Alice In Wonderland

In Lewis Carroll'sAlice's Adventures In Wonderland, daydreams make a significant impact on Alice's life. As Alice daydreams, she is in fact learning important lessons that help her change and grow--actually mature. The theme that every experience, whether real or imagined, contributes to one's maturity is brought out through characterization and symbolism in the novel. Through direct characterization, one learns about Alice and her unique experiences. Carroll takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of Alice's adventures through her elaborate dreams. Alice is described in the novel as being very youthful. Though it is obvious that she is really young, she is dying to grow up. She is an eight year old that hates being eight, so she tends to dream so that she feels more mature and up to par with her older, and sometimes wiser, family. She tries to adapt to her surroundings. Even when people aren't around she tries to act proper and tries to talk sophisticated; for example, when she was falling down the rabbit hole, she made comments on what longitude and latitude she could be at (Carroll 20) though she had no clue what longitude or latitude meant.

Also using direct characterization, Carroll shows Alice growing into an adult when she takes charge at the trial in chapter twelve. In this chapter, the Knave is on trial for stealing tarts. After making quick judgment without any evidence, the queen quickly orders "off with his head."(Carroll 116) Alice tells her that it is "stuff and nonsense"(Carroll 116) then, after arguing with the queen, Alice asks, "who cares for you? You're nothing but a deck of cards" (Carroll 116). This statement shows how Alice matures to stand up for what she believes in. She doesn't let anyone run over her or anyone else, especially people in power like the queen.

An example of symbolism in the novel is when Alice grows taller and taller "Now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Goodbye feet!"(Carroll 26). By this, Carroll seems to be using her growth as her growing up or foreshadowing her soon to be maturity.

Another example of symbolism would be during the Mad-Tea Party chapter. There Alice converses with the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and the dormouse. She finds that time is stopped there because the Hatter and Time were in a fight. At the end of this chapter, the Mad Hatter gets rude with Alice. After being insulted by the lack of respect shown by the Mad Hatter, Alice leaves (Carroll (74-75). This could be symbolizing how when she was faced with a decision whether to stay and be insulted or leave, time stopped. Then when she made the decision for herself time began again. She matured in making her own decisions.

In the ending chapters, Carroll shows how Alice has gotten bold by experiences. After dealing with the unruly company of Wonderland, Alice ends up learning that the best way to handle the people in Wonderland is by letting them know she would not be run over. Thus--She matured. Alice was shown growing as she made a decision to go down the rabbit hole, figuring out how to get into the garden by herself, and even trying to help the Knave get off innocent in the court case. (Carroll 20,75-76,116) All of these ways show Alice maturing and learning how to get what she wants in life. Wisdom like this only comes with experience--as does maturity.