The Complete Alice in Wonderland (17 page)

The long grass rustled at her feet as the White Rabbit hurried by—the frightened Mouse splashed his way through the neighbouring pool—she could hear the rattle of the teacups as the March Hare and his friends shared their never-ending meal, and the shrill voice of the Queen ordering off her unfortunate guests to execution—once more the pig-baby was sneezing on the Duchess’s knee, while plates and dishes crashed around it—once more the shriek of the Gryphon, the squeaking of the Lizard’s slate-pencil, and the choking of the suppressed guinea-pigs, filled the air, mixed up with the distant sobs of the miserable Mock Turtle.

So she sat on, with closed eyes, and half believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but to open them again, and all would change to dull reality—the grass would be only rustling in the wind, and the pool rippling to the waving of the reeds—the rattling teacups would change to tinkling sheep- bells, and the Queen’s shrill cries to the voice of the shepherd-boy—and the sneeze of the baby, the shriek of the Gryphon, and all thy other queer noises, would change (she knew) to the confused clamour of the busy farm-yard—while the lowing of the cattle in the distance would take the place of the Mock Turtle’s heavy sobs.

Lastly, she pictured to herself how this same little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood; and how she would gather about her other little children, and make
their
eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale, perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago; and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find a pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days.

By Kent David Kelly

THE FOLLOWING notes may be of interest to the curious reader who wants to learn more of Alice’s secrets.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
(much like Carroll himself!) is filled to the brim with inside jokes, witticisms, secret references and clever insinuations. Also, the Victorian nature of the story creates some distance between Alice and the modern reader, which hopefully is mended hereafter. These “secret” notes are arranged in accordance to the appearance of the scenes and instances in the story itself. (Footnotes, I believe, distract from the enjoyment of the story, and tempt the reader to spoil the entertainment as it is happening. Rather, I prefer
not
to intrude between the reader and Alice and Lewis Carroll, but to follow after them instead.)

I ask only that you please do enjoy the secrets of Wonderland. The adventures will continue!

Chapter I

Sitting on the River’s Bank:
The riverbank that Alice and her sister are sitting on is that of the River Isis, which is the local name of the Thames in Oxfordshire. This region—near Godstow and the beautiful ruins of a nunnery—was a favored holiday and picnic ground in Carroll’s time.

The Secret of Alice’s Sister (and Other Siblings):
The sister in the story is Lorina Charlotte Liddell, Alice’s elder sister. Alice had many other siblings—Edward Henry, James Arthur Charles (who only lived to be three), Edith Mary, Albert Edward Arthur (who died at eight weeks), Rhoda Caroline Anne, Violet Constance, Frederick Francis, and Lionel Charles. In
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
, the siblings who appear are Lorina (on the riverbank and as the Lory), Edith (as the Eaglet), and Edward Henry (Harry), by the mention of his Latin primer.

The Origins of the White Rabbit:
The Rabbit may have been inspired by a painting created by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, “Scene from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’”
 
After viewing this painting on November 17, 1857, Carroll wrote in his diary, “There are some wonderful points in it … the white rabbit especially.”
 
The painting in question portrays Titania, Bottom, and a host of fairy-land creatures from Shakespeare’s classic play. (White rabbits, of course, are also the classic “apprentices” of stage magicians, popping out of holes and top hats.)

Some Details Concerning Alice and the White Rabbit:
He is not often regarded in this manner today, but originally, Carroll intended the White Rabbit to be a caricature of a hurried old man rushing about on errands. In his article “‘Alice’ on the Stage,” Carroll wrote the following when comparing the Rabbit to Alice: “And the White Rabbit, what of
him
? Was he framed on the ‘Alice’ lines, or as a contrast? As a contrast, distinctly. For
her
‘youth,’ ‘audacity,’ ‘vigour’ and ‘swift directness of purpose,’ read ‘elderly,’ ‘timid,’ ‘feeble,’ and ‘nervously shilly-shallying,’ and you will get
something
of what I meant him to be. I
think
the White Rabbit should wear spectacles. I am sure his voice should quaver, and his knees quiver, and his whole air suggest a total inability to say ‘Boo’ to a goose!”

“I Shall Be Too Late!”:
The Rabbit’s sense of urgency has, over time, become quite famous beyond its own reason for being.
Why
is the Rabbit late in returning to Wonderland?
 
This obsession with timekeeping (shared by the Hatter) may be a jest about the Great Tom bell in Tom Tower, which is located near to where both Carroll and Alice lived. Oxford is situated five miles west of Greenwich, and so the bell of Great Tom rings five minutes after the actual hour. If the poor White Rabbit (being a tourist of Oxfordshire while he is above ground) has his own watch set to Great Tom instead of Wonderland, he will always be late!

Dinah, Alice’s Favored Pet:
The Liddells’ cat Dinah was an actual pet, originally given to Alice’s sister Lorina. But Alice loved Dinah more than anything. Per Alice Liddell’s reminiscences, the cat “was given to Ina, but became my special pet … Dinah I was devoted to.”
 
Dinah originally had a male companion, Villikens. The two were named in honor of the characters in a popular Victorian song, “Villikens and His Dinah.”
 
Whether Villikens was the father of Kitty and Snowdrop (featured in
Through the Looking-Glass
) remains an open question.

