Rabbit Spots Alice example essay topic

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS SETTING The novel has two separate settings. The main narrative takes place in the amazing and intriguing place of "Wonderland'. The second setting is the land of empirical (based on experience) reality to which Alice actually belongs; she comes from there and returns there. It is also the land that she shares with her sister. Table of Contents LIST OF CHARACTERS MAJOR CHARACTERS Alice The protagonist of the story.

She is a young girl who travels through the wonderland. White Rabbit The animal who leads Alice into Wonderland The Duchess A lady who is sentenced by the Queen. Queen of Hearts The queen of Wonderland King of Hearts The king of Wonderland March Hare One of the persons at the Mad Tea Party. Mad Hatter One of the persons at the Mad Tea Party. The Caterpillar The little animal who tells Alice about the secret of how to grow tall and short.

Cheshire Cat The animal that Alice meets at the Duchess' house and later in the beautiful garden. Mock Turtle The animal who tells Alice all about "lessons'. Lobster The animal who teaches Alice how to dance the "Lobster Quadrille'. MINOR CHARACTERS Mouse One of the animals caught in the pool of tears. Dodo and the animals / birds Animals caught in the pool of tears. The Footmen The people whom Alice meets at the house of the Duchess.

The House Maid A maid who refuses to testify in court. The baby An infant who turns into a pig. Bill the Lizard The animal that tries to get into the house of the White Rabbit through the chimney; in the trial, he is one of the jurors who tries to write on his slate without a pencil. CHAPTER SUMMARIES WITH COMMENTARIES CHAPTER 1 DOWN THE RABBIT-HOLE Tired of sitting with her sister at the bank of a river, having nothing to do, Alice decides to make a daisy chain since it would involve getting up and picking up daisies.

It is at this time that she spots a dear old rabbit with pink eyes dart across the grass. What intrigues her greatly is the manner in which the rabbit takes out a watch from his pocket and loudly complains of being late. Burning with curiosity Alice follows the Rabbit down the rabbit hole and after a long journey down the rabbit hole reaches the bottom. There she finds herself in a long passage at the end of which is a long and low hall. It is here that she spots a bottle labeled "Orange Marmalade'. On exploring the room, she spots a table on which there is a golden key that fits into a door behind a curtain.

Alice discovers that there lies a beautiful garden behind the curtain. However, she is unable to go on to the other side since the door is just as small as a rat hole. Her desire to get to the other side is manifested in her desire to "shut up like a telescope'. It is then that she discovers a small bottle labeled "Drink Me', on the table.

She makes sure that there is no label of "poison' on the bottle and then goes on to drink from it. And indeed, on drinking from the bottle she realizes that she has started to shrink. She is now able to get through the door. However, her troubles are not over, since she discovers that she is now unable to reach the top of the table on which she had placed the key to the door. Alice now discovers a small cake with the words "eat me' written on them. By now her experiences have taught her that eating and drinking of anything in this wonderland results in a change in the size of the person.

She thus dares to eat the piece of cake. NOTES This chapter unfolds to the reader (both children as well as adults) the kind of experiences that are in store for Alice. Through the narrative there is the line of logic that the author falls back on. It is in the narrative that we notice the appeal that the book has to the readers (for children as well as adults). While the children are attracted towards the ' magic' and the adventure of Alice, the adults are astounded by the kind of events and the manner in which the events are developed.

Moreover, what is interesting is the thought process of children that is clearly worked out through the central character (Alice). Carroll seems to state that children are at many times, more logical than adults. Alice's entry into wonderland and the innocence and reasoning with which she handles all that she encounters at the bottom of the rabbit hole are commendable. The notion of "growing up' is clearly projected in the manner in which Carroll talks about the manner in which Alice grows tall and becomes short. It is exemplified in the manner in which she rationalizes by the end (as seen at the end of the chapter): I will eat it, and if it makes me grow larger, I can reach the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, I can creep under the door; so either way I will get into the garden, and I do not care which happens. CHAPTER 2 THE POOL OF TEARS This chapter begins with the realization of the effect that the cake has had on Alice.

