Joe Beaty

October 5, 2006

Jr. Faith '06

I believe that the girl, Alice, from Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland." Showed the process of knowing. Even though it was all a dream, her unconscience mind was able to perceive, categorize, evaluate, symbolize, and test everything around her.

Perceiving. As Alice drifts off during a lesson, her mind wanders into a place of fantasy that is filled with nonsense, riddles, stories, and people of all sorts. One Character she meets is the caterpillar. After a short story from the caterpillar, he starts walking away and tells Alice "One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make your grow shorter."

Alice recognizes trouble when she sees it, especially when it deals with the Hatter, and March Hare. When Alice enters the tea party with a table set up for one hundred three people, she knows something is up. After sitting, the two [men] start to play mind games and heckle Alice.

Categorizing. Alice had made friends with the caterpillar and recognized the mushroom would not be poisonous, but would accomplish what the caterpillar would do.

She sees them as a little off center, and possibly clinically insane. Their speech and manner are very spastic, and do not match that of any proper person she grew up with..

Evaluating. Alice then breaks off a piece of the mushroom, not noticing any difference in the opposite sides of the plant.

As she gets moved around in her seat, and sees the rabbit's watch get jammed up and smashed, she better realizes these men are not to friendly, and that she must go.

Symbolizing. The mushroom could mean many things. This could be Alice's decision between good and evil, or maybe just be a good tool for a tight spot.

Again, we have a picture of good versus evil. I'm not saying all insane people are evil, that would be false and vague, but the virgin image of Alice being manipulated by the Mad Hatter and March Hare seems to resemble a bit of temptation, and lots of manipulation.

Testing: We lean as Alice does, what the effects of the mushroom are. As she takes a bite from her right hand, her chin hits her feet as she rapidly begins to shrink. Scared of these side effects, Alice takes a bite from her left hand and her head sores above the trees. She learns that her neck can zigzag back and forth, back towards the ground.

When the mouse sings his own version of "twinkle, twinkle, little star" we are given the sure sign that these guys are messed up in the head. Later at the Queen's trial, The Mad Hatter is called as a witness, and he falsely testifies against Alice, we know he lies, and is a possible health threat.

Source: Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. New York, NY. Fine Creative Media Inc. 2004.