The Carrollian Dream-Child:
Alice changes as she falls down the rabbit-hole. Although the distinction is not often commented upon, it is clear that Alice “in Wonderland” is quite a different person than Alice Pleasance Liddell. Carroll’s illustrations in
Alice’s Adventures Under Ground—
the first draft of
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland—
portrayed Ms. Liddell herself, but they were idealized in a Pre-Raphaelite fashion, featuring an Alice Liddell with longer hair. We do know for certain that Carroll sought to remove particularly personal identifiers from the published version of
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
. (As another example, he changed the names of two of Alice’s actual companions to Ada and Mabel.)
 
In a similar fashion, the blonde, classically-featured Alice of Tenniel’s drawings is nothing like Ms. Liddell herself. The illustrated Alice “of Wonderland” is the
dream-child
, the idealized representation of strength and innocence, as written by Carroll and envisioned by Tenniel. The implication may well be that we are bettered by our dreams.

Falling Off the Top of the House:
One of our first hints that the Alice books are subversive, and not at all like most Victorian fairy-tales, is that Carroll is referentially grim throughout the story. He quite often takes the time to point out moments of darkness, such as this one. Here he makes it clear that Alice wouldn’t say
anything
after falling off the top of the house, because she would probably break her neck and die in the fall!

The Antipathies:
Alice is quite close here, actually! What she
really
means is the Antipodes, which is a term that refers (from the English perspective) to Australia and New Zealand. The joke may have been amusing to Victorian readers because “antipathy” means “absolutely without sympathy,” and Australia was largely colonized by English criminals!

The Lamps in the Hall:
Considering the age of Alice’s adventures (the 1860s), these lamps would very likely be gaslight, which would explain why Alice felt so hot beneath their glow. Indeed, it is possible that the poisonous fumes played a part in her discombobulation!

The Secret Doors in the Hall:
We are never told but are left to wonder:
where
might the other doors in the hall go to? Given that one of the doors leads into the royal garden, and another comes out inside a tree in the middle of the forest, they could lead anywhere. Possibilities include the homes of various characters (such as the Dodo, the Mouse, and very likely the White Rabbit), or other trees, or places in nearby Looking-Glass Land, or even the corridors of the Palace of Hearts itself. Some might even open onto the Underwater School, which would explain the presence of the Crabs at the Pool of Tears. We shall never know, but it is an interesting puzzle to contemplate!

The Unseen Table:
Carroll does not quite tell us why Alice failed to find the three-legged table during her first circuit around the hall. It may be that the table appeared by magic, or that its transparency caused her not to notice it the first time. Most likely, however, is that Alice is dreaming and her yearning for a way out causes a (dubious) means of exit to appear.

The Loveliest Garden:
From the nature of the Queen’s croquet-ground, we know that the royal garden is actually a dream-image of the Deanery and Cathedral Gardens, located outside Alice’s own home back in Oxford.

“How I Wish I Could Shut Up Like a Telescope”:
Although it is subtle, the appearance of the “DRINK ME” bottle upon the table is actually caused by Alice wishing here out loud.

A Bottle Marked “Poison”:
Some of these grim thoughts of children meeting terrible ends come from
Struwwelpeter
, a book featuring the deaths and punishment of naughty children. Alice might also be remembering the unexpurgated edition of
Kinder- und Hausmärchen
, commonly known today as
Grimm’s Fairy Tales
.

“Going Out Like a Candle”:
Alice’s thoughts here are dark indeed. She is contemplating the idea of not just death, but non-existence and absolute annihilation. Carroll, however, pointedly left his religious beliefs out of the Alice works (with the exceptions of prefaces and inserted pamphlets). This concept of nothingness will become key later on, as an older and darker Alice explores Looking-Glass Land.

Pretending to Be Two People:
This spirit of duality is present throughout the “Alice” stories. Alice talks to herself, argues with herself, considers her feet as separate entities, and treats herself as both rival and confidante. This identity issue—succinctly summed up as the philosophical question “Who am I?”—lies at the heart of Alice’s adventures throughout her own dreaming mind.

Chapter II

“They Must
Go By the Carrier”:
This aside, thoroughly contemporary in Carroll’s time, is now an antiquated example of Victorian charm. The carrier, of course, would be the postman; Esq. is short for “Esquire,” a title of formal import in polite correspondence; the hearth-rug is the rug which goes in front of the fireplace (favored by both Dinah and Alice); and the fender is a protective screen that fits the base of the fireplace itself.

“How Doth the Little Crocodile”:
Alice’s darker dreaming nature begins to assert itself here, much to her own surprise. The original poem, “How Doth the Little Busy Bee,” is a moralizing work stressing the importance of work and humility. Alice’s subconscious improvisation, “How Doth the Little Crocodile,” is about predation instead of meekness, deception instead of humility, and subversion instead of the submittal to authority. As we shall see, Alice’s true nature tends to come out every time she tries to recite someone else’s beliefs!

Bathing-Machines:
Carroll, as an absurdist and amused observer of Victorian quirks, loved to talk about bathing-machines. These curious contraptions were wheeled enclosures, which allowed prudish vacationers to bathe in the sea without attracting the unwanted attention of prying eyes.

“O Mouse!”:
These lines are making fun of the formality found in Harry Liddell’s Latin primer (and are also an indirect jab at the classics master, Henry Liddell, who was Harry’s and Alice’s father). Interestingly, however, there is a subtle distinction here where Alice regards the creature first as “mouse,” and then as “Mouse” when she addresses it. Throughout the stories, the capitalization of an animal’s name is an honorific assigned to sentient, speaking animals as individuals. Alice here is regarding the Mouse not as a mere animal, but as an intelligent companion worthy of conversation.