English Literature Final Assignmenttopic An Analysis Of “Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.pdf

The story tells of a young girl named Alice who falls into a rabbit hole to encounter a whimsical world filled with peculiar creatures and strange events.. The tale's protagonist is Alic

HANOI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

ENGLISH LITERATURE FINAL

ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC: An analysis of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

Supervisor: An Thuy Tien M.A.

Students:

1 Bùi H ữu Bình Nguyên - Student’s ID: 2007010217

2 Tr ần Ánh Dương - Student’s ID: 2007010058

3 Chu Th ị Linh - Student’s ID: 1807030055

4 Nguy ễn Văn Thắng - Student’s ID: 2007010269

5 Ph ạm Thu Trang - Student’s ID: 2007010330

FINAL ASSIGNMENT MARKING SHEET

ENGLISH LITERATURE

Group number: 4……… Class: English Literature – Nhóm …4……… Date:

……10/5/2023………

Group members Percentage of

contribution (A, B, C or D)

Bùi Hữu Bình Nguyên 100% A

Chu Thị Linh 100% A

Phạm Thu Trang 100% A

Trần Thị Ánh Dương 100% A

Nguyễn Văn Thắng 100% A

Percentage of contribution

A: Active participation, finish all assigned tasks well

B: Fairly active participation, finish most of assigned tasks relatively well

C: Passive participation and finish few assigned tasks with few helpful ideas

D: No contribution at all

I Introduction

Lewis Carroll, a well-known English writer, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon, and photographer, wrote under the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Carroll's notable abilities in mathematics and logic are intertwined with his imaginativeness, which is evident in his literary works As an artist, he loved to experiment with unconventional and absurd ideas that allowed him to create compelling characters in fascinating worlds His innovative approach to writing resulted in a unique style that captivates readers, making his books timeless classics He gained worldwide recognition with his literary masterpiece,

"Alice's Adventure in Wonderland," published in 1865 The story tells of a young girl named Alice who falls into a rabbit hole to encounter a whimsical world filled with peculiar creatures and strange events On her thrilling journey, Alice meets talking animals, attends a mad tea party, and plays croquet with a queen who's fond of beheading people The novel has gained considerable acclaim for its stirring language, lively characters, and imaginative storytelling It's one of the most famous children's books globally, having been translated into over 100 languages and inspiring various adaptations like plays, movies, operas, and more Carroll uses the character of Alice and her surreal experiences to explore themes of identity, growing up, and the limitations of language and logic His storytelling continues to fascinate readers of all ages, encouraging them to dream, imagine, and explore the boundaryless bounds of reality

The goal of scrutinizing "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by focusing on the main characters and their qualities is to acquire a more profound comprehension of the story's themes and messages By analyzing Alice's personality traits, actions, and responses to the various challenges she faces in Wonderland, readers may discern underlying themes such as the quest for identity, the struggle between reason and imagination, and the significance of personal development and exploration Furthermore, examining Alice's character can grant insights into the writer's objectives behind the story, in addition to its cultural and historical background

II Analysis of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland

1 Lewis Carroll and an overview of his writing career:

Lewis Carroll began his writing journey in 1856, creating humorous poems and short stories for magazines and newspapers However, it wasn't until his release of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" in 1865 that Carroll's true literary achievements gained prominence The tale's protagonist is Alice, an imaginative young girl who plunges into a surreal world after falling through a rabbit hole It quickly became a best-seller, and its sequel

in 1871, "Through the Looking-Glass," proved equally popular Each book was infused with fanciful language, clever wordplay, and captivating characters that appealed to all ages Along with his beloved Alice tales, Carroll also crafted various poetry collections like

"Phantasmagoria and Other Poems" (1869) and "The Hunting of the Snark" (1876), multiple plays, essays, and mathematical textbooks like "Euclid and his Modern Rivals" (1879) Additionally, Carroll's photographic works played an influential role as well He photographed people, animals, and landscapes However, his fixation on young girls, in particular, led to scrutiny and accusations that have lingered to this day Despite the controversial interpretations of his character, Carroll's gripping and thought-provoking

writings continue to captivate the imagination of readers of all ages His vivid storytelling has been translated into a myriad of languages, adapted into numerous plays, movies, and operas, and remains a source of inspiration for authors and readers alike Carroll remains a legendary and significant figure in the world of English literature

