Alice's Identity

Finding One’s Identity Identity: “the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different from others” ("Identity"). In life sometimes it can be difficult for one to know truly who they are, especially when one finds themselves in an unfamiliar place where no one is sane. In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice Liddell is a young girl who finds herself in a new world where everything is strange and abnormal to her. Alice is troubled with the different challenges she faces and struggles to find her identity in this mystical world that includes talking animals, a Queen of Hearts, and food that can change one’s size. The struggle one may face to find identity is conveyed in Lewis Carroll’s, Alice’s Adventures
Lewis Carroll conveys the struggle to find identity through characterization. Alice was a young girl when she entered Wonderland and did not have a strong sense of self understanding. Readers can see early in the story that Alice seemed to be quite conflicted and apprehensive about who she truly was. “...And once she remembered trying to box her own ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet she was playing against herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending to be two people” (Carroll 12). Alice was doubtful when it came to identifying her true self and pretended to be numerous different people. Even before entering the curious Wonderland, Alice grappled with comprehending her identity and it led to self doubt in multiple occasions. It is especially difficult for children to get an understanding of their identities because they have not experienced enough in their lives that they could learn from nor
As Alice began to understand more about Wonderland and felt like she could have a rightful place there, she eventually “mastered” her destiny. From the beginning, Alice struggled with her size which ultimately affected her comprehension of herself. “One of the main things that the child must grapple with on such a journey, and one of the principal themes that Alice takes up, is the question of his/her identity in that world. "Who are you?" Alice was frequently asked who she was early in her adventures, and it is a question that she at first has a difficult time answering. Her initial erratic changes in size could be said to represent her inability to "fit" herself into this world” (Walker). Throughout the story Alice was mistaken for other people, or she was just lost when asked who she was. After conquering these struggles and misinterpretations she faces the Queen of Hearts and defeats