WONDERLAND AS THE SYMBOL OF THE ADULT WORLD In addition to the abovementioned similarities with the psychological theory, linguistic measures and changes in size, the motif of coming-of-age is reflected in the way Lewis Caroll constructed the realm of Wonderland and the behavior of its inhabitants who represent the world of adults. The description of Alice’s adventures also pertains to the motif of growing-up as it demonstrates her still immature state of mind: mind of a seven-year-old child who is not yet fully sure about her identity, but still strives to become an adult. The very beginning of the story already shows the state of the girl’s mind: the first chapter begins with the scene with her sitting next to the sister, reading a boring …show more content…
The games that creatures play and the way they behave is impossible to master just by the use of principles as most of the events are illogical and absurd. The bases of caucus race or the behavior of the Duchess who perpetually attempts to find the moral of every story are just impossible for Alice to fathom. The realm she gets into does not match the definitions taught at school, and therefore the child gets lost (D'Ambrosio 3). If one considers the Wonderland creatures the representations of the adult world, one could take the aforementioned scenes as a proof that even though people try to prepare the child for being adult, all the morals acquired during lessons seem useless when the child eventually becomes one because the adult world is far too mad to comprehend. Although Alice maintains she has the right to think, the other creatures ridicule her. They claim to be better, but at the same time usually turn out to be harsh and cruel, making honest that Alice feels insecure. (Hubbell 22) The girl even starts to miss her cat, Dinah, which may here be interpreted as a symbol of childhood