2 Plot summary:

The work illustrates the fantastic adventures of Alice in the mysterious underground Wonderland The story begins when Alice gets tired and falls asleep while listening to her sister's story At that moment, she sees a white rabbit passing by, looking at his pocket watch while muttering to himself that he is late, then pops down a rabbit hole Feeling so strange, Alice follows him down the hole to a great hallway, but he has just disappeared behind a tiny door leading to an enchanting garden She sees a key which can unlock the door, but she cannot get through it After that, Alice drinks the liquid from a bottle marked “Drink me” and she shrinks into a tiny shape, but she realizes she has left the key on the table and now she is too small to reach it Thus, she eats a cake with the words “Eat me”, making her so tall that her head touches the ceiling

Still unable to get in the garden, Alice bursts into tears At this time, she is back to her normal body size because of holding the hand fan of the rabbit She falls into the pool of tears, which is as big as a sea, then she meets a Mouse and other creatures Everyone has to swim to survive After getting over the sea, Alice scares the animals by telling them about her cat, Dinah, and they all go away, leaving her alone

The White Rabbit comes back to the room and sends Alice off to take his things as he mistakes her for his servant She immediately runs after him to his house, where she drinks liquid from an unmarked bottle and continually grows bigger to the size of the room The

animals throw pebbles into the room, which turn into sweets as they land Alice eats one of them and becomes smaller again

Next, she flees into the woods, where she meets a big Caterpillar sitting on a mushroom hookah - smoking He tells Alice that eating two different sides of the mushroom can neither turn her to grow or to shrink Alice tastes a small piece and her neck outgrows the treetops, which makes a pigeon mistake her for a snake hungry for pigeon eggs

Alice nibbles at another part of the mushrooms and reaches her normal height again Walking through the woods, she finds the house of the Duchess She enters and sees the Duchess rocking a baby to sleep, a grinning Cheshire Cat which can appear and disappear continuously , and a cook hurling plates and saucepans at the Duchess’s head Although the Duchess is ungracious toward Alice, she hands Alice the baby, who turns out to be a pig and she quickly goes out to attend a croquet game with the Queen Alice lets the pig go and meets the Cheshire Cat again in the forest With the direction given by the Cat, Alice arrives at the March Hare’s house and she participates in a tea party including the March Hare, the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse Improperly treated, Alice finds that it is the most boring party she has ever attended Then she leaves and enters a door on a tree She finds herself back in the hall with the key She takes it and enters a beautiful garden, where she sees three gardeners painting white roses into red because the Queen does not like white roses

There, a deck of cards including the King of Hearts and the Queen of Hearts, along with the White Rabbit, go in The game of croquet begins, with the mallets are live flamingoes, the balls are hedgehogs, and the nets are crouching servants The aggressive Queen swiftly calls for mass executions as they do not satisfy her Alice sees the Cheshire Cat again, but with a head and no body The King orders the Cat to kiss his hand but the animal refuses Angry as he is, he wants to behead the Cat, but now Cheshire is only a head

floating in midair and no one can know how to behead him Alice suggests finding the Duchess to ask because the Cat is hers, but actually the Queen has already sent her to prison The Cat disappears right after that, and the Duchess successfully flees after being fetched

Alice looks for her crane racket but she cannot find it When she returns, there is a trial going on in the palace The Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing the Queen’s tard The King is the judge, and various witnesses are there to give evidence, they make no senses While witnessing the crazy trial, Alice nibbles a part of the mushroom and she grows to a huge size She is urged to be a witness although she is not involved When evidence (an absurd poem) is produced, Alice loses her temper She frankly blames the trial on being nonsense, making the Queen angry and she threatens to behead Alice She continues calling them just a bunch of cards and everyone rises up and swarms all over her

Alice suddenly wakes up and sees her sister sitting next to her Eventually, this wonderful adventure turns out to be a dream She tells her sister about this and goes home for tea, leaving her sister there pondering Alice’s adventures

3 Analysis of the main characters:

3.1 The White Rabbit

The White Rabbit is the first “Wonderland-er” that Alice saw He appeared with a hurried gesture and keeps telling that he was late for something important “Oh dear! Oh dear!

