Robin Williams once said,
"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."
In essence, reality is a multi-dimensional idea, stretched and skewed uniquely
by one's experiences. There are approximately seven billion people on Earth, so
how can one exhibit individualism amongst the billions? Given the impossibility
of this situation, humanity still aspires to define its existence and purpose.
Therefore, the pressures,
demands, and pains of going through puberty are universal to every young person.
Nirvana and identity are lost in this whirlwind time. This is the ultimate journey: the
search for self-realization. Tim
Burton's film adaptation to Lewis Carroll's classic children's novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,
extrapolates the essence of Carroll's child Alice and presents an accurate
depiction of a maturing, adolescent Alice by paralleling each Alice's persona
and actions within her different discourses in Wonderland.
Prior to understanding
the development of Alice's persona, one must comprehend discourse theory and
its impact on Alice's paralleled journeys from childhood to adolescence.
Discourse is the generalization of conversations attached to a given type of
social practice. In Ernest Laclau and Chantal Mouffe's Hegemony and Socialist Strategy,
they establish that it results from articulatory practices; their political
theory analyzes the relations between class, identity, and self-realization.[1] The subjects of discourses
are fragmented, meaning they are never positioned or restricted by one disquisition.
Thus, when an individual, like Alice, experiences conflicting discourses, he or
she is over-determined. Laclau and Mouffe define over-determination as a
"field of identities which never manages to be fully fixed.[2] Identity is created when
the subject of a disquisition forms relations with elements, unfixed within the
discourse. These elements are then fixed into discursively stable moments.
However, both argue that "no discursive formation is a sutured totality
and the transformation of the elements into moments is never complete.”[3] Hence, elements and
moments within a discourse can change and develop new meanings.
For Alice, there are
several sets of discourses, resulting in her over-determination. Her Victorian
society, connected to Wonderland by a rabbit hole, is presented as a setting of
domestic tranquility in both novel and film. Alice comprehends the discourses
found within Victorian society; she abides by the formalities, strict
traditions, and etiquette expected of a young lady. She fits into her
discourses more or less. Once Alice crosses over into Wonderland, she
encounters discourses, which are drastically different from those experienced
in her world. Because Alice struggles to adapt to her new discourse, the reader
sees the similarities between Alice's youth and her adolescent persona. Most
importantly, since Tim Burton's film adaptation focuses on Alice's return to
Wonderland, she must relate herself to discourses from her past. Alice's
similar elements found within different yet overlapping discourses are known as
floating signifiers. Laclau and Mouffe define elements within overlapping
discourses as "incapable of being wholly articulated to a discursive chain,
“which subsequently, "penetrate every discursive identity."[4] In other words, Alice is
experiencing overlapping discourses between her Victorian society, and her
discourses in Wonderland's past and present.
In Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice personifies the naivety
and innocence of youth, portraying an intrigued individual with all the
curiosity and potential of a child. Carroll's original text begins with young
Alice, seven years of age, "beginning to get very tired of sitting by her
sister on the bank,"[5]; her sister is
reading a book, which bores young Alice. She wonders what is the purpose of a
book "without pictures or conversations?"[6] The literature does not
feed Alice's imagination, hinting at her young age and respective maturity. Alice needs visually-stimulating
pictures and dialogue to pique her interest, as does any young girl of her age. Children's literature predominantly
serves to attract youths with colorful illustrations, simple concepts, and
topics that expand a child's imagination. In contrast, Alice's sister reads a
novel pertaining to materials beyond Alice's comprehension. Complex literature
requires one's capacity to analyze and interpret deeper texts. Alice's
impatience and immaturity prevent her from enjoying the novel alongside her
older sister. As a result, Alice's concentration and focus is misplaced, and
she notices the presence of a white rabbit. She takes special interest as the
rabbit "[takes] a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket."[7] Alice is described as
“burning with curiosity"[8] when she follows the
rabbit down into a rabbit hole. Alice acts like any other child, chasing after
something peculiar. Her curiosity gets the best of her.
Alice’s
curiously peers into the rabbit’s hole, in pursuit of the white rabbit.[9]
With no thoughts of
consequence or danger, she leaps into the deep abyss of the rabbit hole,
"never once considering how in the world she was to get out again."[10] Her impulsive decision
and disregard for consequences suggest Alice has a carefree and adventurous
nature. Lewis Carroll characterizes the young Alice as an audacious,
free-spirit, intrigued by the peculiar world around her. Children are naive,
and thus, their curiosity grows in the presence of the unknown. As a result,
when Alice spots the most peculiar of rabbits, her curiosity kicks into
overdrive.
