Introduction: Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is really about learning from our mistakes, firing the imagination and making the impossible possible.
In the fantasy, Alice chases after a white rabbit sporting a waistcoat and tumbles down a rabbit hole into a world of wonder, one that’s very dissimilar to the one she came from. The silliness of Alice in Wonderland makes you laugh and makes the book very appealing.
When was the last time you went down the rabbit, letting your imagination run wild? Once in a while, it's good to be childlike.
As Carroll takes Alice from one adventure to another I see a bit of Alice inside myself where I make the same mistakes more than once until I finally get it. In the land of make believe, where animals can talk, Alice’s size fluctuates, up and down like a yo-yo until she finally figures out how to control it by nibbling on a piece of mushroom. More than once, she offends and frightens, by telling the mouse and birds about her cat Dinah, who loves to catch mice and chase birds.
While reading Alice in Wonderland I was reminded of the poem There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery
by Portia Nelson. The poem makes you laugh, but you are laughing at yourself because you can relate to it. Someone walks down a street and falls into a pothole, and he does it again, even though he clearly sees the pothole, he walks down the street again sees the pothole and walks around it until one day he decides, what the heck, I will walk down another street. It’s a part of the human condition and a metaphor for life. Falling into the pothole is a metaphor for the mistakes we make in life.
Five Great Ideas from Alice in Wonderland
- Communicate in simple, clear language to avoid misunderstandings
- Don’t take things personally (One of the four agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz)
- If you have a destination, does it really matter how you get there? How about you enjoy the journey instead?
- Manage your emotions – never lose your temper
- Think before you speak
So, how can you apply the simple concepts in Alice in Wonderland? Think of a challenge that you are currently facing:
If you were standing on the shoulders of a giant, how differently would you view the challenge? And, if you could shrink the challenge, or break it down into smaller chunks, what difference would it make in resolving it? The way you view the world depends on where you are positioned, and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll’ opens you up to many possibilities. Transform the impossibilities in your life to possibilities!
Final Thoughts: Alice in Wonderland
Even if you have read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Dover Thrift Editions)
when you were a child, I recommend that you read it through an adult lens. What metaphors are used that relate to your life? What lessons can you learn from this timeless classic?
Books by Lewis Carroll
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: A Pop-up Adaptation
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland [illustrated]
Jabberwocky and Other Nonsense: Collected Poems (Penguin Classics)
