There are many adaptations of books to movies out there today, none more prevalent than Lewis Carroll’s works; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, The Hunting of the Snark, Jabberwocky. While initially Carroll’s writings are considered to be literary nonsense and fanciful works he is known for his fantasy word play. Alice in Wonderland is so loved that it has been made into two movies, one is 1951 and the more recent in 2010. While much of the story has basically followed Carroll’s work, it has been adapted to fit the generations of each time period it was remade. Follow me while I examine these adaptations and fall in love with both the book and movie from Lewis Carroll’s works.
If you have ever read the book “Alice
The Ethos aspect o Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the 1951 version titled Alice in Wonderland are basically the same. Each centers on a young girl in Victorian era England and an imaginative world best known as Wonderland. Alice falls down a rabbit hole and lands in a place that is so absurd and baffling that it is hard to think that a world such as this could exist. Alice tries to come to terms with Wonderland as she grows and figures out more about herself than she ever has before. In both the book and 1951 movie Alice is a young girl, pre teen possibly, who goes on a journey of a life time. I would say that this journey is one that many young adults go on in one way or another and when they come to the end they discover what they are really made of and all of the things that they can accomplish if they really put their minds to it. “One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Which road do I take?” she asked.”Where do you want to go?” was his response. “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.” (Carrol) This journey in turn also relates to the pathos aspect of the story. The power in her experience is one that each and every one of us can relate to in some form or fashion. The book is full of emotions from fear, wonderment, sadness, and joy. It is no
A young girl who falls into a world where up is down and down is up and right is left and left is right. “I knew who I was this morning but I’ve changed a few times since then.” (Carrol) This is a book I have and would recommend for anyone with young girl or young children in their family. This story is one of full imagination and intellectual thought provoking circumstances that leads the reader to imagine a world where anything is possible. What a world that would be! It teaches us that being different is not a bad thing and in some cases our differences is what helps us triumph over adversity. “Have I gone mad?” “I’m afraid so, you’re entirely BONKERS. But I’ll tell you a secret… ALL THE BEST PEOPLE
National Catholic Register. Reprinted at Decent Films. “Alice in Wonderland (2010)”. Steven D. Greydanus. http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/aliceinwonderland2010
Alice in Wonderland is a Disney film that is different from all the others. It was released in 1951, similar to Cinderella, and helped the world get over the war. It is the 13th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and is one of Mr. Disney’s favorites. Alice is a bit younger than most female Disney characters, about seven or eight. Most of the other Disney movie’s offer a world where the character had no control on what was in it, however Alice gets to live in her own Wonderland. She is a very adventurous child and wants to discover what is around her, testing her imagination. Alice learns many lessons and values that most young children should learn and use in their own lives. Most of the Disney movies have many valuable lessons that can be related to everyday life.
Kelly, Richard. Lewis Carroll “Alice” 78-97. U of Tenn. Twayne Publishers, G. K. Hall & Co. Boston, Mass 1977.
Thus, Alice in Wonderland is a good illustration of a Hero’s Journey. This story allows us to see how Alice overcomes the three main phases, and most of the stages identified by Campbell in her journey-transformation from an undisciplined child to a wise young adult. Throughout the story, Alice overcomes the nonsense of the young and the old before she truly understands what adulthood is all about. All through her adventures in Wonderland, she encounters numerous new situations and meets different archetypes that are necessary for her to be considered a Hero.
Carroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland . 3rd. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. Print.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a story about a little girl who comes into contact with unpredictable, illogical, basically mad world of Wonderland by following the White Rabbit into a huge rabbit – hole. Everything she experiences there challenges her perception and questions common sense. This extraordinary world is inhabited with peculiar, mystical and anthropomorphic creatures that constantly assault Alice which makes her to question her fundamental beliefs and suffer an identity crisis. Nevertheless, as she woke up from “such a curious dream” she could not help but think “as well she might, what a wonderful dream it had been ”.
The title character, Alice, is a young girl around pre-teen age. In the real world, the adult characters always look down on her because of her complete nonsense. She is considered the average everyday immature child, but when she is placed in the world of "Wonderland," the roles seem to switch. The adult characters within Wonderland are full of the nonsense and Alice is now the mature person. Thus creating the theme of growing up'. "...Alice, along with every other little girl is on an inevitable progress toward adulthood herself"(Heydt 62).