Similarly, Tim Burton
evokes Alice's childish nature through the adolescent Alice's coy and
inquisitive attitude. Once the older Alice blossoms into a beautiful young
lady, she partakes in a party with her mother at the Ascot Estate. Given the
historical context of the Victorian Era, she is of marriageable age.
Consequently, Hamish will
propose to her at this festivity, but Alice "doesn't know if she wants to marry him."[11] Just as the Carroll's Alice has no
interest for complex literature without pictures and conversations, Burton's
Alice has no interest for complex formalities such as marriage. Older Alice's
interest is piqued by her curiosity, and thus, she chases after the white
rabbit with the same burning curiosity young Alice had.
See Video Clip 1[12]
In the film adaptation,
Alice is mesmerized and perplexed by the white rabbit and his stopwatch. She is
so entranced, she leaves Hamish with no answer for his wedding proposal.
Although the film projects an older, maturing Alice, she has the same tendencies
the child Alice has. Rather than succumb to the societal pressures at the
dinner party, Alice avoids the whole ordeal by slipping away. Given the
historical context of the time period, the far majority of Victorian ladies
would be quick to respond to a proposal, considering the overbearing, societal
pressure for women to marry. Tim Burton's adolescent Alice personifies
curiosity because she focuses on what she wants, rather than what society
dictates.
Hamish’s
proposal to Alice at the Ascot Estate[13]
Alice’s
Shrunken State after her experimentation with size[14]
The children's book then
brings Alice to a hallway with locked doors. In relation to the movie, Alice
differs in "her age and what she experiences on her side of the border prior
to entering Wonderland."[15] Alice initially explores
the confined hall, walking "all the way down one side and up the other,
trying every door," only to return to the table centered in the hall,
"hoping she might find another key."[16] Because of her adventurous nature, she
searches relentlessly for an alternate route from the locked hall, perplexed by
her current predicament.[17] In the film, Alice
undergoes the same process of guess and check with each door. More importantly,
she faces difficulty regulating her size to appropriately fit within the
smaller-set door found. Tim Burton's Alice partakes in a different
literal journey than Carroll's Alice. Burton's Alice parallels the same
behavioral patterns and nature of the younger Alice. Whilst Alice searches for
an escape, several characters look at Alice through the keyhole, wondering
"‘You'd think she'd remember all this from the first time.’"[18] These anonymous
characters reveal Alice is actually returning to Wonderland eleven years after
her initial exposure to the Wonderland discourse. In the past and the present,
Alice faces difficulty adapting to distinct yet similar discourses in
Wonderland. Because she faces the same task, her journey overlaps discourses.
Her large size confines her within the hall. Only through exploration does
Alice enter Wonderland in both cases. Because of the similarities in both
discourses, the reader can imply the adolescent Alice enters Wonderland with
the same instinct of her childish state.
Alice's exposure to
different discourses within Wonderland implies she will face unique yet similar
questions regarding her identity. Alice's encounter with the Caterpillar,
Absolem, highlights the identity crisis Alice faces. In the book, the
Caterpillar presents Alice with the most essential question of her adventure:
"'Who are you?'"[19] The theme of
Alice's developing identity is the focal point of the story. In response to his
question, Alice answers,"[she] hardly know[s], Sir, just at present-- at
least she [knew] who [she] was when [she] got up this morning, but [she] must
have changed several times since then."[20] Alice refers to her
continuously changing physical appearance as the source for her confusing
identity. Throughout the story, Alice has difficulty achieving the proper size
necessary, implying her difficulty in establishing her subject position within
the Wonderland discourse. Alice is a young girl trying to understand her place
and purpose in society, foreshadowed by her inability to fixate herself within
her discourse in Wonderland.
Absolem,
the wise Caterpillar with his hookah[21]
See Video Clip 2: Absolem[22]
The film portrays Alice's
first meeting with the sagely insect much the same way the book does. After a decade, the adolescent Alice
is still confused with her true identity. Her concern with persona and identity
comes from the forest animals. Many of the creatures know young Alice. They are
uncertain the returning Alice is the same as the Alice from the past. Thus,
they take her to the Caterpillar to verify her identity. The wise Caterpillar,
who knows the Alice of the past, does not believe the current Alice is the same
as the one from the past, nor the one they need in the future. The caterpillar
asks her the same question, "Who are you?" but in the movie she
answers, “‘I’m not who you think I am.’”[23] Absolem believes
Alice can change and become the right Alice; the older Alice is no longer part
of the old discourse established in Lewis Carroll's books. She must adapt to
the new discourse set in the current disposition of Wonderland. Tim Burton portrays
Alice as an unknowing adolescent, confused with her identity as well as her
purpose in reality and Wonderland. The young Alice parallels this same internal
conflict. Just as Carroll's Alice does not fit into the discourse of
Wonderland, neither does Burton's Alice. In essence, the young and the
adolescent Alice find difficulty adapting to societal pressures and demands,
resulting in losses of innocence. Neither Tim Burton’s Alice nor Lewis
Carroll’s Alice as a sense of identity.
