Constricted by the values and restrictions of the Victorian era, Alice maintains an idle and dreamy state to indirectly preserve her childhood. Her creativity is unmatched, and her focus nonexistent. She essentially lives in reverie and eventually gets lost "in a world of her own." Although the transition from reality to Wonderland could be seen as a superficial dream, the extent of her identity loss should truly be recognized as Alice's subconscious self making a drastic effort to find herself.
Victorian morality and values, overly conservative and restrictive, especially for females and children, are not conductive to Alice's unique creativity. She thrives in her imagination where everything is familiar and safe and comfortable and secure. As she probes and treks through the haphazard labyrinth that is Wonderland, she is forced to physically ruminate in that active imagination of hers. As much as this invigorates her, it leads her to make some realizations that don't necessarily reflect an acceptance of Victorian morality, but do indicate growth and maturing.
The difficulty of trying to get out of her own curiosity causes her to lose herself at first but eventually pushes and shoves her enough to step out of the protective bubble of daydreaming and into a self-awareness and assertiveness that is difficult to deal with, but will inevitably help her to "wake-up," get back into reality, and connect to the outside world.
Corey P. T.
I liked how you described that Alice is "physically forced to ruminate in that active imagination of hers", in a "labyrinth that is Wonderland."; a physical struggle through a fictitious world that is all mental. What a paradox! And how aspects of Alice's imagination clash with "overly conservative" Victorian values.Nice insight.
ReplyDelete-Taylor H.