Trail Of Changes In 'Alice In Wonderland'

Krista Adkins
Phillips/Cline
World Histories and Voices
21 November 2014
Trail of Changes
Experiencing a journey can cause you to come back a completely different person than you were going into it. No matter how long the journey, a few days or just a couple hours, that person you were yesterday is gone. Depending on the type of journey you experience, you can become more thankful and appreciative, or you may come out with more confidence, or maybe it can give you a better insight on the world, or possibly all three. Not only can the journey change the person, but the person can change the route along their way.
The novel, “Alice in Wonderland” shows how a journey can change a person in many different ways. One being, that it opens your eyes to the big picture, and sometimes it takes another person to show you that picture. The Caterpillar was that mentor for Alice. He first helped her by telling her that she could get back her height by eating the mushroom. He said “One side will make you taller and the other side will make you shorter.”(Carroll 43) The caterpillar also gave Alice a new perspective and helped her discover who she really is. “Who are you?” said the Caterpillar, “I—I hardly know sir, just at the present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I most have changed several times since

then.”(Carroll 39) This is when Alice realized that she isn’t the same person anymore, she’s grown from experiences. She has insight on the world.
Traveling Wonderland wasn’t exactly a bad journey, but it was crazy. Alice saw some crazy things, starting with the talking rabbit wearing a waistcoat and carrying a pocket watch. The rabbit didn’t just start her sightings of crazy things; he also started her journey throughout Wonderland. The rabbit led Alice to a fairly small door to Wonderland, which little did she know didn’t just take her to the breathtaking sight of the garden. It also led her to the constant fear of death or beheading by the Queen of Hearts. Alice approached trouble when she entered into the Queen’s castle and started to paint the roses. Since that moment, she faced the threat of death, but that forced her to become stronger and braver. When Alice attended the Knave’s trial and the Queen demanded that the trial come before the sentence, Alice criticized the Queen which resulted in the Queen calling for Alice’s beheading. However, Alice had grown to full size again and she batted away the cards as they attacked her. Alice had not only won the battle but she’d become stronger and more confident in herself.
During Alice’s battle with the cards, she suddenly woke up on her sister’s lap. She thought of what a curious dream she had, and all the strange adventures she went on. Like finding out that most cats grin. “I didn’t know that Cheshire cats grinned, in fact I didn’t know cats grinned.” “They all can, said the Duchess and most of ‘em do.”(Carroll 50) As Alice ran off into the house for teatime, she thought of what a wonderful dream she had. Even though, she had such a wonderful dream, she realized that she didn’t need Wonderland anymore. That she likes her normal life. She couldn’t have been more thankful and appreciative of coming back home to her sister after her life changing journey.
Journeying significantly changes a person but the people can also change the place or route. The Trans-Saharan trade route was a route that traded mainly, silk, gold, and salt along with some less popular items like ivory, pottery, spices, and obviously camels. Popular exchanges consisted of spices and iron from Kush and India. Other popular exchanges included tools, ceramics, silk and beads from Europe and Asia. The Islamic religion was also spread among this trade route, changing cultures, and beliefs in others. Unfortunately, diseases were also spread among many people throughout the Trans-Saharan trade route. Plague and Smallpox was brought from Europe, through North Africa and into West Africa drastically changing the route for the worse.
In conclusion, going through a journey can change somebody for the better or worse.

Favorably, in Alice’s case, it was for the better. She became a more confident, appreciative, and open-minded individual from her experiences and mistakes in Wonderland. She even said herself, “I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”(Carroll) Experiences like that don’t last for a lifetime, but the memory of them does. However, the person isn’t the only thing changed. The route also twists and turns along the way. A journey can really change a person, but that person always leaves their mark behind on the route they

took.

Works Cited
Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." The Trans-Saharan Gold Trade (7th–14th Century). N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
"How Did Goods Get Across the Sahara in Medieval Times?" About. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.