Alice In Wonderland - New Edition

Synopsis

A lazy afternoon by the water melts away into a wild adventure when young Alice chases a mysterious White Rabbit straight into Wonderland. She comes upon a great hallway lined with doors. There is a small door through which she can see a beautiful garden, but begins to cry when she realises she cannot fit through the door. She finds a bottle marked “DRINK ME” which shrinks her down to the right size to enter the door.

From here, Alice goes on a wonderful adventure coming across ever more curious creatures. She comes across the house of the Duchess, who is nursing a squealing baby, as well as a grinning Cheshire Cat. The Cheshire Cat explains to Alice that everyone in Wonderland is mad, including Alice herself.

After travelling to the March Hare’s house to have tea with the March Hare, the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse, she journeys through the forest to join the Queen in a strange game of croquet. The croquet ground is hilly, the mallets and balls are live flamingos and hedgehogs, and the Queen tears about, frantically calling for the other player’s executions.

Whilst sharing her strange experiences with the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon, she learns that a trial is about to begin. The Knave of Hearts is standing trial for stealing the Queen’s tarts. The Mad Hatter and the Cook both give their testimony, but none of it makes any sense. Next Alice is called to the witness stand… All of a sudden, Alice finds herself awake on her sister’s lap, back at the riverbank.

Book in Detail

Alice is the seven-year-old protagonist of the story. She's often seen daydreaming and gives herself advice instead of listening to the advice of others. The closest thing Alice has as a friend is Dinah, her cat, and not even she understands Alice's dreams of finding "a world of her own". Alice is well mannered, polite, courteous, mature and has an elegance and gentleness of a young woman, although once she falls into Wonderland she finds it harder and harder to maintain her composure. She is shown to be determined, but her determination is often overpowered by her temper.

Alice believes that the world is orderly and stable, and she has an insatiable curiosity about her surroundings. Wonderland challenges and frustrates her perceptions of the world.

The White Rabbit appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" Alice follows him down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. Alice encounters him again when he mistakes her for his housemaid Mary Ann and she becomes trapped in his house after growing too large. The Rabbit shows up again in the last few chapters, as a herald-like servant of the King and Queen of Hearts. Always in a rush, he acts as an unintentional guide for Alice on her adventures and he appears throughout.

The Queen is referred to as a card from a pack of playing cards by Alice, yet she is able to talk and is the ruler of Wonderland in the story, alongside the Kings of Hearts. Her most famous line, one which she repeats often, is “Off with their heads!” As well as ordering executions, the Queen enjoys a game of croquet – Wonderland-style! She appears frequently towards the middle and end of the book.

The King rules alongside the Queen, but is the moderate part of the Wonderland government. For example, when the Queen, who enjoys ordering beheadings, attempts to have Alice executed (charged with being unable to answer who is lying down in front of her) the King of Hearts reminds her that she is only a child. The King also quietly pardons many of the subjects the Queen has ordered to be beheaded when the Queen is not looking. This guarantees few people are actually beheaded. The King appears frequently in the second half of the book.

The Mad Hatter lives his life in perpetual tea-time! He explains to Alice that he and the March Hare are always having tea because, when he tried to sing for the Queen of Hearts at a celebration of hers, she sentenced him to death for "murdering the time," but escaped decapitation. Out of anger at this attempted "murder", time has halted for himself and the March Hare. He hosts a tea party when Alice arrives which eventually drives her away due to his bad manners and unanswered riddles.

Alice first encounters the Cheshire Cat at the Duchess’s house in her kitchen, and then later outside on the branches of a tree, where it can appear and disappear at will. The Cheshire Cat is courteous and helpful, and often raises philosophical points that annoy or baffle Alice. But the cat does cheer her up when it appears suddenly at the Queen of Hearts’ croquet field, and when sentenced to death baffles everyone by having made its head appear without its body.

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