Book Report#2

Book Report#2


IE3 CORE

Chizuru Hayasaka





Author: Lewis Carroll

Book title: Alice In Wonderland

Publisher: Macmillan

Place: England

Date: 26 November 1865



*Summary*

One summer day Alice is sitting on the riverbank with her sister when a big white rabbit runs past. "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late," the rabbit says, taking a look at his watch. Then he pops down a large rabbit hole, and Alice just has to follow him. Arriving at the bottom of the hole, found small doors all around the hall, but they were all locked. She picked up a tiny golden key on a little three-legged table. The key fitted to the lock of one of the small doors. Alice was very happy but she became noticed that the door was too small for her to go out. Alice was confused but she found a little bottle on it, and tied round the neck of the bottle was a paper label with the words "DRINK ME" beautifully printed on it in large letters. Alice tried to drink it and suddenly her body was shrinking! She was now the right size for going through the little door into the lovely garden. She noticed she left the key of the door on the table she could not reach anymore. A cake with "EAT

ME" on it causes her to grow to such a tremendous size her head hits the ceiling.

Alice was unhappy and cried and her tears flood the halfway because of eating the cake. After shrinking down again due to a fan she had picked up, Alice swam through a pond made of her own tears and met a Mouse, who was swimming as well. She tries to make small talk with him but all she could think of talking about is her cat, which offends the mouse.

The sea of tears became crowded with other animals and birds to convene on the bank and the question among them was how to get dry again. After the conference, the white rabbit appeared again in search of the Duchess’s gloves and fan. The white rabbit ordered her to go into the house and brink them to him. She went in and found a cake and thought it would make her body shrink. Therefore Alice ate it and reduced her again in size.

Alice came on a mushroom and sitting on it is a blue Caterpillar smoking a hookah. Caterpillar advised Alice to eat which of sides on mushroom he was sitting. With some effort, Alice brought herself back to her usual height. Alice became a guest at a “mad” tea party along with the Hatter, the March Hare, and a sleeping Dormouse who remained asleep for most of the tea party. Alice was so tired of the stupid tea party and left and entered the garden where Alice came on three living playing cards painting the white roses on a rose tree because the Queen of Hearts didn’t like white roses very much. The Queen and King went to her and invited Alice to play a game of croquet. Of course, the game descended into chaos because of the Queen’s familiar phrase “OFF WITH HIS HEAD!” The grinning Cheshire Cat appeared on the tree front of Alice, and said “How are you getting on?” As soon as he appeared, the King came to Alice and took small talk with him but the cat was so offensive and made the king angry. The King ordered executioner to cut off Cheshire cat’s head. But his head is all that can be seen of him so executioner couldn’t do that. After the game, Alice attended a trial whereby the Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing the Queen’s tart. During the jury, Alice found that she was steadily growing larger. Alice was called up as a witness. Her height was too big for the court. The King and Queen ordered Alice to be gone following Rues 42, but Alice disputed their judgment and refused to leave. And then, the Queen shouted “Off with her head.” Alice didn’t be afraid of it and calling them out as just a pack of cards. Alice ran away from the solders of card and waked up from her long long dream.



Character

The main character is Alice who is seven and a half years old. She is very curious and imaginative girl, and she follows a white rabbit and wandered into the wonderland. The White Rabbit is always shouts “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!” He has a clock in his hand and run in a hurry. The White Rabbit is written as a herald-like servant of the King and Queen of Hearts. Cheshire Cat always appears in front of Alice with grinning, and helps her make decision. Anyway, he is a good friend for Alice. The Queen of Heats is short-tempered woman and her familiar phrase is “Off with his head!” She shouts every time something gets on her nerves. She invites Alice to play a game of croquet. In this game, she orders an executioner to cut off many animals and people’s head.



Point of View

“Alice in Wonderland” is written from third person. This book contains of many conversation, therefore we can read this pleasantly. Although readers can empathize with the hero of the story, the conversation is difficult to understand because of its hard dulls. It is difficult for me to understand what the writer wants to say.



Conflict

There is a big conflict in this story, and it is an escape from the real world. Alice wandered into a wonderland because she was bored sitting on the riverbank with her sister. Alice was very curious girl and eager to something like interesting thing and thrill, so she made an imaginary world in her head and felt as if she went into the world.



Irony

Alice experienced many strange occurrences in the wonderland she made. In this world, there are animals and peculiar creatures which can talk like a human. Readers may be deceived as if Alice is actually in the wonderland and it is not Alice’s imaginary world. The writer make readers believe in that Alice gets lost in a strange world; however the wonderland is just her dream and she makes it in her head. This is an irony.



Symbol

A lot of symbols exist in this story, but now I introduced a big symbol. It is ‘red’. Red symbolized red roses, bloods, passion, love, and the queen of Hearts. Queen of Hearts likes red roses, and cutting with her hated people. Because she is starved for love and she believes in that everything and everyone follow as she says. She shouts “Off with his head” again and again when someone doesn’t follow her order. When executioner cut off with someone’s head, his bloods can be seen. As I said, ‘red’ symbolized the queen of Hearts.



Theme

The theme of this story is ‘mad’. A deck of cards comes to life, all the animals talk, and everything gets curiouser and curiouser. All things the residents in the wonderland say is very mad. The writer imagined something never happen in the real world can cause in the wonderland. In the 19th century the writer made this story, Britain caused wars against China and India. The writer would think the British government were mad, and expressed this feeling trough the story.