The gender roles change from the original to the remake. The original Alice role is defined as a young girl who is able to explore her curiosity, but she is constrained by her feminine characteristics. Alice being a young girl is portrayed as helpless in many situations throughout her journey. The characters of Wonderland offer her assistance, but she remains most times crying by herself. Alice’s character clearly shows the innocence and virtue American society attached to girls roles in the
...ich are somewhat symbolic of religion as a whole and finding her own beliefs. For instance, the garden that Alice has trouble accessing represents Eden, the flawless world Adam and Eve lived in before they sinned. She has trouble reaching this garden being Alice isn’t yet ready to go to such a perfect place as she herself isn’t pure of heart and still struggles with understanding what she believes in. Throughout Alice’s journey, however, she begins to learn more regarding herself with each curious encounter in wonderland.
Although the novel is notorious for its satire and parodies, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland main theme is the transition between childhood and adulthood. Moreover, Alice’s adventures illustrate the perplexing struggle between child and adult mentalities as she explores the curious world of development know as Wonderland. From the beginning in the hallway of doors, Alice stands at an awkward disposition. The hallway contains dozens of doors that are all locked. Alice’s pre-adolescent stage parallels with her position in the hallway. Alice’s position in the hallway represents that she is at a stage stuck between being a child and a young woman. She posses a small golden key to ...
Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland follows the story of young Alice trapped in the world of Wonderland after falling down through a rabbit-hole. The rabbit-hole which is filled with bookshelves, maps, and other objects foreshadows the set of rules, the ones Alice is normally accustomed to, will be defied in Wonderland. This conflict between her world and Wonderland becomes evident shortly after her arrival as evinced by chaos in “Pool of Tears” and Alice brings up the main theme of the book “was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I am not the same, the next question is who am I?” (Carroll 18). After Alice fails to resolve her identity crisis using her friends, Alice says “Who am I, then? Tell me that first, and then, if I like being that person, I’ll come up: if not, I’ll stay down here til I’m somebody else” (Carroll 19). Hence in the beginning, Alice is showing her dependency on others to define her identity. Nevertheless when her name is called as a witness in chapter 12, Alice replies “HERE!” without any signs of hesitation (Carroll 103). Close examination of the plot in Alice in Wonderland reveals that experiential learning involving sizes leads Alice to think logically and rationally. Alice then attempts to explore Wonderland analytically and becomes more independent as the outcome. With these qualities, Alice resolves her identity crisis by recognizing Wonderland is nothing but a dream created by her mind.
The characters in Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are more than whimsical ideas brought to life by Lewis Carroll. These characters, ranging from silly to rude, portray the adults in Alice Liddell’s life. The parental figures in Alice’s reality, portrayed in Alice in Wonderland, are viewed as unintellectual figures through their behaviors and their interactions with one another. Alice’s interactions with the characters of Wonderland reflect her struggles with adults in real life. Naturally curious as she is, Alice asks questions to learn from the adults.
In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, Alice is put in a variety of situations that expose her to different point of views. She meets the other characters of Wonderland as she takes on the role of a chess piece and moves through the “squares” of the chess board designed realm. By the end Alice has gained a new understanding and appreciation of her world, as well as her place in it. Carroll created a series of works that have inspired and entertained multiple generations. The story of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland, however, begins not with the writings of Lewis Carroll, but with the life of Charles Dodgson.
Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz are films based on the novel of their respective film. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was originally written by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) in 1865, with the film adaption being directed by Tim Burton in 2010. Likewise, L. Frank Baum initially wrote the Wizard of Oz in 1900, with the film adaption being directed by Victor Fleming in 1939. As both of the films were written in the 19th century, they both explore the character’s journey in an imaginary world through the technique of symbolism, corresponding to the time of writing.
Alice in Wonderland belongs to the nonsense genre, and even if most of what happens to Alice is quite illogical, the main character is not. “The Alice books are, above all, about growing up” (Kincaid, page 93); indeed, Alice starts her journey as a scared little girl, however, at the end of what we discover to be just a dream, she has entered the adolescence phase with a new way to approach the mentally exhausting and queer Wonderland. It is important to consider the whole story when analyzing the growth of the character, because the meaning of an event or a sentence is more likely to mean what it truly looks like rather than an explanation regarding subconscious and Freudian interpretations. Morton states “that the books should possess any unity of purpose seems on the surface unlikely” (Morton, page 509), but it’s better to consider the disconnected narrative and the main character separately, since the girl doesn’t belong to Wonderland, which is, as Morton says, with no intrinsic unity. Whereas, there are a few key turning points where it is possible to see how Alice is changing, something that is visible throughout her journey. Carroll wants to tell the story of a girl who has to become braver in order to contend with challenges like the pool made by her own tears, or assertive characters, like the Queen.