. The Role of Animals and Anthropomorphism in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass: Analyzing the Significance of Talking Animals and Their Social Roles
Talking animals play an essential role in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, each imbued with human traits and social roles. Lewis Carroll’s use of anthropomorphism in these works is not only a source of whimsy but also a tool for exploring social behaviors and human nature.
In Wonderland, characters like the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, and the Caterpillar reflect various human archetypes, such as the guide, the bureaucrat, and the philosopher. These animals often play important roles in Alice’s journey, offering advice, riddles, or challenges that force her to question the world around her. In Through the Looking-Glass, the characters are similarly anthropomorphized, with animals like Tweedledum and Tweedledee representing the absurdity of conflict and duality.
By giving animals human characteristics, Carroll invites readers to reflect on the roles they play in society and the human tendency to project societal norms and structures onto the natural world. The talking animals serve as both comical figures and profound social commentators, illustrating the absurdity and contradictions inherent in human society.
7. The Concept of Time and Its Manipulation in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass: A Study of How Time Is Distorted in Both Novels
Time is a central theme in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, with both novels playing with the concept of time and its manipulation. The characters in Wonderland often behave as though time has no fixed rules, and time itself becomes a fluid, malleable force within the narrative.
In Wonderland, the White Rabbit is constantly running out of time, while the Mad Hatter’s tea party is a paradoxical space where time seems to stand still. Similarly, in Through the Looking-Glass, time is turned upside down, where everything is reversed and events occur in a non-linear fashion. Carroll uses these distortions of time to challenge conventional perceptions of reality and to explore the idea that time, like the world Alice inhabits, is subjective and open to interpretation.
Through the manipulation of time, Carroll invites readers to question the conventional understanding of time as a rigid, unchanging force and to consider how time is perceived differently depending on one’s perspective or state of mind.