She is not able to spot her two little feet and this fills her with a fear. She starts to think of the different presents that she would send her two feet for Christmas. Dejected at the turn of events, she bursts into tears and it is not long after that she discovers that she is in the midst of a large pool around her. After some time she hears a pattering of feet and spots the rabbit who is in an awful hurry. Startled and frightened at the sight of Alice, the Rabbit drops its kid gloves and the fan and scurries away. Absent-mindedly, Alice picks up the fan and begins to fan herself as she tries to make sense of all that is happening around her.

In her struggle to come to terms with the situation, she learns that she is neither unable to neither recite the multiplication tables nor is she able to remember events of importance. It is during this conversation that she has with herself that she discovers that she has slipped on the gloves that were left there by the rabbit. She soon finds out that the fan was the cause for her shrinking rapidly. In her rush to get into the garden she slips and finds herself wading in a pool of salt water. Her first idea was that she had somehow fallen into the sea, but later discovers that it was a pool of her tears. She notices that with her wading in the pool is a small mouse, and while conversing with the mouse she manages to scare the mouse with her constant reference to "Dinah' (her cat) and Dinah's love for rats.

Alice finally looks around her to notice that the pool was full of all kinds of animals and birds. The mouse promises to relate its story to the others and on this note the company swims towards the shore. NOTES In this chapter it is interesting to note the simple observation of Alice's, on discovering that she has grown very tall. Her first worry is the fact that she will never be able to see her feet and therefore she plans on how to ' communicate' with her feet. Her inability to go through the door is disturbing to her.

Carroll seems to state that ' growing up' is truly a state of mind. He seems to very clearly highlight the distinction between ' physical growth' and ' mental and emotional maturity'. Alice is still the child that she was before she grew that tall. However, closely related to growing, is the act of questioning. It is this act of questioning everything, including about one's own identity that is typical of the adolescent years. The need to identify oneself with a particular quality (perhaps something unique) is felt by most children at the threshold of adolescence.

And this is very clearly projected by the manner in which Alice tries to see on how different she is from other friends especially Mabel, who to her is a person who knows very little. It is at this time that Alice becomes aware of her change in size, caused due to the fan in her hand. Carroll seems to picture the fact that growing up and maturing is a process that one discovers all of a sudden. We as individuals are made to realize that we all have suddenly grown up and have suddenly found ourselves saddled with responsibilities. It is a leap from the beautiful moments of childhood to that of adulthood. The process is forgotten and lost, and the adult is suddenly hurled into a ' poo CHAPTER 3 A CAUCUS-RACE AND A LONG TALE This chapter titled "The Caucus -Race and a Long Tale' relates the efforts on the part of the queer group of birds, animals and Alice to get themselves to dry soon.

The effort begins with the mouse relating a story about "William The Conqueror'. This does not help the party in any way and therefore, the ' dodo' suggests that the best way to get dry would be a Caucus race. This race required all the members to run in a circular motion. After having run for about half an hour, they discover that they are finally were dry. Alice distributes the comfits and candy in her pocket as prizes and is awarded by the Dodo with her thimble. Eating the ' comfits' creates quite a noise and this later is followed by the mouse telling the group of its history.

Alice pays particular attention to the mouse's tail and hardly listens to its tale. The mouse is upset at this kind of disinterest shown by Alice and stops speaking about itself. A reference to Dinah (Alice's cat) and her love for birds and mice scares the animals and as usual Alice is left all alone again. NOTES The Caucus-race symbolizes the ways in which the people try to dry themselves from the experiences in the pool of tears.

It is coming to terms with the events and perhaps it is helpful if one would go round in ' circles'. It signifies the ability of an individual to ruminate over experiences and emerge triumphant. However, Carroll seems to assert that there cannot be ' a' winner. Everybody is a winner in their own right, since the effort is made by everyone. The tale as told by the mouse becomes symbolic of how unique each story could be.

Alice refers to the ' tale' as ' history'. History takes on a very personal and subjective expression when related. This is highlighted in the way in which Alice listens to the tale. Her idea of the ' tale' resembled the ' tail' of the mouse. In the process of listening to the ' history' Alice becomes so involved with herself and her ' perception' of the ' tale' that she hardly listens to the rat. A stage comes when the audience and the ' history' become one and there is born a different perception altogether.

