Hello everyone! I'm very excited considering this is my first post on the forums! Anywho, below is an informal essay that I was assigned in my grade 11 english class, which is basically a short anaylsis of a fairytale. I was just wondering what everyone thinks, and I hope you enjoy!
"Alice in Wonderland" Analysis
“Alice in Wonderland” is the peculiar tale of a sensible, wealthy, and prepubescent child who finds herself immersed in a strange world ruled by fantasy and imagination. If one cares to take the time to try and analyze said story, they would soon discover that it is much harder to dissect than originally anticipated; I proceeded with caution.
Within reading the first few chapters or watching the first ten minutes of “Alice in Wonderland”, it is blatantly apparent that the plot is almost non-existent, but simple non-the-less. It is the story of how a little girl “falls asleep” one afternoon and is awakened in a world of absurdity and puzzled imagination. Her mission: return to reality. Let us just say that the road to maturity through ones imagination is much easier said than done.
Along Alice’s fictional road to womanhood she comes across many a strange acquaintances which include: The Cheshire Cat – an unique creature who subconsciously convinces Alice of her lack of sanity – ; The Mad Hatter – a walking definition of insanity itself – ; the Caterpillar – a bong smoking, non-sensical insect – ; Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum – two identical twins who challenge every ounce of wit and logic Alice has to offer – ; and the Queen of Hearts – an unruly tyrant who Alice must ultimately face before her journey can be completed. Even though it may not seem so, I have concluded that all of these characters are absolutely essential for the story and Alice to evolve past the point at which they began.
The hardest concept surrounding “Alice in Wonderland” would have to be the simple question of “Is this a story acceptable for children?” Furthermore, which characters (if any) are school-appropriate? Well, in my opinion, all of the characters are appropriate, however there may be a few character choices that I would have to question. First of all, is it really necessary for the Caterpillar to legally smoke drugs? Is it appropriate for the Tweedles to tell a story in which the protagonists are consumed? Is it socially and morally correct for our main character to digest things which are simply labeled “Eat Me” and “Drink Me”? Are the answers to these questions anything other than politically acceptable? Of course not, and that’s what makes them fairytales. Lewis Carroll was not trying to write a mind shattering thesis (though we may never know due to an alleged drug use), he was simply writing a children’s story in which children are forced to (dare I say) think about what is right and what is wrong. In my humble opinion I believe that no child is a mindless machine to which we input answers and skills; young ones must learn these things on their own. After all, out of all the adults that surround a person everyday, it is very probable that most of them were brought up on fairytales, and one must now ask themselves the question “Are those everyday people drug smoking, cannibalistic tyrants?” In response I can only answer by saying that I would surely hope not.
The tale of “Alice in Wonderland” is full of adventure, logistics, and applicable morals. Unmistakably on the outside the theme revolves around a journey to maturity and that a world ruled by ones own imagination isn’t as pleasant as originally perceived. I believe that those are powerful lessons, however, I also believe that there are deeper and more meaningful themes underneath this story and all fairytales in general. The truth in my mind is that no matter how inappropriate or politically incorrect a fairytale may be, children and adults alike should not worry too much, for a little escapism and a little fantasy may be just the right antidote for our overdose of reality.
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