The Curious Connection between
aLICE'S aDVENTURES IN wonderland & Dreams
A FEW Alice's Adventure in Wonderland
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Lewis Carroll wrote about the adventures of a girl who dreams of surreal lands with fantastical creatures. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a children's chapter book about the fantasy world Alice finds herself in where she must find her way through Wonderland. During Alice's adventure, she meets unforgettable characters such as the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar, the Red Queen, and many others where each adds to the wit and dimension of the story (Russell 11).
Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud claimed that dreams preserve sleep by protecting the sleeper from external stimulation and by allowing us to fulfill secret wishes harmlessly. Dreams may help to organize thoughts, solve emotional or intellectual problems, or act as a "cinema of the mind," keep the brain stimulated without having to wake the sleeper. Alternatively, dreams maybe meaningless, serving no special function (Klein 2). In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a blue, hookah-smoking caterpillar cannot understand why being many different sizes in a day is so confusing to Alice, for the caterpillar is ready to change into a chrysalis and then into a butterfly without a moment's thought (Klein 9): "Who are you" said the Caterpillar This was not an encouraging opening for conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I - I hardly know, sir, just at present - at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have changed several times since then.' 'What do you mean by that?' said the Caterpillar sternly. 'Explain yourself!' 'I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, sir' Alice replied very politely, 'for I can't understand it myself to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing.' 'It isn't,' said the Caterpillar. 'Well, perhaps you haven't found it so yet,' said Alice; 'but when you have to turn into a chrysalis - you will someday, you know - and then after that into a butterfly, I should think you'll feel it a little queer, won't you?' (Carroll 45). Dreaming of bugs and insects has been suggested that an individual is worried about something; they are symbolic of anxieties and fears. To see a caterpillar in a dream signifies a stage in personal growth and development where an individual is on the path but has not yet reached their goal ("Dream Moods"). Native American Indian tribe's look at dreams as a way of receiving guidance from the spirits of the earth in the form of animals. According to the Indian's animals represent or embody different meanings. In Indian dream interpretations a rabbit, such as the White Rabbit, represents fear and overcoming limiting beliefs. Cats are seen as guardians of the spirit and good fortune ("Native American Animal Symbols"). Alternatively, Alice is all the figures in her dream in which each represent different aspects of internalized self; so she is both the croquet game without rules and the furious Red Queen enforcer of rules. Alice is seen as a child who both breaks rules and needs them; these adults are not external to her but internalized, then expressed in dream figures (Halle-Valle & Binder np). These characters are then seen as symbols of her needs and desires according to Freud. Something about Carroll's imaginative, whimsical children's novel is particularly suited for other areas of art, entertainment, and literature. Alice's Adventure in Wonderland has inspired a slew of live performances, movies and television shows, comic books, parodies and even amusement parks. Alice has been adapted 25 times; critics have said that Alice may be eternal and enduring due to the quite compelling premise that is simple, brilliant, unbridled, and unhinged imagination (Chokshi np). The Royal Ballet's reprisal of Alice's Adventure in Wonderland, written by Nicholas Wright, added to Carroll's story by adding romance and other characters such as Jack, the gardener's son and making the Queen of Heart's Alice's mother who fell down the rabbit hole (Poon np). Works Cited: Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventure in Wonderland. New York: Dover Thift, 1933. Print. Chokski, Niraj. "What's So Special about 'Alice in Wonderland'?. The Atlantic. N. p., 5 Mar. 2010. Web. 16 Jan. 2014 http://theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2010/03/whats-so-special-about-alice-in-wonderland/36998/. "Dream Moods Dream Themes: Bugs." Dream Moods Dream Themes: Bugs. N. p., 1 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamthemes/bugs.htm. Halle-Valle, Anna, & Binder, Per-Einar. "In Wonderland: A Phenomenological, Developmental & Self Psychological Analysis of a Child's Playful Encounter with a New Reality." Nordic Psychology 61.2 (2009): 16-28. PsycARTICLES. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. Klein, Barrett A. "The Curious Connection between Insects and Dreams." Insects (2075-4450) 3.1 (2012): 1-17. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. "Native American Animal Symbols." Support Artisans Crafting Indian Gifts, Native American Art and Crafts. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. http://www.support-native-american-art.com/Native-American-Animal-Symbols.html. Poon, Kina. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Dance Magazine 86.4 (2012): 56-57. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. Russell, David L. Literature for children: a short introduction. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print. |