The
Wise Caterpillar[24]
The Caterpillar's impact
on Alice reinforces Tim Burton's parallel depiction of classic Alice. Absolem
plays a vital role in helping Alice regain her sense of identity. In the book,
Alice is unable to manage her fluctuating size. This prevents her from adapting
to the Wonderland discourse. Thus, the Caterpillar provides Alice with a
way to alter her size-- the mushroom he was sitting upon. The Caterpillar helps
Alice to form her identity. With his help, Alice can continue her journey
towards self-discovery. In Tim Burton's movie, Alice has a flashback during her
second encounter with the Caterpillar. The flash back is a direct reference to
Lewis Carroll's Adventures of
Alice in Wonderland and
Alice's childhood adventures. This
flashback presents Alice with her previous experience in Wonderland as a child.
Thus, her childish discourse merges with the adolescent discourse she resides
in. Because Alice's past and present converge, Alice's identity adapts, so she
can defeat the mighty Jabberwocky. Alice no longer has conflicting discourses
which muddle her perception. The
new discourse of Wonderland changes yet again. Her flashback aligns elements
such as the key characters and her persona from her past and present. Only in
Absolem's presence does Alice finally form a discourse suitable to defeat the
Jabberwocky. By merging the two discourses, Tim Burton molds Alice into a
product of her environment, slowly discovering who she truly is.
Following her encounter
with the Caterpillar, the young Alice confronts the Hatter, March Hare and
Dormouse at the tea party in Lewis Carroll's Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland. When
she approaches the tea party, she is unwelcome. Thus, she is not properly
invited to sit with them. After they all exchange formalities, Alice attempts
to instruct the Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse on proper etiquette. By doing
so, Alice attempts to influence the discourse she is in. Considering Alice's
strict and proper upbringing, Alice views tea parties as formal events. They
require polite behavior and rigid rules. Unfortunately, the nonsensical nature
of the tea party prevents Alice from changing the Wonderland discourse.
Alice is over-determined
because she adheres to the standards of the Victorian society. Just as she
fails to change her tea party environment, she fails to fit in the Wonderland
discourse. Similarly, the young and old Alice both fail to adapt to their
Victorian discourses. Alice cannot change her surroundings. Instead, she must
change, foreshadowing her loss of innocence and maturity. One day, the older
Alice must put her childish ways behind her. One day, the older Alice must
choose her path in life.
In Tim Burton's film
adaptation Alice in Wonderland,
Alice encounters a different scenario because she is returning to Wonderland.
Alice arrives at a dormant tea party. The Hatter immediately recognizes Alice.
He walks over the tea table, in disbelief that Alice has returned. The Dormouse
and the Hare question whether Alice is from the correct discourse. Alice's
inability to conform to Wonderland's discourse is highlighted by constant doubt
amongst her peers. Burton's Alice struggles to fit into Wonderland's new
discourse just as Carroll's Alice struggled to fit into Wonderland's past
discourse. The adolescent Alice experiences a similar journey to that of her
younger self, preparing herself to put her childhood behind her.
See Video Clip 4: Mad Tea Party[25]
The young Alice is the
precursor to the adolescent Alice. Tim Burton's Alice is mature, exposed to the
harsh realities of the world. Carroll's Alice is the naive and innocent
discourse. The young Alice will mature into the girl who faces demands of
marriage. Lewis Carroll's Alice was naive and young, innocent and pure. Linda
Woolverton, screenwriter for Alice
in Wonderland, took the essence of young Alice's persona, and meshed it
with an adolescent Alice, who faced a loss of innocence. The result was a young
lady, "facing imminent choices about life and who she's going to be."[26] Alice is an adolescent
slowly losing her childhood, so Linda Woolverton brings her back to
Wonderland for a "chance to find that inner strength she lost when she
lost her father."[27] Woolverton's depiction of
Alice embodies the lively energy of young Alice but fails to exist in a surreal
world of innocence. Thus, Tim Burton's film adaptation accurately depicts the
maturing Alice.
The young Alice's
confrontation with the Queen and consequent loss of innocence mirrors the
adolescent Alice's defeat of the Red Queen and her tragic, yet inevitable loss
of childhood. Both discourses are
rites of passage that lead Alice to adulthood. The most pivotal connection between
the two Alices is the interconnected endings. The book and the movie function
as complementary facets of Alice's growth and maturation.