The mention of ' Dinah the cat' upsets the other animals, since the cat becomes the representation of a being that can eliminate their existence. ' Dinah' becomes a representation of a ' world' that interferes with their world. Therefore, they escape when she is mentioned. l of tears', that signify adulthood. Carroll seems to suggest that adulthood is indeed a ' pool of tears' because it is in this pool that one meets various other individuals and feel the joy and sorrows of life. Whether one swims or drowns in the process is dependent on the individual sensitivity (Alice's insensitivity to the mouse's feelings) and curiosity (her desire to know all about the mouse's history). CHAPTER 4 THE RABBIT SENDS IN A LITTLE BILL It is at this time that the White Rabbit comes back and frantically searches for its fan and its gloves.

Alice good-naturedly tries to help the Rabbit in searching for them. Very soon the Rabbit spots Alice, refers to her as ' Mary Ann', his house housekeeper and orders her to fetch him a pair of gloves and a fan. Alice in an effort to help him enters a house on which was engraved the words "W Rabbit'. She enters the house and fetches a pair of gloves and a fan from the table and just as she is about to leave, spots a little bottle with no label on it. With the hop that it would help her grow ' large' again, she drinks the contents. She is horrified when she realizes that she has grown so tall that she is incapable of getting out of the house.

She is now so tall that one of her foot is up the chimney. By then the White Rabbit and Mary Ann are aware of the presence of a ' large' being in their house. They try their best to get rid of it and are often silenced by the booming commands given by Alice. As part of the operation to get rid of Alice, the Rabbit sends in a shower of pebbles through the window. She is surprised to see that the pebbles were all turning into cakes. She eats one of the cakes and finally shrinks.

Once she is small enough to get out of the door, she runs out of the house and finds herself amidst a crowd of little animals waiting outside for her. She runs and manages to escape from them. She finds herself in a thick wood where she encounters an enormous puppy. Alice has now grown so small that even a puppy seems "monstrous' to her. The puppy is friendly enough but Alice is terrified because of her miniscule appearance. Also the puppy keeps trampling on her, and so, after engaging the puppy in a game of sorts, she escapes from there and charges off till she drops down tired against a buttercup.

Her major concern at present is to grow back to her original size. She looks around for something to eat or drink that would restore her to her original size. She finds a large mushroom growing near her and on stretching herself a bit she sees a caterpillar stretched out on the mushroom quietly smoking a large hookah, and taking not the least notice of her or of anything else. NOTES The White Rabbit stands for ' time', who comes back and beckons to Alice all the time. His constant (re) appearance causes much anxiety to Alice and her entry into the house of White Rabbit is symbolic of her getting to terms with the passage of time.

She gets into the house of White Rabbit and grows. She is unable to go out of the house because of her size and this upsets her totally. She regains her original size when she eats the ' pebbles turned into cake' thrown at her by those outside the house. Carroll seem CHAPTER 5 ADVICE FROM A CATERPILLAR This chapter is all about the manner in which Alice tries to regain her size and that too with the help of a caterpillar. It is difficult to present a summary of the conversation between Alice and Caterpillar, since it is something that cannot be easily captured in words. Alice is upset with the constant changes that have been occurring and is worried that she might finally forget all about her original self.

She speaks to the caterpillar of the severe ' identity crisis' that she suffers from and it is the caterpillar that tells her of the way in which she can get back to her original self. It is amazing to note that a being like the caterpillar (comfortable with so many changes occurring in its life) is able to understand the discomfort felt by Alice. The mushroom is the one that helps Alice grow. Grow, she does. But it is only her neck that grows and as the pigeon states, it resembles a snake. Alice consistently argues that she is not a serpent.

However, the Pigeon's logic is all out to prove Alice to be a serpent. Her love for eggs and the nature of her neck are evidences to support the pigeon's theory that Alice is a kind of a serpent. After her argument with the Pigeon, she nibbles at the mushroom again and slowly succeeds in bringing herself down to her usual height. Her next intention was to get into the beautiful garden and no sooner than the thought occurred to her she spotted a little house about four feet high. Curiosity drives her to nibble at the mushroom again so that she could enter the house. She ventures into the house as soon as she brings herself to being nine inches high.

NOTES Now, comes the chapter where Alice speaks to another being (caterpillar) who experiences ' time' through a total change of identity. Alice, unable to adjust to her constant change in her size meets the caterpillar who seems to take these changes very easily and in the stride. To the caterpillar such anxieties with regard to a change in identity is ridiculous, since he experiences it very often. Carroll projects the caterpillar in a far better light that the human beings, since ' change' is something which the caterpillar accepts easily than when compared to the human beings.

