The Reflection of Alice's Adventure in Wonderland

Before reading the original version of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, the only version I had read or precisely, “watched”, was the Disney version. So my first impression of this story was based on the Disney cartoon, Alice in Wonderland. When I watched it, I was too young to notice that there are many logical problems in the cartoon which is based on the original story. I only thought it was cute, colorful and funny. However, a couple months ago, when I read the original version which is written by Lewis Carroll, I felt that the story is so nonsense. It seems almost everything happens unreasonably and suddenly. And the characters are crazy. But in fact, this story is much profounder than I thought, after I learned that there are many word plays and the story reflects children’s self conflicts during growing up.

The writer, Lewis Carroll, was so smart. I admire him so much. He putted many word plays in this book like puns and adapting poems. And his life was so mysterious. He never got married. What’s more, some people say that he was a pedophile. There was a rumor says that he even proposed to a little girl, Alice Liddell, when she was only 11 years old. People also say that the Alice in the story is based on Alice Liddell. Aside from these rumors, I still think Lewis was a genius. He was a mathematician but he knew a lot of things such as literature, geography, art and so on. Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland is totally a masterpiece.

In chapter 2, Alice asks “Who in the world am I?” which is the question often appears in kids’ minds when they are growing up. This a about self definition and and self position. Through both of these, kids can find out who they are then build their self confidence. And the size change of Alice represents her growth. In the story, I discover the growth of Alice. She learns how to be polite, how to socialize. Especially at the end of this story, in the courtyard, she becomes big. And this time, it is not only her body grows up but also her mental because she could tell what is right and what is wrong.

In chapter 11, the dormouse scolds Alice and tells her she has no right to grow at such a rapid pace and take up all the air. Alice scoffs and calls the dormouse's accusation ridiculous because everyone grows and she cannot help it. The sentence, “everyone grows up and she cannot help it”, makes me feel sad although I totally agree with that. When I was little, I thought growing up is a happy thing. Every children want to grow up as soon as possible and adults would tell them that being children is the most carefree period of time. I couldn’t understand what does it mean. Now, I get it. The more you hear, you see, you learn, you know, you understand, the more experience you get. And the more reality and darkness you see, the more worries, troubles, responsibilities and pressure you have. When I was little, I knew few things. The only thing I knew is playing. However now, I feel time flies so fast. Instantly, I am an adult and not live with family. Ironically, now I want to go back to my childhood. But I can’t. Just like Alice says, I can’t help it. I can’t stop or turn back the time. I can only keep moving on.

To sum up, this story is a combination of wisdom and humor. The plots are interesting , funny, imaginative and creative. And I am so glad that I have read this masterpiece. I believe I will read it again and the sequel, Through The Looking Glass.