Picture Credits: The Vatican
One of the most concrete ideas in fantasy literature has been its comparison to the harsh realities of our world, may it be directly or indirectly. In doing so, a lot of instruments or rather, images and symbols have been used over the years.
A game of chess has had a deeper semantic attached to it for such a long time, it’s difficult to roll the dice back to the beginning. It is indeed, a beautifully crafted parallel to the class structures as well as the capacities of individuals. How this all fits in a child’s world, can however, be a little more tricky.
Introduction
Book’s Name - Through the Looking-Glass
Author’s Name - Lewis Carroll
Genre - Children’s Fiction
Language - English
Synopsis - Spoiler Alert!
Alice is an almost eight-year-old child who lives deeply wrapped in loneliness and isolation. She has been brought up in a wealthy Victorian house, as is evident from the plot of the book. She is very well-mannered, as with Kitty, her pet cat, who she treats like a human being.
Alice’s yearning to make friends travels with her into the Looking-Glass world, as she tries to talk to several characters there. However, she is almost never met with kindness, and is often mistreated.
Alice goes on to meet the Red Queen, who constantly keeps picking at aspects of Alice’s manners and etiquette. The Red Queen asks Alice if she’d like to join a game of chess, at the end of which, she would be a queen.
In the beginning of the game, Alice is a pawn. She can only see one step ahead of her and move the same amount as well. However, as Alice goes on to meet Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and even Humpty Dumpty, she prophesies what will happen next.
Alice goes on to meet the White Knight towards the end of her journey and is mesmerized by him. He is the only one who is kind and compassionate throughout her journey of becoming a queen.
About the Author
Charles Lutwidge Dogson (27 January, 1832 - 14 January 1898), popularly known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, is most notably known for his contribution towards English children’s fiction. Though he was also a mathematician and photographer, his wide popularity can be deemed to be his books, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1872).
Lewis Carroll’s unique style of writing includes fantasy, word play and logic. It also includes nonsense literature, which is a genre of literature that balances out components that make sense with ones that do not. Very fine examples of this are Carroll’s poems Jabberwocky and The Hunting of the Snark.
About the Book
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, more simply known as ‘Through the Looking-Glass’, or ‘Alice Through the Looking-Glass’ is the sequel to the very popular Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). It was published on 27 December 1871, though dated 1872, by Macmillan Publishers.
The White Knight’s character in the novel has been modeled after Lewis Carroll himself, as if as an ode to his muse- Alice Lidell- who is the basis for the protagonist’s character. Portraying a character after himself is seen as a way of him trying to be with her in another world.
There have been several adaptations, both singularly and in combination with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The earliest stand-alone adaptation is a 1928 silent movie directed by Walter Lang, named Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Learning Outcomes
As Alice tries to go on to the garden, she finds herself back at the front door of the house. This leads to the flowers laughing at her rudely. This is a beautifully drawn parallel with life. Sometimes, we’re stuck at a place.
No matter how hard we try, we’re unable to get out of it. While others may laugh at us, we should keep trying to move on to the next phase of our lives as Alice did in her dream.
The White Knight’s character leaves readers with a very powerful lesson- in your journey, you will find various people who will be rude to you and try to stunt your growth, not let you move forward to your goal, but there will also be nice and kind people who, though fewer in number, will help you become who you are destined to be.
Even though the White Knight helps her in her journey immensely, he understands that she must go to the end herself. He cannot be with her as she becomes a queen- as she matures.
This shows how personal growth is for a person. You can never become who you’re truly meant to become if you’re held down. You must always be free.
Famous Quotes
“In a Wonderland they lie, Dreaming as the days go by, Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream- Lingering in the golden gleam- Life, what is it but a dream?”“Better say nothing at all. Language is worth a thousand pounds a word!”
“Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”
“Still she haunts me, phantom wise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.”“When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more, nor less.”
The Bottom Line
Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass” is, on the face of it, an imaginative children’s book about a young girl’s fantasy world. However, as one delves deeper, it can be seen as a beautifully written fantasy about the real world.
While it is a perfect fit for children, it can be a fruitful read for adults as well!
My ratings for the book - 4 on 5
You can buy a copy from Amazon - Through the Looking-Glass
Written By - Kristi Mazumdar
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