Commonplace Book: Alice in Wonderland

Any block of text with asterisks around it is a quotation listed from the in-class texts.

*"A likely story indeed!" said the Pigeon, in a tone of the deepest contempt. "I've seen a good many little girls in my time, but never one with such a neck as that! No, no! You're a serpent; and there's no use denying it!" (48)*

For some reason, when I read this passage I'm reminded of the Adam and Eve story. Eve was seduced by a serpent into partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, which instilled the knowledge of good and evil into the couple. This could be seen as a type of "growing up" from a childlike, innocent state. Alice's journeys in Wonderland produce a maturing effect on her. It is possible that the Pigeon is pointing this out when it says that Alice is nothing like the "little girls" that it has seen. It refers to Alice having a long neck like a serpent, suggesting that the evils of maturity have already had an effect on Alice, like the serpent had on Eve. The Pigeon's disgust at the perceived transformation could be the same reaction that the animals in the Garden of Eden had towards their masters after the fruit had affected them.

*However, this bottle was not marked "poison," so Alice ventured to taste it, and, finding it very nice...she very soon finished it off. (14)*

Alice probably hasn't studied poisons at her age. She still clings to the idea that everything dangerous either has a label or is obviously dangerous. She's innocent enough not to know about tasteless or odorless poisons. I also find it amusing that the tonic tasted like the entire food pyramid. If something like that was created, the inventor would make millions.

*"You're thinking about something, my dear, and that makes you forget to talk. I ca'n't tell you just now what the moral of that is, but I shall remember it in a bit."

"Perhaps it hasn't one," Alive ventured to remark.

"Tut, tut, child!" said the Duchess. "Every thing's got a moral, if only you can find it." (78)*

In one of my creative writing classes (I forget which, I've had a ton), I heard the idea that a story must be able to transfer an idea or a lesson to the reader in order to be considered a successful story. While this may or may not be true, I see the same concept here. In the Victorian Era, making sense of the world seemed to be society's top priority. Since this story was written during that time, it would make sense that this passage was meant to satirize the concept of stories or fairy tales always having "morals."

The following takes place at the very end of the story, after Alice's older sister has listened to Alice's description of her dream:

*So she sat on, with closed eyes, and half believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but to open them again, and all would change to dull reality...Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood... (110)*

I think this is one of the best passages that describes the concept of "nostalgia" that Robert Hemmings presented in his article. His idea was that adults will make an idea of their childhood that is ideal and innocent, even going so far as to exclude any of the bad memories or ideas. Artists and writers will present the innocent qualities of children in their work. Alice's sister has heard an imaginative tale from a child that has somewhat grown out of her innocence, yet it still seems more fantastic than her "dull" reality. The last lines suggest that Alice will experience Hemming's 'nostalgia' when reflecting on her childhood. It is as though Alice has always had a simple and loving heart and is impervious to anger or annoyance. In reality, it is incredibly difficult to find an adult with such an ideal recollection of their childhood.