Alice
alongside her formidable enemy[28]
To be more specific, at
the end of the Lewis Carroll's book, Alice meets the Red Queen for a second
time. Alice is summoned to a trial. The Knave of Hearts is charged with stealing
some of the Queen's homemade tarts. When Alice Arrives, "the King and the
Queen of Hearts were seated on their throne."[29] Because Alice has studied
legal discourse in her world, she proves her knowledge of the discourse by
analyzing the legal discourse of Wonderland. She finally starts adapting to her
surrounds. She finds similarities and interconnected elements within her
reality and Wonderland. However, Alice realizes the law system within
Wonderland was flawed; the Queen possesses the true power within the court
room, meaning she holds authority as both judge and jury. The Queen governs all
of Wonderland. During the trial, Alice "begins to grow larger,"[30] to "nearly two miles
high,"[31]
and the King declares "all persons more than mile high to leave the
court."[32]
Alice refuses to leave because she becomes aware of her size and the physical
protection and power it provides. Alice has taken control of her experience in
the Wonderland discourse. She has overcome her conflicting discourses between
reality and Wonderland. Furthermore, when the Queen provides enough evidence to
prosecute the Knave, Alice objects against the court because "she had
grown so large in the last few minutes that she wasn't a bit afraid of
interrupting."[33] The young Alice overcomes
surroundings and societal pressures. She no longer struggles within the
confines of the court case. She leaves Wonderland with a close eye on her
cherished childhood innocence. She would eventually lose but always remembers
to never forget her youth.
The
mighty Jabberwocky Alice is destined to slay[34]
Throughout Tim Burton's film adaptation, Alice constantly
refuses to accept her responsibility of slaying the Red Queen's
Jabberwocky, "a deadly creature," on "Frabjous day.”[35] On this day, Alice will
free Underland from the oppressive rule of the Red Queen. As Alice journey’s through Wonderland,
she struggles to adapt to her new surroundings and fails to find her inner
strength and courage. She must realize
this before she can do the impossible, what is just; to bring down the
oppressive rule of the Red Queen. This
struggle parallels her inability to define her own identity. She needs to
muster the strength and decisive force necessary to break away from her
presumed marriage to Hamish Ascot. Her true desire lies here.
The epic battle ends with
the defeat of the Jabberwocky. Alice saves Wonderland, and her journey comes to
an end. The Hatter pleads for Alice to stay, but she cannot. Alice understands
she has responsibilities and business to take care of in her world. Alice
finally takes charge of her life, finally recognizing her identity. After
bittersweet goodbyes, Alice departs from Wonderland. She drinks the blood of
the jabberwocky, which sends her back to her world. She climbs out of the
rabbit hole, only to find Hamish in demand of an answer to his proposal. Alice
reminisces on her adventures in Wonderland and declines the proposal. She joins
her father's trade company, and explores as she intended. Throughout Alice's
journey, she faced Herculean difficulty in order to take grasp of her destiny.
She stood up for what she wanted, not what society demanded. By merging her
previous and present discourses in Wonderland, Alice forms a new identity
suitable to face her own demons. The older Alice overcomes her inability to fit
in Wonderland and in reality just as young Alice does. Burton projects a
paralleled path of self-discovery through Alice's over-determination, as a
child and adolescent.
Lewis Carroll's story and
Tim Burton's film adaptation are predecessors of Alice's adulthood. In an
interview with the Writer's Guild of America, Linda Woolverton spoke of the
duality of her screenplay's ending. The adolescent Alice is "leaving the
childhood behind" and "facing the unknown, facing the world, going
out into the world.”[36] The younger Alice must
cherish her childhood innocence, for it is fragile and easily tarnished. The
older Alice must embrace her passage into adulthood and the real world; she
must let go of her childhood to move on.
Tim Burton's film
adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland extrapolates
the essence of the child Alice and accurately depicts an adolescent, maturing
Alice. The film paralleled emotional attributes as well as the encounters faced
by both the young Alice and adolescent Alice. Regardless of her age, regardless
of her location, Alice will always remember her youth and all the glory of
Wonderland. Her search for identity is finished. Burton utilizes discourse
theory in order to portray a similar persona with the essence of young Alice.
Alice transitions from her youth to her adult life, letting go of her
childhood, and faces the unknown. She faces the world. The movie preserves her
wit and endless curiosity. Both parallel similar encounters which mold
Alice into the dominant figure in the Wonderland discourse. Alice holds her
memories of her childhood close, but embraces her passage into the adulthood
world.
