Victorian Growth and Self-Discovery in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Sarah Polisner - '98 (English 1995)
ictorian works of both fiction and nonfiction suggest that the last century was a time of
self-reflection and of seeking order in the world. Victorian doubt in God complicated this
seemingly futile search for the self.
The core of Alice's identity crisis in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is the following: certain aspects of religion come into play throughout this young girl's journey, a journey symbolic of universal growth and self-discovery. As Alice learns a great deal about herself with each new encounter in Wonderland, she begins to realize that these experiences weaken and even distort her previously stable self-image. Accepted norms now seem foreign to Alice, and in many ways she becomes an outcast.
The caterpillar is one character who cannot accept Alice's lack of self awareness, or at least what he considers self-awareness to indicate. When he asks Alice to divulge her identity, Alice cannot respond with confidence and suffers the caterpillar's reprimand. Alice explains her predicament by saying, "I--I hardly know, Sir, just at present--at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then". Alice can only explain her current state of existence; how and why she grows or shrinks seem impossible to explain. Alice here reflects a characteristic Victorian irony: Trying to clarify one's identify or explain oneself generates confusion, significantly reduces the effectiveness of religion, and creates a more disorganized world view.
