A renewed curiosity: Rereading Lewis Carroll’s "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"
“Why is a raven like a writing desk?”
— Mad Hatter, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”
The most mind-boggling question in history, if you ask me. And even after 10 years, I still don’t have the answer to this question.
I remember reading this book when I was very young — it was a version catered to children. With as much curiosity and an adventurous spirit as Alice, my young self devoured this book within minutes of receiving it. In the palm of my hands, it was an escape from my childhood troubles of school assignments. Knowing I had a whole world in my hands felt powerful and empowering as a young person.
Fast-forward to my 20s and now, the story still embraces me with the same magic, imagination, and childlike wonder.
The story begins with Alice as she wonders about the exciting activity she should do while she spends time with her sister on a hot summer day. A white rabbit in formal garb and a waist-pocket watch catches her attention. With “burning curiosity”, she follows the white rabbit and falls down into the deep hole, leading to Wonderland.
From there, she meets a variety of characters — all of whom are just as interested and curious about her as she is about them. Without a fear of the unknown, she delves into the eccentric and peculiar world of Wonderland. She asks advice from a caterpillar larger than her, asks directions from a cat with an unsual grin, and drinks tea with a mouse and a hatter. She plays croquet with a contemptuous queen, and even attends a jury about stolen tarts.
For those of you who grew up with the Disney adaptation, the name Lewis Carroll may have been a household name for all things children’s literature. His real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Born and raised in England, Carroll was a talented person and was adept in many skills related to math, logic, photography, and of course, writing. His most notable literary works include “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, “Through the Looking-Glass”, and his poem “The Jabberwocky”. He was known to have a stammer, but this was not as prominent when he spoke to young children. One of these children whom he was acquainted with was Alice Liddell, the daughter of his colleague and the inspiration of his most famous novel.
Alice’s self-talk and maturity
What makes the reading experience of this book so interesting is Alice and her “self-talk.” She has moments when she would talk about longitude and latitude, or even about her friend Mabel. She carries this sense of maturity that comes from a place of imagination and openness — she reads the inscription on the “Drink Me!’ potion before chugging it down, and she calmly ignores the Mad Hatter’s insults towards her. Rather than agreeing with the Queen of Hearts’ unkind behaviour to her courtiers, she speaks her mind in front of her. Most importantly, Alice is a great listener — a trait that can be difficult to practice nowadays. She listens to the Lobster’s Quadrille story and the slow-paced nature of the Mock Turtle’s narrative.
Perhaps, this is the reason why I loved this book and the film as a young shy child: I was able to see a girl of about my age go through all these amazing adventures with such great character and confidence.
Changing our approach to reading
During a time when children’s literature was meant to be a source of moral lessons for young readers, Lewis Carroll disrupted logical flow with playful language, descriptive writing, and nonsensical poems. And while a reader might read into all of these tones of humour and fun, I think that the book challenges the way we approach novels. Perhaps, by reading the book with the same wonder and curiosity as Alice, we move past our habit of over-analyzing every nuance, and simply accept the story and enjoy it as it is.
In the same way, the book calls us to appreciate every passing moment, whether big or small, whether victorious or not, and to see every experience as an opportunity to grow. Just like Alice who entered the world like a sponge, ready to absorb the new knowledge and curiosities of Wonderland, we could reimagine the world we live in by being open-minded to the possibilities that it has to offer. Her growth, both metaphorically and physically, is symbolic of the personal growth that awaits us when we allow our experiences to shape our identities and our narrative.
"It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."
— Alice, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”
A renewed curiosity
Reading “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” during the pandemic was nothing short of nostalgic: I was reminded of my childlike tendencies when reading books — reading for enjoyment, and not for productivity; reading for nostalgia, and not to fulfill a reading goal.
Because of the pandemic, many of us have felt the urgency to produce work and to expend energy on productive endeavours. It’s easy to fall into the trap of overworking one’s self. If you’re looking for a breather, and a nostalgic one too, give this book a chance.
The book is a breath of fresh air. “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” was just the perfect book to delve into during these hard times because it gave me the sense of nostalgia, comfort, and imaginative possibility I needed. It renewed my curiosity of art, of books, of people and conversation, of nature, and of the world.
Through this book, I was able to reimagine my little bedroom as a space of hope and creative wonder.
And I hope it does the same for you, too.
References:
On Lewis Carroll: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lewis-Carroll
“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll, published in 1865 by Macmillan & Co., London.