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It appears to be a
way of saying that even The Garden of Eden can be in chaos, or that the garden
isn't really what it appears to be. Or, having in mind his Victorian irony in
the tale, a way of saying that our lives on Earth are, in fact, the closest we
can get to a paradise, and that it is ruled my a malignous queen with little
respect for human lives. These theories are, of course, merely speculations and
it would be quite rude to suggest even madder parallells, which isn't at all
difficult with a childrens' story of this kind. Some people have gone very far
in their claims that Lewis Carroll wrote the stories while influenced by opium.
They say the fifth chapter with the smoking Blue Caterpillar is about drugs.
These claims have no real evidence or facts to point at, and it seems that
they're just mad rumours made up by people who want to see more than there is in
a fairy tale. It is fairly obvious that the visions of the stories derive from
the genious of a man, and not from drug influence.
If the worlds in the books
are somewhat surreal it surely comes from Dodgson having a vivid imagination and
an ability to make nonsense worlds alive. He definitely had his share of
problems, but drugs don't seem to have been one of them. At a closer look, there
seems to be a whole lot of anguish in the story. This becomes even more apparent
in the sequel, Through the Looking Glass, and its introductory poem, where the
following can be found: I have not seen thy sunny face, / Nor heard thy silver
laughter; / No thought of me shall find a place / In thy young life's
hereafter—. The part surely expresses Dodgson's feelings for missing the young
girl Alice used to be before growing up. Perhaps the first story is more like a
description of a young friend growing up and disappearing out of one's life by
becoming an adult, and as such, out of Dodgson's reach. Dodgson lost contact
with Alice Liddell in 1868, a few years before the publishing of the sequel. It
seems that the first book is a tribute to a friend who, in time, will be lost to
Dodgson, and that the sequel is, considering its tone, an epitaph.
This is
clearly seen in the last lines (actually, it's just one long sentence) of the
first story when Alice's sister thinks of Alice: Lastly, she pictured to herself
how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown
woman ; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and
loving heart of her childhood: and how she would gather about her other little
children, and make their eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps
even with the dream of Wonderland of long-ago: and how she would feel with all
their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering
her own child- life, and the happy summer days. It appears to be Dodgson's own
thoughts about the girl growing up expressed through one of Alice's sisters.
Another quote that expresses Dodgson's feelings for getting old found in the
same introduction mentioned above: We are but older children, dear, / Who fret
to find our bedtime near. This melancholy tone of Dodgson's can be found in
various parts of the sequel, which expresses his grief of losing the close
friend he once had before she grew up and vanished. The very last poem in the
sequel begins its lines with letters that make up Alice Pleasance Liddell — her
complete name. Charles Dodgson’s academic education shows in his books. The
exotic fantasy creatures who inhabit the worlds of his imagination all have very
peculiar names made up from real words in English, French and Latin. For
example, the Dormouse is a sleeping mouse.
Dormire in Latin means to sleep,
while there's no need to explain the rest of the word. Conclusion It is very
difficult to decide on or write a conclusion to a project concerning so
intricate subjects as this. I've tried to show some different interpretations
and keep the whole project as objective as possible. The subject is vast and
there could probably be years spent on it without reaching a definitive answer,
and therefore I suggest people use their own imagination, common sense and logic
when discussing the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. One of the few
certain things are that Charles Lutwidge Dodgson really loved children and
dedicated his works for them. Whether this love of his was sexual or platonic is
almost impossible to decide with the few indications he left after him. (used to
be available here) - BACK -
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