview

Little Alice : Adventures Of Self Identity

Good Essays

“Little Alice”: Adventures in Self-Identity By examining Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, it is evident that this bildungsroman novel aims to educate child and adult readers alike on finding one’s identity. A common motif found in the bildungsroman genre is the maturation of a single protagonist, who undergoes moral development through experiential learning. As Alice happens upon the inciting incident of entering Wonderland, her naivety and childlike sensibility is tested. Wonderland acts as a realm of transformation, where the logic of her childhood reality is of no use. It is once Alice’s logic fails her, that she embarks on a journey of introspection. The Mad Tea Party functions as a climatic point in Alice’s formation of her identity. In the ensuing chapters, Alice grows from an immature seven-year-old to a young girl who possesses a sense of autonomy and self-identity. She understands the value of communication, self-control, and the necessity to adapt as she maneuvers her way through episodic challenges. Initially, Alice is depicted at her most immature and naïve stage of development. It is early on in the novel, where she is first described as “Little Alice”. This emphasizes her child-centered perspective within the larger adult world. As Alice’s journey begins, she is inexperienced and ill equipped. This is evident in her encounter with the “Drink Me” bottle at the bottom of the rabbit hole. Alice uses the logic she would use outside Wonderland to

Get Access