Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Author's name: Lewis Carroll Publisher: Dar Al-Mada for Publishing and Distribution Year of publication: 2022 Literary classification: Novel - Children's Literature Book overview: Lewis Carroll was impressed by the innocent and unbiased approach of young children to the world they live in. He wanted to show the reader in "Alice in Wonderland" their perspective on the adult world, which includes social rules and manners that adults adhere to, as well as narcissism and bad habits they adopt in their daily behaviors. He also wanted to depict the struggle of children to continue in the turbulent adult world, which, in order to be understood in their minds, forced Alice to abandon the openness that is considered a personal trait of young children. As is evident, adults need rules in their lives, and they follow them without seriously considering their usefulness. Their blind obedience drives them to adopt behaviors that are sometimes incomprehensible and arbitrary. Alice experienced this in Wonderland. When she entered it, she faced a different way of life and thinking than what she was used to in her environment. There, a Duchess tries to find logic in everything, and there are unjust trials against people who have committed no sin. Alice learned from her journey to understand the adult world to some extent. In truth, the young girl was experiencing a stage of maturity, as evidenced by the physical changes she repeatedly went through in the story. She was growing and shrinking constantly, each time adding something new to her knowledge basket. She understood that the inhabitants of Wonderland are "always angry," and that she must adapt to the strange rules and changing moods. Over time, she managed to handle the situation in the best way, daring to describe the orders of the Queen of Hearts as pure nonsense, and she prevented executions. Although she faced doubts about her identity as she grew and shrank, this was most evident in the question of the caterpillar sitting on the surface of the mushroom: "Who are you?" Alice was confused at that moment, and her ability to find a convincing answer failed her after the repeated physical changes that morning. But she eventually realized that the creatures she encountered—although some suffered from identity instability, like the child who turned into a pig—are in fact just a deck of playing cards. She immediately woke from her dream to find herself in her real world.