Ironically, it is the caterpillar who tells Alice of the way she can get back to her original size, and it is this that support her through the rest of her adventures in Wonderland. However, with the eating of the mushroom it is only her neck that grows and she begins to resemble a snake. Her inability to adapt herself to the changing situation gets her entangled (literally and figuratively) with the nature around her. Her neck gets caught amongst the branches and often she has to untwist herself out of it. Symbolically speaking, it represents her curiosity to ' stick out her neck' and question all that happens around her.

PIG AND PEPPER For some time Alice stood outside the house wondering what she should be doing next. It is at this time that she sees a footman come out of the wood and knock on the door. The door is opened by another footman in livery. The first footman produces a letter of invitation for the Duchess from the Queen to play croquet. Once the first footman left, Alice walks up to the house and raps on the door.

After a brief conversation with the footman at the door, Alice walks into the door and finds herself in large kitchen full of smoke from one end of the door to the other. In the kitchen was sitting the Duchess on a three legged stool and the cook was cooking something in a cauldron. Alice unable to control her sneezing, says that there is too much of pepper in the soup. It was obvious since the Duchess was sneezing and the baby was sneezing and howling alternately. In keeping with her nature, Alice starts to questions the Duchess about the cat.

Suddenly, the cook starts to throw everything within her reach at the Duchess and at the baby, and defends her actions amidst this noise, the Duchess begins to nurse the baby and sings her a lullaby. While doing so she tossed the baby violently up and down and this makes the baby cry all the more loudly. Suddenly, the Duchess flings the baby away and stalks away to play croquet with the queen. Alice manages to catch the baby though with some difficulty and runs away with it. She is worried that the baby would definitely be killed if it were left in the house of the Duchess any longer.

The sobbing of the baby turns into little grunts and Alice is alarmed to note that the baby has suddenly become a pig. She sets the creature down and is relieved to see it trotting away into the woods. No sooner than she has got over the ' pig- baby' business she notices the Cheshire cat sitting on a bough of a tree a few yards away. Alice asks the Cheshire cat's advice on which road to take. He contends that it would not matter which road she would take since she has no particular place to go to. However, he informs her that the road leading to the ' right' would lead to the Mad Hatter, while the road to the left would lead to the March Hare.

And with that it disappears, promising Alice that it would meet her at the Queen's place. After a minute or two, Alice departs in the direction in which the March Hare was said to live. On reaching there she is amused to see that the chimneys were shaped like ears and that the roof was thatched with fur. It was so large a house that she had to nibble at some of the mushroom to raise herself by another two feet high.

She walks into the house on a very skeptical note. NOTES The chapter ' Pig and Pepper' traces the mode of realization of Alice into the various necessities of home life. The duchess and the child that she holds along with the cook represent the various facets or rather necessities of home life. The Duchess finally hands over the child to Alice and leaves to play with the Queen of Hearts. Alice is burdened with the child. She later abandons it when she notices that the child is turning into a pig.

The Cheshire cat plays a rather important role in the chapter and through the rest of the book. The cat signifies all that is visible and invisible and the fact that what separates the known from the unknown is something which is very fragile, labile and ever changing. A MAD TEA-PARTY In front of the house is a tree, under which is set a table for a tea party. March Hare and the Mad Hatter are having tea.

Between them is seated the Dormouse who is fast asleep and the other two are using the dormouse as a cushion for resting their elbows on it and they talk over its head. On seeing Alice, both of them (March Hare and Mad Hatter) exclaim that there is no place for her. However, Alice is adamant and takes a chair saying that there is a lot of place at the table. After a round of not very pleasant talks Alice and the others compel the dormouse to tell them a story. The chapter is replete with events that display the beauty that lies in the ' use of language'. Linguistic acrobatics begin with the Hatter pointing out that it is not possible to say that, the statements, "I see what I eat' and "I eat what I see' could mean the same.

Therefore, by the same logic one cannot say that the statements "I say what I mean' and "I mean what I say' is true. Alice is further puzzled when she notices that the Dormouse's watch can say the day of the month but does not say the time. This brings them to a discussion on the concept of time. While Alice perceives time as being a concept (abstract), Hatter speaks of him as if Time were a living being. Alice realizes that time has come to stop at the Hatter's house and therefore it is always six o'clock (tea time).

