Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and Wizard of Oz are great works of fantasy. Each novel incorporates aspects that can help the reader understand more about a child’s way of thinking and his/her journey to adulthood. Also elements from Bettelheim, Freud and Jung can be applied in analyzing each work.
In both Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and Wizard of Oz , the authors delineate essential components to show how the main characters, Alice and Dorothy, mature from childhood to adulthood. This concept of growth into adulthood is an essential theme in both novels. In the first book, Alice is very unsure of herself and is even depicted in one point, to be having an identity crisis. With each character she was introduced to, she found her own self-image deteriorating, questioning her previously stable self-image. But in Through the Looking Glass her maturity and new reassurance in herself is present.
We can see this by the way each individual she encounters does not horribly affect her and how she even finds herself helping the other characters in the looking glass. Alice also finds her true self and place in society throughout the novel as she learns to deal with her situations. For instance, when she underwent the series of physical changes (when she ate the mushroom, or the cake) she began to perceive the world from many different aspects. Eventually she came to the conclusion that she could tamper with life’s preordained course. By speaking out against the court and its rulings, Alice takes on a more assertive role, which signals her rite of passage into adulthood.
The Essay on The Glass Menagerie – Character Analysis Of Tom Wingfield
A brother, a son, a friend, Tom Wingfield the narrator and a character in the play, The Glass Menagerie, which is based on Toms memory of his many experiences living with his mum and sister during the Great Depression. As this is a recollection, the play has a hard time presenting the events objectively as the mind, most often times distort the facts of events. Tom is an aspiring poet, which works ...
In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy also undergoes a drastic change that helps her understand her worth as a young adult and her place in society. Throughout her adventure in Land of Oz, she learns to be less egotistic and show more empathy for others. This can be seen when she aids her three companions, the scarecrow, tin woodsman, and the cowardly lion, attain their deepest desire. Even in moments of peril, she would stand side by side with her newfound friends and confront their problems with them. This act alone signals an internal growth and maturation. Dorothy also never loses sight of her objective, which is to get home. This is a responsible act that shows that she knows where she belongs and has no intent of leaving her “old life” behind. By the end of the story, Dorothy becomes more cognizant of her surroundings and realizes that there’s no place like home.
I believe that AIW/ TLG and The Wizard of Oz highly differ in many aspects. For one, Lewis Carroll’s novels are more complex and are intended for a much older age group than WOZ. The WOZ had a very banal plot and storyline. Its characters were “flat” for the most part, and the book was written in a language that would be suitable for children ages 4-6. AIW and TLG, on the other hand, had a very complex intricate scheme that used an array of literary techniques to convey its story. For example, Carroll used a device called “pun” which is a humorous use of the same word in more than one sense, or of two different words similarly pronounced, to give more flavor to the story. Also AIW/TLG delineates a harsh and a more confused world than that in WOZ.
In the land of OZ, the inhabitants were all very civil for the most part (not including the evil witches) and were all bent on helping the main character, Dorothy. This land also had a form of government and rules that the citizens had to abide by. This created a more uniform and organized society. Wonderland conversely had no sense of law and order (even though it had a royal family and a trial system).
The Queen was a tyrant and her laws were based on her fancy. Also the creatures in Wonderland were very rude and “mad.” This made it harder for Alice to attain her desired goal.
The Essay on Adventures In Wonderland Alice Carroll Story
At the mention of the name Alice, one tends to usually think of the children's stories by Lewis Carroll. Namely, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two classic works of children's literature that for over a century have been read by children and adults alike. These two stories tell the tale of a young girl named Alice who finds herself in peculiar surroundings, ...
The principles present in the teachings of Bettelheim, Freud and Jung can be incorporated with both novels, Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and The Wizard of Oz. In AIW and TLG, Alice initially feels overwhelmed and impotent with the obstacles she had to endure in her fantasy realm (Bettelheim).
However, throughout her journey, she tries to cope with her situations and eventually makes order out of this chaotic state of mind. This is evident in the final chapter of AIW, where Alice faces the Red Queen and confronts her for what she truly is, a playing card. Dorothy also tries to seek a form of order in WOZ by maintaining equanimity in times of distress.
