Influential Characters
Alice- The protagonist of the story. The heroine and the dreamer of Wonderland. Throughout the story, Alice experiences tremendous growth as a young woman.
White Rabbit- The first image of Wonderland seen by Alice. She follows the rabbit into the hole that leads her to Wonderland. The rabbit mistakes Alice for Mary Ann, and continues to tell Alice that she is late for something. The white rabbit initially stands for Alice's curiosity.
Cheshire-Cat- The striped cat that is always smiling. Alice first encounters the cat in a tree, and tries to engage him in conversation. The cat vanishes and reappears, and only provides Alice with a plethora of confusing questions and answers. The Cheshire-Cat is a symbol of confusion in the story, and plays a large role in Alice's anguish due to wanting to find a way out of Wonderland.
Mad Hatter- A guest of the mad tea party. The Mad Hatter explains to Alice why the tea party is always held at six o' clock. He explains that he has had a fight with time and as a result, the tea party will never end.
Queen of Hearts- The antagonist in the story. The Queen of Hearts serves as the true source of power behind Wonderland. Her outrageous and violent temper is what pushes Alice to her breaking point of finding it within herself to return to the outside world.
Additional Characters
Alice's Sister, Mouse, Duck, Dodo, Lory, Eaglet, Old Crab, Old Magpie, Canary, Dinah, Pat, Young Bill the Lizard, Puppy, Caterpillar, Father William, Father William's Son, Pigeon, Fish-Footman, Frog-Footman, Duchess, Cook, March Hare, Dormouse, Spade Gardeners, King of Hearts, Knave of Hearts, Three Sisters, Mock Turtle, Gryphon, Guinea Pigs, Pig/Baby, Mary Ann.
Setting
In England (Wonderland), during the Victorian Era.
Narrative Point of View
Carroll wrote the story through a 3rd person's narrative perspective. However, there are parts of the story that are written in 1st and 2nd person, as well. The reader gets to experience Alice voicing her thoughts and feelings.
Tone
Straightforward
Main Theme
Loss of childhood innocence & growth- Alice experiences a loss of innocence in many ways throughout her journey in Wonderland. She undergoes many physical changes, being forced to grow and shrink throughout her exploration. Additionally, Alice is forced to grow up as she tries to find her way back home. What starts out as mere curiosity turns into a desperate attempt to get back to what she is familiar with: home, family, safety, comfort. In direct correlation to this theme is the them of growth. Alice is forced to grow and stand on her own, as she faces many uncomfortable situations on her journey.
Archetypal Criticism
As stated by David L. Russell, in Literature for Children, "The psychologist and physician Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) believed in a collective unconscious that lay deep within all of us and contained the 'cumulative knowledge, experiences, and images of the entire human race' (Bressler 92). Jung argued that this explains why people the world over respond to the same myths and stories (why we find, for instance, the Cinderella story everywhere from Vietnam to Egypt to northern Europe). Jung identified certain archetypes, which are simply standard patterns and models of human experience--the changing seasons; the cycle of birth, death, rebirth; the hero and the heroic quest; the beautiful temptress, and so on. Archetypal criticism therefore depends heavily on symbols and patterns operating on a universal scale." (53).
The story of 'Alice in Wonderland' follows the pattern for archetypal criticism:
Alice- The protagonist of the story. The heroine and the dreamer of Wonderland. Throughout the story, Alice experiences tremendous growth as a young woman.
White Rabbit- The first image of Wonderland seen by Alice. She follows the rabbit into the hole that leads her to Wonderland. The rabbit mistakes Alice for Mary Ann, and continues to tell Alice that she is late for something. The white rabbit initially stands for Alice's curiosity.
Cheshire-Cat- The striped cat that is always smiling. Alice first encounters the cat in a tree, and tries to engage him in conversation. The cat vanishes and reappears, and only provides Alice with a plethora of confusing questions and answers. The Cheshire-Cat is a symbol of confusion in the story, and plays a large role in Alice's anguish due to wanting to find a way out of Wonderland.
Mad Hatter- A guest of the mad tea party. The Mad Hatter explains to Alice why the tea party is always held at six o' clock. He explains that he has had a fight with time and as a result, the tea party will never end.
Queen of Hearts- The antagonist in the story. The Queen of Hearts serves as the true source of power behind Wonderland. Her outrageous and violent temper is what pushes Alice to her breaking point of finding it within herself to return to the outside world.
Additional Characters
Alice's Sister, Mouse, Duck, Dodo, Lory, Eaglet, Old Crab, Old Magpie, Canary, Dinah, Pat, Young Bill the Lizard, Puppy, Caterpillar, Father William, Father William's Son, Pigeon, Fish-Footman, Frog-Footman, Duchess, Cook, March Hare, Dormouse, Spade Gardeners, King of Hearts, Knave of Hearts, Three Sisters, Mock Turtle, Gryphon, Guinea Pigs, Pig/Baby, Mary Ann.
Setting
In England (Wonderland), during the Victorian Era.
Narrative Point of View
Carroll wrote the story through a 3rd person's narrative perspective. However, there are parts of the story that are written in 1st and 2nd person, as well. The reader gets to experience Alice voicing her thoughts and feelings.
Tone
Straightforward
Main Theme
Loss of childhood innocence & growth- Alice experiences a loss of innocence in many ways throughout her journey in Wonderland. She undergoes many physical changes, being forced to grow and shrink throughout her exploration. Additionally, Alice is forced to grow up as she tries to find her way back home. What starts out as mere curiosity turns into a desperate attempt to get back to what she is familiar with: home, family, safety, comfort. In direct correlation to this theme is the them of growth. Alice is forced to grow and stand on her own, as she faces many uncomfortable situations on her journey.
Archetypal Criticism
As stated by David L. Russell, in Literature for Children, "The psychologist and physician Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) believed in a collective unconscious that lay deep within all of us and contained the 'cumulative knowledge, experiences, and images of the entire human race' (Bressler 92). Jung argued that this explains why people the world over respond to the same myths and stories (why we find, for instance, the Cinderella story everywhere from Vietnam to Egypt to northern Europe). Jung identified certain archetypes, which are simply standard patterns and models of human experience--the changing seasons; the cycle of birth, death, rebirth; the hero and the heroic quest; the beautiful temptress, and so on. Archetypal criticism therefore depends heavily on symbols and patterns operating on a universal scale." (53).
The story of 'Alice in Wonderland' follows the pattern for archetypal criticism:
1. The hero begins life in paradise (such as a garden)
2. The hero is displaced from paradise (alienation) 3. The hero endures a time of trial and tribulation, usually a wandering (a journey) 4. The hero achieves self-discovery as a result of the struggles on that journey 5. The hero returns to paradise (either the original or a new and improved one) |
1. The story begins with Alice comfortably reading under a tree with her kitten
2. Alice is displaced from the comfort of home to Wonderland, and she feels alone 3. Alice experiences a journey through which she undergoes many traumatic events 4. Alice realizes that she wants nothing more than to be home 5. Alice returns home to the comfort of familiarity, only to find that she was dreaming |
Source: Russell, David. Literature for Children. United States: Pearson, 2009. Print.