7 minute read
Celebrating Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland
from The Ontarion - 190.1
by The Ontarion
Alice in Wonderland’s timeless story sparks wonder through all of its retellings
RACHEL FIORET
The month of January marks the birth of famous author Charles Dodgson, publicly known as Lewis Carroll. Born in 1832, Daresbury, U.K., Carroll is of north English descent. Growing up, he attended the Rugby School, which he later admitted to strongly disliking, and from there he attended Oxford. The Church of England also played a prominent role in his life.
Carroll was academically gifted, and his success often came easily to him. He had always been passionate about telling stories, which he would do for his younger siblings. Carroll's writing career began with poetry and short stories, which he submitted to magazines, though it wasn’t until a day trip in Oxford with his friend’s three daughters — one named Alice — that he found his inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, published in 1865.
The original novel, the 1951 cartoon Disney movie, and the 2010 film each offer unique depictions of the rich symbolism this story contains and the magical ways in which we can fall down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
THE CHESHIRE CAT
The Cheshire Cat appears three times in the written story, and poses as a teasing character. However, in the 2010 film, the Cheshire Cat aids the Mad Hatter when he is almost killed by the Queen of Hearts. Though the Queen of Hearts would view the cat as an irritating character, the Cheshire Cat acts as a guide to Alice in her journey through wonderland in all three versions of the whimsical tale.
THE UNBIRTHDAY PARTY
The idea of the unbirthday party originally arose from Through the Looking-Glass (1871), Carroll’s sequel to the first novel, although Disney decided to incorporate it into both films. Carroll writes that the Mad Hatter struggles with the concept of time, so he decides to fight it by having an “unbirthday” party. Imagining that the time can rewind allows the characters to live in a time that might have been better for them than the present.
His fight against time is ironic, because he is a character in a dream and does not experience real time, so he was merely an element of Alice’s imagination. This was illustrated in the 1951 cartoon, where the White Rabbit and Mad Hatter work on fixing a broken clock. The broken clock symbolizes Alice’s fear of growing up and leaving her girlhood. In the 2010 film, the broken clock represents how she feels a pressure for time as she does not want to be married, so she tries to reverse time.
BLUE CATERPILLAR
In the original story, the Blue Caterpillar was kind to Alice when they met. However in the 1951 film, he was rude to her and acted as though she was irrelevant to him. In the 2010 adaptation, the Blue Caterpillar was shown before Alice reached Wonderland, when it was crawling on Hamish’s shoulder. When she sees him in Wonderland, he mentions he will be going through a transformation, and at the end of the film, when Alice is about to set sail, he flies away as a blue butterfly. This transformation through the film not only reflects the Blue Caterpillar’s transformation, but also Alice’s, as her character changes throughout her adventures.
THE RABBIT HOLE
Each adaptation of the story takes a slightly different stance with the rabbit hole. In the novel, Carroll writes that as Alice fell down the hole she was screaming and talking to herself until coming to the realization that no one would hear her. When she hit the ground, she landed on the grass of the White Rabbit's house. Disney’s 1951 adaptation shows Alice crawling through what appeared to be a normal hole in the ground, until she falls down. Her dress acted as a parachute so the fall appeared quite relaxing and she was able to observe all that was surrounding her. When she landed, she found herself in the White Rabbit's house and tried to chase him. When Alice fell in the 2010 remake, there were other things falling around her like a grand piano. Upon hitting the ground, Alice landed on a ceiling which flipped to be the floor of a house.
TALKING FLOWERS
The concept of talking flowers was introduced by Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass, however, Disney decided to incorporate them into the setting of both the 1951 and 2010 films. Shortly after Alice lands in Wonderland and escapes the room through a tiny door, the talking flowers become a part of the plot. These flowers are significant to the story, as they introduce a new perspective on other characters. Alice encounters a tiger-lily, a larkspur, a violet, roses, and daisies.
Each type of flower represents an element of her character. Daisies and violets are often used to symbolize purity and innocence, and Alice is a young, innocent girl. Tiger-lilies reflect confidence which Alice proves to have as she travels through Wonderland. A larkspur symbolizes the strength of love and attachment, which Alice gains towards other characters throughout the story, such as the Mad Hatter. The white and red rose represent the contrast between the Queen of Hearts and the White Queen. The variety of talking flowers adds to the unique setting of Wonderland.
THE USE OF MAGICAL POTIONS
The 1951 and 2010 films do not fail to incorporate the original “eat me” cake, though they utilize this part of the story in different ways. In the 1951 film, Alice eats carrots to shrink and fit through the tiny door. In the 2010 film, she experiences extreme shrinkage when she drinks a shrinking potion, then extreme growth after eating the cake to reach a key. Later in the movie Alice requests the magical cake when sneaking around in the Queen of Hearts’ garden, which she uses to grow and disguise herself.
Patrons enjoy the props at Maddie Hatter cafe in Erin, Ontario. CREDIT: MADDIE HATTER via @maddie__hatter on Instagram
FEMINIST APPEAL
The original novel was written in an age of distinct gender roles and Alice’s character was to represent a young girl who was interested in exploring and thinking outside of societal norms, which she completely embraces once reaching Wonderland.
In the 2010 film, Alice is portrayed as a young woman who values her personal ambition over the societal norms of the Victorian era. As she is on her way to her surprise proposal, she discusses her dislike for corsets and stockings, saying that she doesn’t feel the need to wear them even though they are in style. Alice challenges the norm when she rejects the marriage proposal at the end of the movie, and by telling her sister's husband that he should know her sisters’ worth.
Though Alice was already strong minded, she leaves Wonderland with a new perspective on life and prepares to continue her father’s dream of sailing. She gracefully values her ambitions over others’ expectations of her. The written work and recent adaptation both represent Alice as a young woman who is willing to break free of societal norms in pursuit of personal goals.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Carroll’s original work, Alice in Wonderland, has sparked inspiration for the Disney adaptations which give us multiple ways to experience Alice’s journey through Wonderland. The use of ideas from Through the Looking-Glass in both movies has allowed for an even more intriguing story. Although the films depict stunning visuals of Wonderland, reading Carroll’s original work allows your mind to create your own version of Wonderland, as Alice’s did.
ALICE TODAY
In addition to Disney’s adaptations of the book, Carroll’s story has continued to inspire many other art forms and experiences around the world. • Music: Avril Lavigne’s Alice, and Taylor Swift’s Wonderland. The lyrics of these songs transport you to Wonderland just like the story does. • Fine Art: Many adaptations of artwork related to the story have been created internationally. A famous sculpture inspired by Carroll’s book,
Alice in Wonderland, resides in
Central Park, New York City. • Quotes: Many quotes from the original book and films are prevalent today, such as
“I knew who I was this morning but I’ve changed a few times since then” which can be found on posters, mugs, t-shirts, etc. • Experiences: Maddie Hatter, a cafe in Erin, Ont. Go there for a tea party and feel as though you are a part of the magic of Wonderland!