Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Many Themes in Alice and Wonderland
Throughout Alice in Wonderland I kept thinking about Gulliver's Travels and how there are many themes all working together in one. While there were many similar themes between the two works, I thought the most prevalent themes in Alice and Wonderland were criticism of politics/law, identity, and the significance of language. However, I though the criticisms of politics and government were the most interesting. First, the Caucus race seemed to show the absurdity of British government and politicians, running around without a purpose and ending up right where they started without accomplishing anything. I also thought the fact that the Queen was merely a playing card and how she never actually executed anyone revealed how powerless a tyrant can actually be when people (like Alice) use reason to combat their absurd behaviors.
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However, as a political commentary, it loses its significance over time considering we must research British history in order to understand the full context of the political atmosphere that Carroll is satirizing. While we can still discern some of the issues that are dealt with, as Sam points out, the full effect seems to be lost in the absurdity of it all. Without knowing historical context, the story tends to break down into nonsensical children's literature that may or may not be appealing to the reader.
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