Reading Notes: Alice in Wonderland, Part A

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Down The Rabbit Hole
The quote "In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again" really sticks out to me. It seems to hit on impulsive actions that we may undertake without considering consequences.

It baffles me that she was falling so quickly, yet also slowly enough to grab a jar off of a shelf. Or are the shelves falling at the same rate as her? How exactly would that work?

The white rabbit is always hurrying. What about this intrigues Alice so much that she follows him without thought of what could happen?

Life isn't like a storybook, Alice. Just because it doesn't say "poison" on the bottle doesn't mean it's safe to drink the entire thing.

I'm confused. I thought she unlocked the tiny door before she drank the liquid from the bottle. Why did she neglect to do so and leave it on the table?

I wonder if Alice regrets drinking the entire bottle now, considering that after she ate the cake, she is now much too large to enter through the tiny door. I am assuming that she found more to drink eventually.

Advice from a Caterpillar
Considering she followed a rabbit into a random hole, I shouldn't be surprised that Alice is listening to advice from a caterpillar this time.

The caterpillar seems very confrontational. He doesn't want to give any straight answers, and is constantly belittling Alice. I'm surprised she has managed to mostly keep her composure.

Caterpillar smoking Hookah

Source: Wikipedia

I wish we knew what pieces of "You are old, Father William" Alice got incorrect. I'm starting to become irate with this caterpillar. Someone needs to put him in his place.

That mushroom has incredible power if a tiny piece made her grow that quickly. I wonder what the exact formula is to get a specific height from the two sides would be.

Why was her neck left so long when the rest of her body was a normal (I think?) size? I can see why the pigeon must have been terrified of her and what she could do to its eggs.

I feel bad for Alice, not being able to truly find the happy place in this new world. What would happen if she went to the little house without shrinking herself? She seems to be constantly changing herself in an attempt to fit in.

Pig and Pepper
Apparently the caterpillar isn't the only creature that speaks in riddles and trivial ways. They all have some piece of diction that makes it difficult to follow at times.

Alice is extremely determined, barging into the house the way she did. When will some of her actions come back to haunt her? Especially saying the food has too much pepper in it when it isn't meant for her.

The Duchess is very snarky. Also oblivious of all the chaos going on around her. It seems like the entire world is a chaotic mess.

Maybe Alice would be best served to let the chaos happen instead of trying to fix it. She seems so out of place in this world. Especially trying to care for a pig that's treated like a baby.

I like the cat's attitude. "I'm mad. You're mad." It seems to hit on the theme that everyone has little things about them that seem crazy to someone else, so we're all crazy to someone.

Cheshire Cat Disappearing

Source: Wikipedia

I wonder why she went for the hare's house if she was going to be deterred so easily. This lends to my theory that she's constantly trying to fit into this strange land.