alice in wonderland
...ore of an adult book that also could be enjoyed by children. In the 1920’s and the 1930’s, a number of prominent authors and literary critics discovered that the delightful Alice fantasies that had captivated their generation as children continued to engage them as adults, resonating with mature concerns and perplexities about existence, knowledge, human motivation and society. The Alice’s, they found, frequently addressed issues beyond comprehension and appreciation of even the most precious child. They came to believe that Carol had informed these “nonsense books”- whether consciously or unconsciously-with much sense (Rackin 21). Many children do not find this novel enjoyable, this is not because the books are not humorous to them, though they do not catch on all the jokes for they are too young to appreciate some of the references, they are put off by this book because they understand them, maybe too well. They often find the book quite terrifying. Significantly, the similar out of place, recognizable details of Alice that frighten children tend to have the reverse effects on adults. What confuses and repeatedly repels children quite often engages and captivates adults (Rackin 107-108). As stated earlier, this book was intended for British readers of the Victorian era, many of the references and jokes refer to the political and class system of Britain during that time. “ Much of their wit is interwoven with Victorian events and customs unfamiliar to American readers today, and even to readers in England (Gardner xxiii). Following the incident of Alice swimming through a pool of her own tears, she and the other animals decide that the best way to dry off would be a caucus race. “ ‘What I was going to say,’ said the Dodo in an offended tone, ‘was that the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus race’”(Carroll 31). The term Caucus race was developed in the United States, it was to imply a meeting of the leaders of a faction to decide on a candidate or policy. This term was adopted in England, but was used differently in terms of its definition. It was used to refer to a system of highly disciplined organization by a committee. It was in England used by one party as an abusive term for an organization of an opposing party; Carol may have wished-for his caucus race to symbolize the fact that committee members generally do a lot of running around in circles, getting nowhere, and everybody wanting a political plum. As well, the running of the caucus race in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland symbolizes the running of politicians for office (Gardner 31). The thimble that is given to Alice as a prize after the caucus race also represents a form of government in Britain during the Victorian era. The thimble that is taken from Alice and then returned to her stands for the way governments take taxes from the pockets of citizens and then return the money in the form of political projects (Gardner 31). Another message pertaining to British society would be the scene where Alice is with the duchess. Alice remarks, “There’s certainly too much pepper in that soup!” (Carroll 61). This incident refers to Victorian England customs, for the lower class put excessive pepper in their soup to rid the taste of slightly spoiled meat and vegetables. The “Alice books” have been increasingly valued by critics as crucial artifacts that offer important clues to the dynamics of Victorian and post-Victorian thought, ideology and behavior”(Rackin 24). The use of drugs in Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is also a very main theme. In Carroll’s time in Victorian England five out of six families used opium habitually. Infant deaths were dramatic due to the use of this narcotic. It was said that infants “shrank up into little old men” when they became sick. This image is similar to that of the duchess’ baby turning into a pig. “The baby grunted again, and Alice looked very anxiously into its face to see what was the matter with it. There could be no doubt that it had a very turn-up nose, much more like a snout than a real nose: also it’s eyes were getting extremely small for a baby: altogether Alice did not like the look of the thing at all (Gardner 63). The widespread use of opium during the Victorian period is reflected in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Mind altering experiences resulting from narcotics relate nicely to some of the detailed descriptions throughout the Alice books, such as growing and shrinking, and the image of the caterpillar smoking the hookah, which was used to smoke opium. An example of a mind-altering experience can bee seen through the Cheshire cat who suddenly disappears and reappears right before Alice’s very own eye representing hallucinations. Also, the idea of eating a mushroom or drinking from a bottle that causes one to feel ...