The Coming of Age Theme in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis C

Many have compared life to a journey over the course of which, one experiences many tumultuous changes and transitions. On this journey, the human body continually undergoes a developmental pattern of physical, mental, and social modifications. Even in the realm of literature, fictional characters inevitably follow this fate. In literature, the stage between childhood innocence and adulthood transforms characters, this is frequently referred to as "coming of age". Because all humans experience this transition, it establishes "coming of age" as a timeless universal literary theme. Among such "coming of age" novels is Lewis Carroll’s tale about a seven-year-old Victorian girl named Alice. In the novel, "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland", Alice falls into the curious world of Wonderland. Alice assuages and manages inter-conflicts, such as her identity. Through the confusion, experimentation, and uncertainties of the Wonderland between childhood and adulthood Alice realize s in her unconscious state that she is changing from simple child into a young woman. Although the novel is notorious for its satire and parodies, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland main theme is the transition between childhood and adulthood. Moreover, Alice’s adventures illustrate the perplexing struggle between child and adult mentalities as she explores the curious world of development know as Wonderland. From the beginning in the hallway of doors, Alice stands at an awkward disposition. The hallway contains dozens of doors that are all locked. Alice’s pre-adolescent stage parallels with her position in the hallway. Alice’s position in the hallway represents that she is at a stage stuck between being a child and a young woman. She posses a small golden key to ... ... 2007. 70-93. Print. Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. New York: The modern Library, 2002. Print Conchita, Charly Carlyle Ph.D. â€Å"Alice’s (& Lady Gaga’s) Sense of Self in Wonderland: A Psychoanalytic Formulation.† nymphobrainiac.wordpress. 5 March 2010. Web. May 2015. Pool, Daniel. What Jane Austin Ate and Charles Dickens knew .New York: Touch Stone. 1993. Print. Rooy, Lenny de. Lenny’s Alice in Wonderland site. Web. 1 May 2015. Vallone, Lynne. Notes. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. By Lewis Carroll. New York: The Modern Library Classics, 2002.245-252. Print. Walker, Stan. "An overview of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 May 2015.