Freud’s id, ego, and super ego can also be seen in these works. In AIW, the id of the story could be the Red Queen because her actions are very haste and carefree. She was dominated by whimsical fancies that are not governed by rational thought. Thus the ego would than be Alice for she had rational thought at times and the super ego would be the White Queen because she the parent (mother) figure in the novel. In WOZ, the id could be the wicked witch’s desire to attain Dorothy’s magic slippers. This witch was blinded by greed and her actions reflected this. The ego of this story would be Dorothy. Throughout the story Dorothy demonstrated that she had the ability to aid her friends and accomplish her task no matter what obstacles came her way. And finally the super ego would be good witch because she was like a mother figure to Dorothy. By placing a simple kiss on her forehead, which showed love, Dorothy became impregnable.
Jung’s principles are also evident in Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and Wizard of Oz. For instance, there is a shadow figure in both these novels. In AIW the shadow or the “dark side of the ego” is the Red Queen. She is very cruel and has no empathy for others. In WOZ, the shadow figure is the wicked witches of the land. They symbolize the essence of evil in Oz. There is also a trickster in both works. In AIW, the Cheshire cat be seen as the trickster because he is very sneaky and considers himself and all the creatures in Wonderland “mad.” In WOZ, the trickster can be Oz himself because he had the nerve to deceive everyone in his land. He was a humbug.
The Essay on Alice Walker Life Blinded Black
Blinded Alice Walker Alice Walker Blinded in one eye from an accidental gunshot wound at the young age of eight, Alice Walker realized that the rest of her life probably held many hardships and rough times ahead. Racism, oppression, discrimination, and bigotry all played great roles in all of the Alice Walker s works throughout her life. During her lifetime, Walker was accused of hating black men, ...
I really enjoyed Lewis Carroll’s structural makeup in TLG. He sets the framework for the plot in the introductory paragraph and than uses ensuing chapters as squares on a chess board. Alice has to go through to reach the eighth square (consequently the ninth chapter) to become a queen (as in the queen piece from a chess game).
This format makes it easier for the reader to somewhat keep track of Carroll’s way of thinking and helps the reader keep track of Alice through her adventures. This gives the novel a sense of organization where in other areas the novel leaves the reader confused and highly disorientated.
I also liked the underlying message Lewis Carroll tried to convey to his audience. I think Carroll was trying to get the reader to evaluate his/her life through Alice’s encounters during her journey. Alice’s journey through the looking glass started out with her at the bottom and than eventually working her way up to become a queen. But just as in anyone’s life, one must start from the bottom and through hard work and persistence, reach one’s intend goals/destinations. In Alice’s journey, she rushed through some of the squares to get to the eighth as soon as should could. In turn she missed certain things or disregarded things that were good about that certain square, which might compare to our lives , where we are so caught up in getting better we don’t take time to stop and smell the roses.
Carroll also tries to get the reader to see Alice’s innocence, her ability to appreciate little things, and her need to feed her curiosity and ask questions and take that into their own lives. But, he also shows and even states that Alice is punished for her faults therefore showing that she is human and not flawless. So, even if you do try to enjoy every part of life and hold on to your childlike innocence, you are still going to have problems in your life and somehow you will have to overcome them. He implies through the way of the backwards operating looking-glass, that sometimes your answers are in places you never look, and maybe if you look backwards or at things from a different perspective, you might find what you seek.
The Essay on Go Ask Alice Life War Time
The 1970 s was a time of change. A time of revolution. War was the topic of nearly all conversations and sex and drugs were on everyone's minds. While boogie fever swept dance floors, young men were sent off to die in a war that they could never win. Richard Nixon was in office and his scandal was to influence politics for years to come. The bright blue bell-bottom pants with the pink and orange ...
I found Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass by Louis Carroll and the Wizard of Oz, extremely fascinating yet at times it truly made me question my own sanity and the reality I live in. Both authors use a style of writing in their children’s’ story to present a very delusional world where his outlook on life is portrayed through a bewildering fantasy. I think the reader can get a lot out of reading these novels and I highly recommend them to any age group.