[1]
Ernest Laclau,
and Chantal Mouffe, Hegemony
and Socialist Strategy: towards a radical democratic politics, (London:
Verso, 2001), 105.
[2]
Ernest and Mouffe, Hegemony, 111.
[3]
Ernest and Mouffe, Hegemony, 106-107.
[4] Ernest and Mouffe, Hegemony,
113.
[5] Lewis Carroll, The
Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, (New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, Inc., 2000), 11.
[7] Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive
Edition, 12.
[8] Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive
Edition, 12.
[9] Image. <http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i120/skailagise/TLF/sneak-preview-of-alice-in-wonderlan.png>
[10] Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive
Edition, 12
[11] Woolverton, Linda. Alice. 2007. Print.6.
The script opens with a matured
Alice at the Ascot Estate amongst party members, soon to be proposed to by
Hamish Ascot, son of Lord Ascot, Alice's deceased father's good friend. Lady
Ascot brings young Alice into the garden to discuss serious matters regarding
Hamish and his upkeep and responsibilities as his wife, only to be distracted
by a white rabbit ravaging the bushes. Immediately after the conversation,
Hamish proposes to Alice in front of the mass of guests; Alice, perplexed and
confused, provides no answer, catching sight of the mysterious rabbit. She
takes no interest in pressure-stricken situation, immediately chasing after the
rabbit into the woods. From here, Alice trips and falls into a rabbit-hole,
endlessly plummeting into the world of Wonderland.
[12] Linda
Woolverton. Alice in Wonderland. DVD.
Direct by Tim Burton. England: Walt Disney Pictures, 2010.
[14] ]Image. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0FhWprq_VGbY53N84ghBS5fg-sZ-m6b4T3PY7ect0XqABl_k7d_dc1xzlLW3zrLwWlNdzSs3xLCJFvxjbEFqK2l7io5kG5VhygDAIYlelfQTrWh6-jZDiw7RFbyAQYkY-OmaBC8xOB-2/s1600/alice-tiny.jpg.png>
[15] Finn-Henning Johannessen, , "Alice in Wonderland:
Development of Alice's Identity within Adaptations"(Masters thesis,
University of Tromsø, 2011). 20.
[16] Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive
Edition, 15-16.
[17] Carroll, The
Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, 15.
[18] Johannessen,
"Alice in Wonderland", 20.
Alice finds herself within the
round hallway, unable to unlock the doors all around her. She finds a key to a
miniature door, hidden by the curtains and a subsequent key that fits just
right. She cannot fit into such door, but finds a potion with inscription
"drink me," which undoubtedly shrinks her. She realizes the key is
still on a three-legged table, and she notices cake which inscribes "eat
me." The cake forces Alice to grow at unexpected rates, as she must
balance both potion and cake to provide the proper size to enter Wonderland.
[19] Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive
Edition, 47.
[20] Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive
Edition, 47.
[22] Linda Woolverton.
Alice in Wonderland. DVD. Direct by
Tim Burton. England: Walt Disney Pictures, 2010.
[23] Woolverton, Alice,
49.
[24] Image. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrus0qKm4oAnh6YVJVhzZe9Cql7YVNZXs-CtlGqFL2TjEtJggQH6VG0yUK33aDTkhf5MxWfDdO2Aob4lD94ansH8TB0IU13iidJ4wj8A89B_xRm-nT6epf_9chhyphenhyphen8u0Q2cG28io9SFxY/s1600/aliceinwonderland_caterpillar1.jpg>.
[25] Linda Woolverton. Alice in Wonderland. DVD. Direct
by Tim Burton. England: Walt Disney Pictures, 2010.
[26] Linda Wolverton,
interview by Dylan Callaghan, "Wonder Woman," , April 8, 2012, http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4004.
[27] Linda Wolverton,
interview by Dylan Callaghan, "Wonder Woman," , April 8, 2012, http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4004.
[29] Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive
Edition, 110.
[30] Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive
Edition, 113.
[31] Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive
Edition, 120.
[33] Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive
Edition, 122.
[34] Image.<http://images.wikia.com/aliceinwonderland/images/2/27/Jabberwocky_Concept_by_Michael_Kutsche.jpg>.
[35] Woolverton, Alice,
1.
It is foretold in the Oraculum, the calendar of all
days of Underland, each day having its own title and illustration, that Alice
is destined to slay the mighty Jabberwocky, bringing the oppressive reign of
the Red Queen to an end.
[36] Linda Wolverton,
interview by Dylan Callaghan, "Wonder Woman," , April 8, 2012, http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4004.
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