Monday, September 27, 2010

What is so “wonderful” about Wonderland?


Puberty is a time of change: A time where the individual does not seem to fit into the world around her or him. Alice finds herself in that exact situation of confusion and anxiety when she descends into Wonderland. She does not seem to fit into the magical and mysterious world around her; in her view, everyone is crazy and she is the only one that is right. That exact feeling Alice had while in Wonderland embodies being a teenager: You (the teenager) are right and normal, while the world is filled with lunatics that want to make you cry.

Wonderland embodies that feeling: Alice does not feel comfortable. On the contrary, she is desolate and confused. So then, why is Wonderland so wonderful if it makes Alice feel the opposite of wonderful (at times0? Wonderland is wonderful because it allows Alice to explore her inner troubles and thoughts. Although the thoughts and troubles might be overwhelming for Alice—and she at times might not know where she is going to end up—they are an essential part of “growing up.” Moreover, by facing our inner anxieties as a teenagers, our individual Wonderlands allow us to discover our own definition of the "true meaning of life."


1 comment:

  1. Alice often resists to fit in Wonderland, instead it seems that she want Wonderland to fit around her ideas and emotions. She soon finds out that no one thinks or acts the way she wants them to, but that is only because everyone is free to practice their own beliefs and actions. From this adventure, Alice is exposed to a world that does not revolve around her because she has to be able to adapt to her surrounding in order to be accepted or respected.

    -Cynthia N. P.2

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