It is time now for the Dormouse to tell his story. The dormouse wakes up to tell then the story of three little sisters who lived in a treacle well and were learning to draw all that started with a "M'. He is hardly able to go on with the story beyond a certain point since Alice consistently stops him with questions of various sorts. This irritates the dormouse who refuses to go on with the story. She is asked by the others to keep quiet and unable to take this rude behavior she leaves the place. The last thing that she happens to see, is the sight of March Hare and the Mad Hatter trying to put the Dormouse into the teapot.

Just as she tells herself that she would never set foot at the house again, she spots a door in one of the tree trunks. She goes through the door and finds herself in the long hall that she was hurled into when she at first followed the White Rabbit through the rabbit hole. She picks up the golden key and then nibbling at the mushroom she manages to reach the size that would take her through the door leading to the garden. Once she is on the other side of the door, she finds herself among bright flower-beds and cool fountains. NOTES The Mad tea-party becomes a ground where Alice displays her knowledge and asserts that she is better than the others present. Her persistent questions when the dormouse is relating the story, indicates her curiosity, and the manner in which she treats the others reveals her sense of superiority.

Linguistic bantering also seems to be the 'done thing' in Wonderland. This kind of violence underlies the behavior of almost all the characters in this chapter. Also, the fact that the time is always 6 o'clock indicates that the mad tea party is not bound by the normal rigors of time. Thus, the creatures here violate all genteel notions of polite conversation that Alice has been brought up on. No wonder Alice leaves, upset that she cannot correct their 'undignified' manners.

THE QUEEN'S CROQUET-GROUND Alice finds a large white-rose tree near the entrance of the garden. An unusual spectacle greets her there. She notices that the gardeners here are all animated playing cards, Spades. Three of them, "two,' "five,' 's even' are busy trying to paint the rose bush red. On inquiring, she is told that the queen had ordered for a red rose bush, in place of which they had planted a white-rose bush. Scared of the consequences, they were trying to cover up their mistake by painting the rose bush red.

Soon they hear a procession. At the head of the procession, Alice sees ten soldiers carrying clubs, followed by ten courtiers attired with diamonds. They are followed by ten royal children, all ornamented with hearts. Next come the guests of honor – the kings and the queens. Alice recognizes the White Rabbit amidst them. Then follow the Knave of Hearts carrying the king's crown.

And last of all come the King and the Queen of Hearts. The procession stops near Alice and the Queen asks Alice to identify the three cards who, in order to escape the wrath of the Queen, have laid flat on the ground. After Alice manages to "save' the "lives' of these cards, the Gryphon (a queer creature) informs Alice that no one in Wonderland has ever been executed. What follows then is a strange game of croquet played with live hedgehogs as croquet balls and flamingos as the mallets.

During the game, the Queen is often heard saying "Off with their heads'. Alice is unable to understand the rules of the game since things are so chaotic. Everyone tries to play at the same time and this leads to a sweeping pandemonium. While looking for some way to escape, Alice spots the Cheshire Cat and gets into a conversation with the cat regarding the events that were taking place. It is during this conversation, that the cat is introduced to the king and its (the cat's) rude behavior towards the king leads to the ruling "Off with your head'. However, the Cheshire cat had the ability of making only a part of its body visible, the rest being rendered invisible.

Thus, the cat arranges things such that all those present could only spot his head. Now total bedlam is let loose. This is because, the executioner argues that one cannot cut off a head unless there was a body. The monarch alleges that anything that has a head can be beheaded. The Queen further threatens if something is not done at the earliest, she will have everyone executed. They finally decide to ask Alice to resolve the matter.

She suggests that it would be best to ask the Duchess. While the executioner is dispatched to get the Duchess, the cat manages to fade away. This forces the entire party to go looking for the cat. NOTES The events during the game of croquet are significant of a society which is governed by a monarch who is a sadist in every sense of the term. Alice becomes an active participant in the affairs of Wonderland by attempting to hide the cards from the wrath of the Queen. She also questions the dictum of the Queen (i.e. "off with their heads').

