How does Alice's Adventures in Wonderland display British colonial attitudes - Term Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... Sociologists advance that societies all around the world preserve their heritage by passing down their history and legacy from one generation to the next. Britain is no exception; therefore, different agents of socialization ensure children familiarize themselves with the society’s cultural expectations and mode of thinking. In the Victorian society, it was the role of the governesses to teach children about societal expectations in order for them to be responsible, conforming adults. They reinforced cultural values by using texts. In relation to the book, many critics describe Alice as being a ‘colonized’ child. Meaning, the social structures around her affect her subjective interpretation of everything around her (Webb 178). Alice’s attempt at reciting moral verses illustrates this. These verses served as a reflection of her proper upbringing and helped in reaffirming her sense of worth by establishing her self-identity. From this, it is clear that Alice’s reactions to her experiences in Wonderland originated from her interpretations influenced by her internalization of British culture.
As Alice falls down the rabbit’s hole, her preoccupation with death and her indifference towards other animals’ death manifests itself. She continually thinks about her cat, Dinah, especially about what it will eat despite coming into contact with animals Dinah eats (Jacobi 124). Therefore, she attempts to talk to these animals which reveal her French and Latin, languages which she picked up from what she had learnt and her brother’s education. Throughout the entire book, Alice is continually introduced to various experiences, and, in all of them, her obstinate self-entitled nature manifests itself. This symbolizes the influence of Britain’s culture on her thinking. From a psychological perspective, it is clear that people socially construct their world from their personal experiences influenced by their society’s expectations. The Stand point theory in psychology advances that people create standpoint of the world they live in from their day-to-day experiences. Therefore, Alice’s defiant behavior to suggestions made and her bold domineering nature of questioning Wonderland’s figures of authority; reflects Britain’s societal expectations in the upbringing of their children (French 198). Chapter 11 revolves around the Knave of Hearts trial, which faces theft accusations. During the procession, the dormouse accuses Alice of using up all the air from the rapid rate at which she grows. Critics rule that the fact that Alice gets defensive about her alarming growth rate serves as a representation of Britain’s attitudes towards the acquisition of extra colonies. Chapter 12 of the book revolves around a trial scene, whereby, the arraignment of Alice occurs in the presence of a jury, King and Queen of Hearts. By the end of the trial, the Queen orders Alice to leave, which she refuses, to do despite receiving the Queens’s ultimate threat, ‘ ...Download file to see next pagesRead More