Alice
in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass are novels written by Lewis Carroll
published respectively in 1865 and 1871, the second one being a sequel
to the first. Both stories take place in two fantasy worlds inhabited by
imaginary and sometimes weird creatures. They focus on their conversations with
Alice, reflecting the Victorian society and environment. No clear moral can be
concluded from the stories, which is somewhat distinctive for the tales of that era, even
though they address different themes such as growing up and curiosity. Identity
is also a recurrent theme in both books and the question of integrity can be
appealing to people of all ages, even if they’re originally intended for
children, because our reality is also a world of wonder.
“Who are you?” is an example of identity discussed in the book and is the question the Caterpillar asks Alice. It is an inquest to which the little
girl does not find the right words to respond to.Indeed Alice is haunted
by a repetitive question within the story, “And now who I am I?”. This same
question may lead to one the most fundamental interrogations of philosophy such as:
“What makes me, me?” and “Who am I?”. The crisis of self-identity that the
little girl goes through gives strength to the assumption that shaping oneself is an active ongoing process and that the definition of identity is in
fact a complex theory to define.
Personal identity can be described according to two spheres: psychology and sociology. Psychologically, part of identity is internal and central, meaning it is constructed by one’s self-reflection, feelings, memorable details, morals or values. In other words what cannot be guessed by others. The other part of defining identity is social that is; one’s job, hobbies, religious beliefs, or political affiliations, what can be related to one’s outside environment. In reality, that social belonging can be described through different tendencies that one has, is social comparison. An illustration can be the struggle that Alice goes through to define herself and the doubts that haunt her. Another example can be “weight” as nowadays one strives to be thin and fit as seen in television or media whereas in the past a person with significant weight reflected good health and high social class. That is to say that inversely, without an entity to compare to (without models, television, etc.), one would be satisfied with his or her looks. These illustrations as well emphasize the link that identity and needs have, added to the psychological and social dimensions it takes. In the Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the 3 lower level needs (Physiological, safety, and belonging) are mainly related to the outside environment or control. Whereas the upper 2 levels are related the sense of self. The psychologist accentuates that if lower level needs are not satisfied, higher-level needs will be forgotten in favor of reinforcing the inferior level.
Again, it is to say how highly the two dimensions described earlier (social and psychological) are indissoluble, yet both are important to give rise to one’s identity. What distinguishes one person from others cannot paradoxically take place without the context of society. Genuinely, one’s world of society plays a considerable role in defining one’s self.Similarly, in the wonderland’s context, Alice does not settle her role in the strange world, yet she loses her identity from a social and self perspective.
Personal identity can be described according to two spheres: psychology and sociology. Psychologically, part of identity is internal and central, meaning it is constructed by one’s self-reflection, feelings, memorable details, morals or values. In other words what cannot be guessed by others. The other part of defining identity is social that is; one’s job, hobbies, religious beliefs, or political affiliations, what can be related to one’s outside environment. In reality, that social belonging can be described through different tendencies that one has, is social comparison. An illustration can be the struggle that Alice goes through to define herself and the doubts that haunt her. Another example can be “weight” as nowadays one strives to be thin and fit as seen in television or media whereas in the past a person with significant weight reflected good health and high social class. That is to say that inversely, without an entity to compare to (without models, television, etc.), one would be satisfied with his or her looks. These illustrations as well emphasize the link that identity and needs have, added to the psychological and social dimensions it takes. In the Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the 3 lower level needs (Physiological, safety, and belonging) are mainly related to the outside environment or control. Whereas the upper 2 levels are related the sense of self. The psychologist accentuates that if lower level needs are not satisfied, higher-level needs will be forgotten in favor of reinforcing the inferior level.
Again, it is to say how highly the two dimensions described earlier (social and psychological) are indissoluble, yet both are important to give rise to one’s identity. What distinguishes one person from others cannot paradoxically take place without the context of society. Genuinely, one’s world of society plays a considerable role in defining one’s self.Similarly, in the wonderland’s context, Alice does not settle her role in the strange world, yet she loses her identity from a social and self perspective.
“I knew who I was when I got up this morning,
but I think I must have been changed several times since then” Alice tells herself. In reality, this inner thought may bring up the assumption that identity
is not stable, yet it is affected by several factors and changes. Along the
story, Alice is confronted by numerous changes and is immersed into
a real sense of “world of wonders”. “And now who I am I?”, the typical question
that Alice asks herself and tries to find a response to while
being confronted to all these alterations of the new environment she landed in.
Reality is somewhat similar to Alice in wonderland's storyline, in which defining oneself is an active ongoing process. Over time, identity develops and evolves.
Depending on what shape one’s life takes, its degrees vary from a person to another. In that sense, a person might identify with a trend or have a particular vision on a subject in a specific time frame and change during his/her lifespan. This same example can be applied to religion, social class, political affiliation, or faith which partly define our identity. As in the same context, experience, surroundings, and constant thinking shape one’s identity. Indeed, as in the context of wonderland, being confronted by new creatures, to different values, or herself embodied in different aspects doubted Alice in concerns of identity, even if consciously she knew she was Alice.
Another illustration that can accentuate the variability of identity and its potential change, is slavery. Back in the eras, slavery had been a common, yet accepted trend. Whereas today it has been abolished in most parts of the world, it is discussed as a major issue under the values of international human rights. In other words, it illustrates the inconstancy of, in this example, a shared social value that is part of one’s identity. Extendedly, learning is a process, and mistakes are part of it. One might constantly try to keep a balance between what has been acquired from the past (experiences), family or society in accordance with what is existent and what is aimed to be achieved in the future. Therefore, identity is a core human need that takes two dimensions, psychological and social, even though it is not stable but shapeable through the endeavor that one takes along his or her life.
Depending on what shape one’s life takes, its degrees vary from a person to another. In that sense, a person might identify with a trend or have a particular vision on a subject in a specific time frame and change during his/her lifespan. This same example can be applied to religion, social class, political affiliation, or faith which partly define our identity. As in the same context, experience, surroundings, and constant thinking shape one’s identity. Indeed, as in the context of wonderland, being confronted by new creatures, to different values, or herself embodied in different aspects doubted Alice in concerns of identity, even if consciously she knew she was Alice.
Another illustration that can accentuate the variability of identity and its potential change, is slavery. Back in the eras, slavery had been a common, yet accepted trend. Whereas today it has been abolished in most parts of the world, it is discussed as a major issue under the values of international human rights. In other words, it illustrates the inconstancy of, in this example, a shared social value that is part of one’s identity. Extendedly, learning is a process, and mistakes are part of it. One might constantly try to keep a balance between what has been acquired from the past (experiences), family or society in accordance with what is existent and what is aimed to be achieved in the future. Therefore, identity is a core human need that takes two dimensions, psychological and social, even though it is not stable but shapeable through the endeavor that one takes along his or her life.
While the story gained popularity among adults and
children and affected all generations, it brings to light one of the major
struggles of the human being. Alice could not recognize herself anymore,
neither physically nor psychologically, each time she had a conversation with a
creature. This matter remains recurrent to a very advanced age of our lives as
we are continuously trying to establish ourselves socially while each person we
meet is challenging our inner confidence.
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