Her observations enable the reader to conclude that the system of justice in Wonderland is as lop-sided as it is in the real world. A verdict is passed without a trial, and, at times, without a crime being committed. The chapter is replete with absurd instances which, when carefully examined, mirror the illogicality practiced in everyday life. An interesting fact about the Wonderland monarchy is that it is a Queendom. However, the liberality with which the Queen orders the be headings of those who displease her show her in a poor light. Hers is an oppressive regime; there is no utopia linked with Wonderland.

CHAPTER 9 THE MOCK-TURTLE'S STORY The Duchess is fetched by the Queen's soldier (apparently she is in prison for having boxed the Queen's ears). She appears happy to see Alice and is relieved that she will not be executed. The conversation between the Duchess and Alice is packed with statements and the ' moral' of each of these statements. This is enough to disorient Alice, since she has never thought that everything that she said would eventually have a moral. Frightened by the Queen, the Duchess finally leaves and Alice is now encouraged by the Queen to meet the Mock Turtle. The Queen orders the Gryphon (a queer creature) to take Alice to the Mock turtle.

The Mock Turtle, sitting on a little rocky ledge, is sad and constantly sighing. Alice requests the Mock Turtle to tell her, his history. The Mock Turtle very proudly lists the various subjects that were taught to him. The subjects include, Reeling and Writhing and the different branches of Arithmetic (Ambition, Distraction, Uglification and Derision). Apart from this were Mystery, Seaography, Drawling, Stretching and Fainting. What excites Alice about the Mock Turtle's school is that the duration of attendance would lessen day by day.

The Mock turtle asserts that it is "because of this that they are called lessons'. NOTES The Duchess comes through as a typical Victorian moralist. She makes Alice feel uncomfortable. This shows the difference between their characters. The latter is still a child (and hence, closer to the natural, untainted modes of thought). The former's attitude only serves to confuse Alice.

The chapter also evaluates the institution of ' education'. The evaluation begins with the perspective of the Duchess. Later, we learn of the Mock – Turtle's system of education. The duchess harps on highlighting a moral to everything that is said and done, which the young Alice finds hard to digest. According to the Duchess nothing is done for the sake of it and this concept is carried further by the Mock-turtle who talks about the reason why the turtle who taught him was called ' tortoise'. The explanation given by the mock-turtle is that the turtle was called ' tortoise' (pronounced as / t o: to s/ – tortes, that sounds similar to ' taught us') because he ' taught us'.

The Mock-turtle further speaks of all that was taught to them thus emphasizing that one needs to look into the necessity of learning something that would help later. THE LOBSTER – QUADRILLE This chapter has a certain rhythm to it, perhaps because of the contents. The chapter highlights the attempt on the part of the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle to teach Alice the beauty of a dance called "The Lobster Quadrille'. The dance involves at first getting into a line along the sea-shore. There are two lines formed each consisting of seals, turtles and salmon. Then one has to advance twice, set to partners and change lobsters and then retire in the same order.

Moreover, the dance also involves throwing the lobsters far out into the sea and having done so swimming after them. The Gryphon and the mock- turtle sing and dance the ' lobster quadrille' for Alice who is as confused about the dance as possible. NOTES The chapter is packed with nuances of the English language – nuances that lend the language its essence and flavor. It speaks of the importance of using language to enrich a certain experience and not to merely pass on information. CHAPTER 11 WHO STOLE THE TARTS? This chapter is interesting since it involves the manner in which Alice is identified in the court of the King of Hearts.

The tarts made by the Queen of Hearts are stolen and a trial is on to identify the person who has stolen the tarts. The chapter begins with the way in which the people at the court are seated. The court is assembled with a number of birds and beasts as well as the whole pack of cards. In front of the king and the queen stands the Knave of Hearts, who is accused of having stolen the tarts. The White Rabbit is seen standing right next to the Knave of Hearts with a scroll in his hand. To Alice, the most amazing thing is the jury box.

It simply consists of a mixture of creatures (animals and birds). What proves interesting is that they are all trying to write on a slate and it surprises Alice that they are all writing only their names, to ensure that they do not forget them at all. The jury proves to be one of the "stupidest' of all the juries since they cannot distinguish between what they have to take down and what they should not. Alice notices that one of the jurors has a pencil that squeaks and this irritates her.

