As discussed in my previous blog post, Brutal Hostility of Adventure, there has been an unusual level of aversion expressed towards Alice as she journeys through the mysteries of Wonderland. Although, she is never discouraged by sour words or confusing logic. She is indeed a very tough cookie.
I question why she is still moving forward. She doesn’t have any sort of destination in mind since she has never been to Wonderland. She doesn’t have a reson to follow the White Rabbit anymore. She’s reached the lovely garden which has captivated her curiosity from thus far, but now, what is driving her?
Yes, children are inexplicably curious and their curiosity does drive them to discover and answer their questions, but Alice’s seems to be unusually at rest. It is not her curiosity which leads her through the story. It is the very random prompts by the characters like the Queen, when she says,
“Have you seen the Mock Turtle yet?”
Seriously? I thought to myself as I read through chapter nine. What was the point in that? (I haven’t finished the story yet, so please no impish spoilers.)
Other than her quiet curiosity popping in and out of her mind at times when the plot is slowing, there isn’t much motivation behind her adventure. I know that if I had fallen into a creepy, unusually large rabbit hole and landed in Wonderland, I would be concerned with either getting back out again, or following my curiosity until I get killed. Since Alice hasn’t indicated either of these concerns very deeply, I have no solution to this predicament concerning her motives. My supposition is that Carroll is pushing Alice further through the story so she can arrive at a conclusion and learn the lessons he has intended for his audience of children to learn. Little does Alice know that the supernatural force which has her moving through Wonderland is an ingenious story writer.
Darcy S.
Connor S.
Devon H.
Morgan P.
Scott Mitchell
Alice's Pack of Cards 
Nice discussion! Why is Alice pushing forward? I wonder if all children wonder about where they are going in the often ridiculous world of adults. And Alice, in a Victorian world full of strict (often hypocritical) rules for behavior, must be even more used to pushing forward without questioning why.
Very insightful questions you ask here. Why isn’t she trying to get out and where does she seem to be going?
Her actions seem as random as the people she is encountering. Great observation–I wonder what it means?
Your statement “Other than her quiet curiosity popping in and out of her mind at times when the plot is slowing, there isn’t much motivation behind her adventure.” really had me thinking. There really is no reason for Alice to stick around in wonderland, and now that you mention it, why hasn’t she been more concerned with getting back to her own world? She seems to have a short attention span and accepts the situation as if it were her normal way of thinking. Maybe she got so swept up in the situations that were unraveling around her that she forgot her original intention of returning home? Although your point of Carroll having Alice go deeper into the story to discover a lesson, makes a lot of sense as well. That was a sharp observation, and I would have missed it if you had not pointed it out. Nicely done!