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Danielle Richards
Professor Lewis
English 114B
6 May 2014
Alice in Adulthood
Being a child is one the best moments that a human can experience. During those years,
the child is carefree, nave and imaginative. To a child, everyone and everything is interesting.
Eventually, their sinless eyes are replaced with tragedies that happen right in front of them. Their
unconditionally loving hearts are broken by the ones they love. Their pure minds are corrupted
by greed and competition. Their virtuous soul is replaced by evil that the world has stricken upon
them. That is part of growing up: learning that the world and the people who inhabit it are not
that kind at all. Lewis Carroll, the author of Through the Looking-Glass, explores the challenges
of growing up through, the main character, Alice, who returns to the over imaginative and yet
confusing Wonderland. As she travels through the chess game to become a queen, Alice loses
her innocence and imagination as the characters guides her into adulthood.
Throughout the world of the Looking-Glass Alice is shocked by violence in the story. As
Alice travels Through the Looking-Glass, she comes across two whiney brothers. The two
brothers tell her a gruesome tale of a Walrus and Carpenter luring Oysters to be eaten. Alice is
obviously uncomfortable by the massacre in the story. She tries to be optimistic and at least find
one character in the tale who is redeemable:
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I like the Walrus best, said Alice: because he was a little sorry for the poor oysters.
"He ate more than the Carpenter, though, said Tweedledee [] That was mean! Alice
said indignantly. Then I like the Carpenter best if he didn't eat so many as the Walrus.
But he ate as many as he could get, said Tweedledum. This was a puzzler. After a
pause, Alice began, Well! They were both very unpleasant characters. (51)
Alice, being the innocent girl she is, tries to find the good in everyone. She does not fathom that
people can be so evil. She believes at least everyone has good intentions no matter what.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum reminds her they the Carpenter and Walrus ate as many Oysters as
possible. Therefore, the Carpenter and Walrus should both be blame for murdering the Oysters.
Not one person should be blamed for the death of the Oysters. Alice finds this difficult to digest.
She has not been exposed to violence yet. Going through the Looking-Glass helps her mentally
prepare for the violence to come later in her life.
There is a poem that talks about how Tweedledee and Tweedledum both had a huge
argument over a broken rattle. The two brothers have no memory of that day because a scary
crow distracted them. Tweedledum stumbles on his broken rattle and remembers their argument.
Both of the very hotheaded brothers decided to set a time for the fight,
We must have a bit of a fight, but I don't care about going on long," said Tweedledum.
What's the time now? Tweedledee looked at his watch, and said "Half-past four. Let's
fight till six, and then have dinner. (56)
Alice appalled on how impulsive the brothers. She does not understand how the smallest thing
can set someone off. She tries to calm the brothers down. Alice symbolizes the purity of the
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corrupted world. Eventually the purity is tainted by cruelty humans have bestow to the young
minds. As Alice gains knowledge about violence, she loses her imagination along the way.
Alice realizes the world of the Looking-Glass is a big chess game. She wants to
participate to become a queen. As Alice gets further into the game, she starts to question her
imagination. She believes that she no longer imagines Wonderland in her head. She is starting to
connect with reality more than fantasy. Allie Dipasquale who wrote the article on Child
Development explains for a young child it is a psychological endurance, In this stage the youth
learns to identify himself or herself and answer the question of Who am I? satisfactorily and
happily, (Child Development Institute). There is an awkward gap between childhood and
adulthood. It is that time when children starts to question the existence of things; what is real and
what is not? Their imagination is destroyed with science and facts. As we put children into
school, the educational institutional is not trying to make their imagination grow, but instead
suppress them. The world does not have time for kids to still think their imaginary friends are
real. Society wants the kids to grow up and become practical about things.
Another example of Alice losing her imagination is when she with Tweedledee and
Tweedledum. They continue their odd adventure and come across the Red King. Tweedledum
tells Alice, 'If that there King was to wake,' added Tweedledum, 'you'd go out bang!just
like a candle!' (53). This shatters Alice fantasy. She thought she had control of the world. She
did not like the idea of someone imagining her. Alice is starting to have a slippery hold on her
imagination. She realized she is growing up and is not capable of creating a world like Looking-
Glass. She slowly accepting the fact that there is more to life than a make-believe world.
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Alice is still a little bit skeptical about the things she finds in the land of Looking-Glass.
She is torn between her knowledge of the real world and the world of Looking-Glass. She
questions herself as she comes across things that do not make sense to her. When she first arrives
in the different world, she meets flowers that can actually talk. She is astonished by these talking
flowers because she knows in the real world it is impossible for flowers to talk, (21). Alice
becomes mildly frustrated by the difference between her culture and Looking-Glass culture.
