Identity and Self
Alice constantly questions her own reality and identity, as when Tweedledee and Tweedledum suggest she is merely a figment of the Red King's dream, and Humpty Dumpty mocks her name as 'stupid' and meaningless.
Where it surfaces
Looking-Glass Insects
Alice's loss of her name in the wood and the Fawn's sudden recognition of its own identity highlight the theme of self-knowledge and the role of names in defining who we are.
Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Alice's struggle to assert her own reality against the twins' claims highlights themes of self-perception and identity.
The Lion and the Unicorn
Alice is called 'the Monster' and questions her own identity when the Unicorn and Lion ask what she is.
VIII: “It’s My Own Invention”
Alice's desire to become a Queen and her concern about belonging to another person's dream reflect her struggle with identity.
XI: Waking
Alice's identity is intertwined with her dream, and she ponders who dreamed whom.
Which Dreamed It?
Alice's playful identification of her kittens as characters from her dream explores the fluidity of identity and the self.
Language and Meaning
The book explores the arbitrary nature of language through Humpty Dumpty's assertion that words mean whatever he chooses them to mean, and through nonsense poems like 'Jabberwocky' that challenge conventional logic.
Where it surfaces
Looking-Glass House
Alice reads 'Jabberwocky', a poem full of invented words, highlighting the playful and arbitrary nature of language.
II: The Garden of Live Flowers
The Red Queen redefines words like 'garden' and 'hill,' and the flowers' conversation highlights the fluidity and power of language.
Looking-Glass Insects
The Gnat's jokes about names and the chorus of voices valuing language at 'a thousand pounds a word' emphasize the arbitrary and powerful nature of language.
Wool and Water
Wordplay on 'a-dressing,' 'feather,' and 'exactually' highlights the arbitrary nature of language.
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty's assertion that words mean what he chooses them to mean highlights the theme of linguistic arbitrariness and the power dynamics in defining meaning.
Queen Alice
The Red Queen's wordplay on 'meaning' and the absurd arithmetic problems underscore the instability of language and logic.
Growth and Maturation
Alice's journey from a pawn to a queen mirrors the process of growing up, with Humpty Dumpty telling her she should have 'left off at seven' and the Queens subjecting her to absurd examinations.
Where it surfaces
VIII: “It’s My Own Invention”
Alice's journey toward becoming a Queen symbolizes her growth and maturation, as she is guided by the White Knight to the next stage.
Reality and Dreams
The boundary between waking and dreaming is blurred throughout, as Alice wonders if she is part of the Red King's dream, and the epigraph frames the entire story as a dreamlike fairy tale.
Where it surfaces
Epigraph
The fairy-tale is presented as a magical escape from the harsh outer world, blurring the line between waking life and dream.
Through the Looking-Glass
Alice's passage through the looking-glass blurs the boundary between waking life and dream, as she enters a world that mirrors and distorts her own.
Looking-Glass House
Alice passes through the looking-glass into a fantastical world where chess pieces are alive, blurring the line between reality and dream.
II: The Garden of Live Flowers
The surreal garden, talking flowers, and the impossible run without moving blur the line between reality and dream.
Tweedledum and Tweedledee
The twins argue that Alice is merely a figment of the Red King's dream, questioning the nature of reality and existence.
VIII: “It’s My Own Invention”
Alice questions whether she is dreaming the Red King's dream, blurring the line between reality and fantasy.
Power and Authority
The chess game structure and the arbitrary commands of the Red Queen and White Queen highlight the capricious nature of authority, with rules like 'jam tomorrow and jam yesterday—but never jam today'.
Where it surfaces
The Chess Game
The chess game symbolizes the struggle for power, with Alice's progression from pawn to queen representing the acquisition of authority.
Looking-Glass House
Alice physically handles the King and Queen, demonstrating her power over the chess royalty who cannot perceive her.
II: The Garden of Live Flowers
The Red Queen asserts dominance through commands, etiquette lessons, and ownership of the land, illustrating arbitrary authority.
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty's claim to be the master of words reflects a struggle for authority over language and interpretation.
The Lion and the Unicorn
The Lion and Unicorn fight for the crown, while the King nervously notes it is his crown all along, highlighting the absurdity of power struggles.
Queen Alice
Alice's assumption of queenship is challenged by the Red Queen's insistence on examinations and proper behavior, highlighting the arbitrary nature of authority.
Logic and Nonsense
The book constantly subverts logical expectations, such as the Red Queen's claim that one can remember things 'the week after next' and the White Knight's absurd inventions that defy practicality.
Where it surfaces
The Chess Game
The chess moves are presented in a structured, logical format, yet they govern a fantastical and nonsensical narrative.
Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Tweedledee's statement 'if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic' exemplifies the playful inversion of logical reasoning.
Wool and Water
The Queen's rules about jam, believing impossible things, and the shifting shop shelves defy conventional logic.
The Lion and the Unicorn
The cake that joins again after being cut and the instruction to 'hand it round first, and cut it afterwards' exemplify Looking-glass logic.
VIII: “It’s My Own Invention”
The Knights' absurd battle rules, the White Knight's impractical inventions, and the nonsensical ballad all exemplify the theme of logic and nonsense.
Time and Reversal
Living backwards, as the White Queen describes, and the looking-glass world's inversion of normal rules emphasize the theme of time flowing in reverse and the relativity of experience.
Where it surfaces
Epigraph
The poem dwells on the passage of time, memory, and the bittersweet contrast between past summer glory and the present winter scene.
Wool and Water
The White Queen lives backwards, remembering future events and discussing jam yesterday and tomorrow but never today.
Shaking
The Red Queen shrinks and softens, reversing her previous growth and authority.
A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky
The poem dwells on the passage of time, fading memories, and the cyclical nature of dreams.
Social Roles and Etiquette
Alice navigates a world of rigid social expectations, from the Red Queen's demand for curtseys and proper speech to the absurd formalities of the dinner party where she becomes Queen.
Where it surfaces
Through the Looking-Glass
The Red Queen instructs Alice on the rigid rules of the chessboard society, emphasizing proper behavior and hierarchical movement.
