Alice in Wonderland Chapter V-III

Alice in Wonderland Chapter V-III

(Advice from a caterpillar - Looking glass insects ) 

The story of Alice in wonderland is this week post. The blogpost will discuss the following issues that the story raises: the identity crisis, the metamorphosis of oneself, the change around us that affects us but also the links between the story and culture and religion.

Alice in wonderland is a story about a girl who went to a different universe from hers, where creatures, labels, significance of words and also the power of language is different from the one we know. Alice during the story makes conversation with these creatures which made her abashed but also amazed, as she experienced changes physically and mentally.   

Alice in Wonderland, Advice from a Caterpillar, where Alice meets a caterpillar smoking hookah. The caterpillar questions Alice and she admits her present personality crisis, which is demonstrated by her powerlessness to remember the poem which is “Father William” (also known as “The Old Man’s Comforts”), by Robert Southey, which is a poem about the importance of living in moderation, and many Victorian children were required to memorize it. We can see that the character displayed as a caterpillar is well picked since its known for its transformation from a slow moving, fat and hideous animal to a beautifully colourful winged butterfly. In this respect the ‘Caterpillar’ character transmits the message to a reader to not to be afraid of a fundamental metamorphosis in his or her self. The Greek word ‘metamorphosis’ means ‘change in form’ and the Caterpillar himself is a proof of the transition of the self since he will change into a chrysalis and later into a butterfly. We also notice that this scene contains a few references to the oblivious. As we notice the Caterpillar smokes a water pipe, which is utilized in several cultures as a method for transcending conscious awareness. Additionally, the Caterpillar seems to have clairvoyant capacities, which appears from the accompanying section: One side will make you become taller, and the other side will make you become shorter.

In the Second part of the text Alice in Looking-glass. Alice and the Gnat talk about how one’s name should relate to one’s identity or physical characteristics. As they talk about the different names of various insects in their separate universes, the Gnat asks Alice about the purpose of names if the insects do not respond to the names when called by them. Alice explains that the names are not necessarily for animals and objects to identify themselves by and respond to, but rather, names help those with powers of language to label, classify, and organize what they experience. But in Looking-Glass World, people are not the only species with the power of speaking and language, which changes Alice's point of view about naming and the properties of names. Alice’s interactions with the Fawn are initially friendly, but then after discovering her human child identity he became hostile. And this fear of the Fawn towards Alice is similar to the Christian beliefs. As in Genesis, the forest is Eden, in which humans and animals coexisted. Then Alice and the Fawn exit the forest just as Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden after tasting from the Tree of Knowledge. Just like the story of the Fall of Eden, the Fawn becomes afraid once it remembers that Alice is a human and that she presents a threat to his safety.

Alice in wonderland is a story that describes the journey of every normal person, we tend to relate to it, due to the metaphors used in it, it shows our constant and infinite battle for finding and defining ourselves, but also our struggle to adapt when put in different environments. It is an amazing story but also a great lesson given by a wise Caterpillar and a fearful Fawn.