Alice is now tested during this stage; rather she is willing to believe or it is absurd for flowers to
talk. Alice, being the innocent little girl, she is accepts it. She has her moments where her
innocence over powers her matureness. She not only did she question her imagination, but her
age too.
As if Alice is not having enough trouble with her becoming an adult, Humpty Dumpty is
not making it easier on her, Seven years and six months! Humpty Dumpty repeated
thoughtfully. An uncomfortable sort of age. Now if you'd asked my advice, I'd have said 'Leave
off at seven' but it's too late now, (74). This remark probably made Alice feel frustrated.
Alice cannot stop herself from growing up. It is a part of life. For some odd reason, Humpty
Dumpty wants to keep Alice young. She herself does not understand why. The world is helping
her gain knowledge. She cannot turn back to a little foolish child and ignore what she has learned
along the way. She is more aware of what it means to be an adult. It might scare her just a little,
but it something she has to face. For Humpty Dumpty to try to convince her growing up is
pointless, makes him the immature one
She is not too young, but not too old. Once she discovers that the world in the Looking-
Glass is like a big chess game, she is ready to play. The Red Queen allows her to play, 'That's
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easily managed. You can be the White Queen's Pawn, if you like, as Lily's too young to play,
(28). This excites Alice because she is old enough to play the game unlike Lily the talking
flower. Although her youth is precious to her, being told that she is old enough to participate is
great. It is important to have some amount of maturity; especially if she is aiming to become a
queen.
Surprisingly, a character that helped Alice was the Red Queen. The Red Queen knows
that Alice is capable of being something more than just a child. Alice seems a little doubtful in
her own abilities. The Red Queen encourages Alice to have more meaning in what she says,
What do you suppose is the use of a child without any meaning? Even a joke should have some
meaning and a child's more important than a joke, I hope, (115). She is trying to help Alice
recognize her full potential. Alice is not that little girl anymore in Wonderland. This is a different
world and when she is done with the game, she will be a different girl. The Red Queen may seem
a little harsh, but she is only trying to help Alice the way she can.
One character that also helps mentors Alice is the White Knight. He is Alices protector
and counselor as she tries to become a queen. In a way, he is a father figure to Alice. He would
do anything for Alice to complete her journey, Shes MY prisoner, you know! the Red Knight
said last. Yes. But then I came an rescued her! the White Knight replied, (99). He was willing
to risk his life for Alice. He knew was not old nor strong enough to defend herself from the
dangers along the way. That is what a mentor is supposed to do: protect their mentee, but not
shelter them too much. When it is time for Alice to become a queen he was not allowed to join
her. This is his way of letting her grow up. She needs to learn how to do things on her own. She
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cannot do that if he holding her hand the whole time. This symbolizes how Alice does not need
an adult to help because is about to become one.
Alice seems eager and determine to complete her mission of becoming a queen. M. Erin,
the author of the article Alice Trifles, analyzes Alices journey and how she has develop over
time, Little by little she begins to lose her imagination of a child and sees things for what they
really areNow she has matured to the point where Wonderland no longer welcomes her and
she wakes up. As Alice gets closer to becoming a queen, it is a symbol of her growing up. She
does not want to be played instead she wants to play the game. She understands how the
Looking-Glass works. It is a ruthless world, where everyman is for themselves. That is the only
way to win the game. As she becomes a queen, she eventually wakes up. This symbolizes her
finally discovering herself and who she has become. She has matured because of the Looking-
Glass. It made her stronger mentally. Although physically Alice is still consider a child, but
mentally sees the world in a more realistic way. Alice did not discover her adulthood alone. She
also had characters guide her to get back into reality.
As can be seen, Lewis Carroll the author Through the Looking-Glass shows Alice rough
change to adulthood. Alices adventures in the land of the Looking-Glass has made her become
mature. As she travels through the checkerboard to become a queen, it shows how she loses her
vivid imagination and accepts growing up is part of life. She is exposed to violence that shatters
her innocence. She tries to grasp on what childhood she has left. She cannot help but to grow up
and see what the world is really about. She is not alone as she faces this awkward transition. She
has characters guide her to adulthood. She becomes less scared of growing up as she was before
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she started the game. Even though she become more mature, she is still clutching to some of her
childhood.

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Works Cited
Carroll, Lewis. Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. N.p.: n.p., 1897. Electronic.
Dipasquale, Allie. "Alice In Wonderland C1." Themes Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
M., Erin. "Alice's Trifles." Alices Trifles. N.p., 3 Dec. 2009. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.