Book and Film Review
Even in the second book, there are a great many references and things which I recognized at once. These would include, in the second book, The Jabberwocky, the Walrus and the Carpenter, and the un-birthday and Tweedledee and Tweedledum. In the first book, there was, the white rabbit, the growing and shrinking of Alice, the caterpillar with the hookah, the March hare and the mad hatter, which were alluded to in Through the Looking Glass, then there is the Cheshire cat, and of course the queen of hearts. Something that surprised me was how much of the story of Through the Looking Glass was omitted in the Disney version of this. Now I have never seen this film all the way through, mind, but I do think that all of my prior understanding and references to Alice in Wonderland were mostly based on this version. This is to say that they took out all references to the chess game that the second story was based upon. They did however, and often do in references to this story leave in the playing cards of the first story. I think the part that delighted me most was Alice’s encounter with Humpty Dumpty:
“‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean–neither more nor less.’
‘The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’
‘The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master–that’s all’
Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. ‘They’ve a temper, some of them–particularly verbs, they’re the proudest–adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs–however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That’s what I say!’... ‘when I make a word do a lot of work like that,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘I always pay it extra.’”
As you may be able to deduce, those who know me, I like this particular part because of his attitude toward words, and his linguistic competence, plus the notion of paying words extra for doing more work, tickles me. I suppose my main conclusion about this book is, it is very thought provoking, yet fun, and it is amazing to see inside a Victorian child’s mind. It has me wondering, why this book was so outstanding to the public that it is so much a classic and a title everyone recognizes. Perhaps it is so popular because it is the first book of its age to be so filled with nonsense. At any rate, the whole reveling effect of this book, and indeed the whole composition of it is based in a dream, makes me wonder about Carroll’s imagination for this whole thing, evermore has the debate raged greater in my head about his abuse of substances, particularly opium. After having read these works, I am more in doubt that he did use such substances, yet at the same time it is far stranger of a book than ever I thought before too. I have to wonder also about Mr. Carroll’s intentions and feelings for Alice Liddell, the inspiration for the protagonist in the book. I do think it was a very pure and harmless admiration he had for her, but still, it is a subject of great curiosity for me. I am happy now that I read this, and do hope in future to draw from it again, both from its cultural references, and from its great imagination.