Therefore, she promptly moves behind him and takes the pencil away from him. This juror is Bill, the lizard, who in turn does not notice that there is not pencil in his hand. Finally, the trial begins and the White Rabbit reads the parchment-scroll on which is written the theft for which the trial is on. The first witness happens to be the Hatter who promptly comes into the court with his cup of tea in one of his hands and a piece of bread and butter in the other. He apologizes for this and states that since he did not have the time to finish his tea he had to get it along with him. It is at this time that Alice feels a curious sensation and finally realizes that she is actually growing large.

This results in her squeezing the dormouse. Alice becomes a witness to all that is happening around her, especially the totally bizarre court proceedings, (especially that involves the act of ' suppressing' one of the speakers). The process is indeed very interesting, since it involved taking a large canvas bag that is tied up at the mouth with strings. Into this is put the guinea pig and then someone would sit on it.

The next witness is the Duchess' cook who is recognized from almost a mile away. This is because most of the people sneeze in her presence. When she refuses to be witness, the next witness is summoned. Alice is most surprised to note that she is the next witness.

NOTES The events are played out in the court of the King of Hearts. Alice is present in the court, where she grows bigger. Perhaps, Carroll tries to explain that Alice's change in size is essential here to enable a total view of the proceedings – a very crucial aspect of any trial. It is important for an individual to be aware of every aspect and look at the case from every angle before making a judgment. Alice's growth symbolizes precisely that. This chapter also contains the subtle nuances of humor that we have seen earlier.

As for the trial, it follows no procedure-it lacks rules, evidence and, moreover, justice. Carroll is thus able to make a sly dig at the legal system in Victorian England. CHAPTER 12 ALICE'S EVIDENCE On being called to court as witness, Alice is dazed and in the flurry of the moment she forgets how tall she has grown. This upsets the entire jury box who are seen sprawling all over the floor. The trial then proceeds after peace has been restored to the court. Alice looks at the jury and notices that in her haste she has managed to put the lizard back with its head downwards.

When the jury had managed to get over the pandemonium, the trial is well underway and she is questioned by the court. When Alice claims that she knows nothing about the event (regarding the theft of the tarts), the king orders her to leave the court. This is because, according to him, all those who are more than a mile high have to leave the court. However, he is unable to prove the existence of the rule since he had invented the rule at the nick of the time. At this time, the White Rabbit draws the king's attention to the evidence of a white paper that was found lying in the court. On close inspection it is revealed that it is just a scroll of paper with some verses written on it.

Finally, the trial ends with the Queen ordering for the execution of Alice. It is at this point of time that Alice is unable to take the situation as it offers itself and cries out saying that: You are nothing but just a pack of cards This remark of hers sends the entire court in a fit of rage and they come flying down upon her. She screams with fright and in anger tries to ward them off, and finds herself back on the river-bank with her head on her sister's lap. Her sister was gently moving away the dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees upon her face. Later, Alice tells her sister about the wonderful dream that she has had and then, runs off for tea. Her sister is left on the bank alone, and sitting there she too begins to dream.

First, she dreams about her sister Alice and the bright eager eyes that told her all about the wonderful dream. She then sees the White Rabbit, the Mouse, the caterpillar, Hatter, March Hare, The Duchess, the King and the Queen of Hearts, the Gryphon and all the other characters that Alice had told her about. She believes in Wonderland, though she knows that the moment she opens her eyes everything would change to a dull reality. Lastly, she sees in her mind's eye, her sister Alice, as a young woman who would gather around her little children and tell them all about Wonderland and in this way, travel back to her childhood days. NOTES The last and final chapter is the indication of the ' realization' that dawns on Alice.

You are all a pack of cards – this exclamation is the final stage of maturity for Alice. The entire novel is a movement from a level of childhood to that of adulthood, a stage of innocence to that of maturity and a feeling to be adventurous to that of a sense of cautiousness. It spins around the experiences of a child who tries to relate her everyday experiences to those of her fancy world. There is the thread in the narrative that ties the empirical reality of Alice to that of the Wonderland. The novel does not end with the dream alone. It ends on a very serious and philosophical note.

Alice's elder sister is aware of the ' fantasy' that is present in the dream. It is this level of experience, of being able to dream of something wonderful, recollect it through memory, and then translate it to others that the denouement of the book calls for. One cannot keep and should not keep one's experiences to oneself. It is essential to speak of it to others.

It is this that Carroll tries to suggest to the readers (both children and adults).