“Gentle as a doe, amiable with great and feeble, mighty and funny… and more – ready to believe the most improbable tale and take it with an immense trust of a dreamer”, - that’s how Lewis Carroll described his heroine in one of his interviews.
A tale about adventures of an English girl is not quite for children: among mathematical and linguistic paradoxes it contains important facts about people relationships, world and human soul. Look at your favourite story with the eyes of an adult and find a lot of wisdom in it!
Curiosity leads to fantastic discoveries
Sometimes we just need to close our eyes and jump in a rabbit hole without thinking. Extended analysis and overly rational actions don’t leave space for miracles. Alice ran after the white rabbit at rapid-fire pace – she knew that a rare and magical adventure is waiting for her, and adventure that might slip if she doesn’t follow.
Attention to your opponent is the key to success
Inhabitants of the magic country are mentally different from anyone Alice knows, their logics and laws seem absurd. But she finds the best way: when everything around her goes “curiouser and curiouser”, all she can do is to not be surprised by anything, be polite and ask right questions. Feeling her sincere interest, every “stranger” forgives the girl’s “otherness” and becomes her guide to the mysterious world.
Getting into a tale, enjoy it in full
Alice tries everything new, not distressed by surprises. She eats a magic pie or drinks from an unknown bottle, she gets taller or smaller, she finds exact proportion of magical treats to become herself again. This is the nature of a true adventurer that helps understand the logic of Wonderland and reveal the laws coordinating this magical world. Alice’s courage and openness let her find the right way and right companions, such as the Cheshire Cat.
About goals and treating time wisely
Psychologists say that the tale about Alice is a parable about growing up and finding yourself. The girl tries to understand who she is and whom she resembles, what is the difference between yesterday and today. One of the most quoted places in the book is a dialogue with the Cat when Alice asks for directions. "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to" – says the Cat, while Alice answers that she doesn’t much care. "Then it doesn't matter which way you walk. You’re sure to get somewhere if you only walk long enough”. The dialogue with the Hatter about Time contains an important message: “That accounts for it. He won't stand beating. Now, if you only kept on good terms with him, he'd do almost anything you liked with the clock”.
Even the good and great give away under the pressure
Deep inside Alice understands that everything that is happening is just a dream, so she is not afraid to control it. When the girl notices the injustice of the poor Valet’s trial, she protests against the Queen’s cruelness and her absurd system “execution first, sentence next”. Realizing delusiveness of the situation and her right, she starts growing without any magic tricks and becomes herself. Being sure of being right, Alice exclaims: “Who cares for you? You are nothing but a pack of cards!’ When you understand that everything around you is not so real and frightening as it seems, you find self-belief out of nowhere.
Best stories from your childhood are filled with important messages and contain unexpected revelations. Like a magical scent of our reveries, they help us return to our dreams and give inspiration. Read your children right books and leave a place for miracles in your life!
