Journeys of Self-Discovery: Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

The main points of the thesis are:

The characters in Wonderland challenge and oppose Alice.

The search for identity plays an important role in the stories.

Alice has to try to establish her identity when surrounded by 'contradiction, confusion and confinement.'

The books explore the environment of a child.

Alice's curious starts the whole adventure out.

The characters challenge her sense of self-identity. The White Rabbit thinks she's a housemaid, the flowers think she's a stupid flower, and the pigeon is sure she's a snake.

There's a good bit of isolation that she has to go through where's she's left alone or has to leave one or more people (such as her leaving the tea party.)

Alice is comparing herself to the others she encounters which helps her develop a sense of just who she is.

There is also conflict between childhood and adulthood. Everyone else is grown up compared to her.

She finds out that names and labels can be fluid.

The thesis mentions confinement and liberty. (When you think of it. Alice is moving constantly from one place to another in both books yet almost all the characters are limited to a single setting, other than the White Rabbit who is seen both above and below ground.

Both books have definite resolutions.

Main Index

Main Alice in Wonderland index page