I shall be too late” (Carroll, 1865) This animal is mingled with a gentleman wearing a waistcoat, and a pair of white gloves, he also brings with him a fan and a pocket watch This surprising and interesting creature catches Alice’s attention and she immediately hurries after him to a rabbit hole and then sets off her adventure in Wonderland

This White Rabbit has an anxious character as he is always worried about punctuality and politeness which are representative features of a gentleman But he can also be very rude and cruel when he mistakes Alice for one of his servants and orders her to run errands for him, or when he wants to burn down his own house to get the giant Alice out of his assert This other side of his character can be seen as the bad nature of a ruthless beast By using inversion and reversal in portraying the White Rabbit, a juxtaposition of a beast and a gentleman, Lewis Carroll successfully created one of the most famous fictional characters in English Literature history

3.2 Cheshire cat:

The Cheshire Cat possesses captivating physical traits that left a lasting impression With a grin that stretches from ear to ear, the cat has the ability to vanish, leaving only its mischievous smile suspended in the air "Its grin would remain some time after the rest of it had gone," (Carroll,1865) adding an air of mystery to its presence Its eyes hold a mesmerizing quality, shifting in size from small to large, sparkling with enigmatic allure "It vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin," (Carroll,1865) further emphasizing its ethereal nature The sleek, striped body of the Cheshire Cat would fade away, leaving behind a lingering sense of its whimsical existence These distinctive physical characteristics, from the enigmatic grin to the mesmerizing eyes, contribute to the captivating and fantastical world of Wonderland Throughout the story, the Cheshire Cat's character is defined by its whimsical and mischievous demeanor It possesses

a playful and cunning nature, often engaging Alice in witty banter and perplexing riddles Its riddles and paradoxical advice challenge Alice's understanding of reality and encourage her

to question her own beliefs The cat seems to delight in toying with Alice's perceptions, provoking her curiosity and encouraging her to explore the peculiar world of Wonderland

The Cheshire Cat's most famous quote, "We're all mad here," (Carroll,1865) encapsulates its unique outlook on life By proclaiming that everyone in Wonderland is mad, including itself and Alice, the cat challenges the conventional notions of sanity and normalcy This statement highlights the topsy-turvy nature of Wonderland, where logic is often inverted, and the ordinary becomes extraordinary It invites readers to embrace the unpredictable and absurd aspects of life and reminds us that sometimes it is in madness that we find the most extraordinary adventures and insights

Overall, the Cheshire Cat's physical characteristics, such as its enigmatic grin, sparkling eyes, and disappearing act, coupled with its whimsical personality and thought-provoking quotes, make it a truly unforgettable character in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Its presence adds a sense of wonder and intrigue to the fantastical world created by Lewis Carroll, inviting readers to explore the limitless possibilities of imagination

3.3 The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Hearts first appears in chapter 8 when Alice finally enters the attractive walled flower garden which she spends much time trying to get in The Queen is an animated playing card with hands and feet at the corners, accompanied by her ten children and her husband - the King of Hearts They are all playing cards that are ornamented with hearts Although the book is all about a fantastic and illogical dream, Lewis Carroll had his own intentions when describing the King and the Queen of Wonderland as playing cards These personified cards combined with talking animals are a part of the childish fantasy context, they are all common things of Alice Liddell’s life that Carroll later personified to become the Wonderland inhabitants

The author portrayed the Queen of Hearts as the bloodthirsty ruler of Wonderland, not

short-tempered She keeps demanding to behead whoever is not to her liking, whereas the King always quietly cancels his Queen’s orders of executions It is easy to understand when Lewis Carroll described her as “a sort of embodiment of ungovernable passion – a blind and aimless Fury.” (1887) since the Queen is always storming around, spreading panic wherever she goes with her famous quote: “Off with his head!” (Carroll, 1865) Some critics linked the Queen of Hearts with the historical Queen Victoria, however, the proper and dignified characteristics of Queen Victoria cannot resemble the violent and rude characteristics of a tyrant like the Queen of Hearts

The image of the Queen of Hearts turning crimson with fury and screaming “Off with her head!” like a wild beast is actually a symbol of violence The violent moments in the book are not only conveyed through the Queen’s orders of beheading the “Wonderland-ers” but are also described by the way she uses flamingoes as mallets, and hedgehogs as croquet balls in her favorite croquet game Moreover, if someone might beat her, she will immediately demand arrests and executions As a result, the only players left are the King and the Queen, Alice and the Duchess By portraying a fearful Queen of Hearts, Carroll wanted to refer to noticeable and unavoidable violence and pain in the real world Even in her fantasy dream, Alice still cannot run away from this truth However, violent moments are usually threats rather than actual bloodshed scenes because no Wonderland inhabitants are beheaded by virtue of the King, they indicate the dangers existing in the real world, but they

do not progress far enough to disrupt the amazing adventure

3.4 Alice:

Alice is the seven-year-old adventurer in the story of Lewis Carroll She is described

as a sensible girl who comes from an affluent family Especially, Alice has an insatiable curiosity about her surrounding world which is ruled by both imagination and fantasy This