Category: Schacht Fall 2018

After reading through the Looking Glass and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol there is a clear theme of identity. Where young Alice Little has a lot of stang meeting with different “unrealistic”, people throughout her journey. One of Alice’s dialogues, she talks to Humpty Dumpty in this conversation Alice really question who she is and how she knows she is. At the beginning of the chapter, Alice realized the identity of the egg-shaped object that was before her, Alice says ” the egg only got larger and larger, and more and more human: when she had only come within a few yards of it, she saw it had eyes and a nose and mouth; when she had come close, she saw that it was HUMPTY DUMPTY himself”.

As Alice questions Humpty, he explains the reason why he sits alone and also why is her is named that and the meaning behind it. Humpty thinks that Alice’ identity is not portrayed right which causes her to lose the sense of knowing ones’ self.

Lewis Carroll repeatedly incorporated the idea of Alice realizing her identity into his works. However, there are instances in the Alice book series when the other characters in the book have trouble realizing her identity. While reading Caroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, this idea became clear to me in the following passage:

‘Besides, if I’m only a sort of thing in his dream, what are you, I should like to know?’
‘Ditto’ said Tweedledum.
‘Ditto, ditto’ cried Tweedledee.
He shouted this so loud that Alice couldn’t help saying, ‘Hush! You’ll be waking him, I’m afraid, if you make so much noise.’
‘Well, it no use your talking about waking him,’ said Tweedledum, ‘when you’re only one of the things in his dream. You know very well you’re not real.’
‘I am real!’ said Alice and began to cry.

Upon reading this passage, a question regarding identity arises. How might an individual be affected when others refuse to see them how they would like to be viewed?

Continue reading “Understanding Individual Identities”

We’ve all seen the Matrix. Wicked spies, all black outfits, leather trenches, and machine guns. Everything that makes an action movie perfect. And lets not forget the amazing story line that has established itself in the minds of many . A world full of people who are so called ‘asleep,’ and whose minds are at present within a non- reality while the ‘actually world’ is in ruins. This classic cinematic film made the world question, is Hollywood trying  to tell us something? Is this philosophical dilemma something we should dwell on and think about? Turns out that the making of the Matrix wasn’t the first time this question, of reality versus illusion surfaced. In other instances classic literature has asked this question too. The stories by Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass, have dealt with this conundrum, but like many other works,  haven’t quiet solved it. How does one identify whether they are in a dream or if they are in reality? Is it possible to be apart of someones else’s dream, just as we are apart of each other’s realities, being a subject in a present time in which one can or cannot manipulate causes and results? How does one know or how can one define reality and illusion, and when do those two aspects merge, making it hard to distinguish between the two? In the Lewis Carroll stories the subject of identity plays a very significant role in asking these questions we pose in order to understand and theorize about ourselves and the world.

Doubt in almost every case is the cause to question, questioning being the result to uncertainty. In the Alice books there is much doubt. Alice doesn’t know who she is or who’s she’s become in this ‘new world’ of talking rabbits and caterpillars. She is told on occasion that she is not ‘real’ and in some cases it feels as though Alice is in limbo. She argues back to say, well I must be real for I can do all the things ‘real’ people do, in which the reply to that is, well…those actions that you deem real along with yourself are not. Pretty heavy stuff for a humorous children’s tale, but it is an inevitable question that is continuously asked, one that has been famously connected to the Alice stories. Was Alice dreaming? Is the present in which she belongs real? A question that we as ‘thinkers’ can not help but theorize about. We have to be able to understand all that is in or not in our world by placing ideas and concepts into categorizes and classifications that already exist. By doing this we compare what is considered to be an illusion to the rules in which we have created to be logical reasoning, the rules in which live by at present.

Let’s  ponder the idea of so called being ‘asleep,’ or being awake. Is being ‘asleep,’ to Lewis Carroll similar to just being unaware? Is being asleep a connection to being under the illusion of a false reality?  Are we really discussing being in an actual intrinsic sleep in which we haven’t awoken from? If we are thinking about actual sleep can dreams, just like what we deem to be reality, and just like reality be fluid? The Alice books seem to define reality, as something that is constantly changing. When Alice is ‘awake’ the idea of reality is a place where there is a sense of logical reasoning and convention, rules to life that have been enforced by the masses. But because the logic that she knows, the basic in and outs of the way things are suppose to be are not necessarily being in Wonderland, she deems it unconventional and as a result claims it is a dream, or something not related to reality. The idea that Alice eventually ‘wakes up’ from this ‘non reality’ can support the idea that Wonderland could be an illusion or dream. The fact that she has not awoken-ed  from what she knows to be reality, could suggest that there is nothing else to wake up from. She could simply chose which of the two worlds she’s spent most of her time in and claim it to be reality, and that would be how she identifies it. It is difficult to answer such possibilities when we can not truly come up with a definition for reality without applying rules to a life full of convention. If we can not define reality how do we identify it?

The answer is we can’t really know anything for sure. As René Descartes put it, all we can be certain of is the fact that we as things, exist. The fact that we doubt, which requires us to think, explains that we as ‘thinking things’ are real, because thoughts do in require a host, but everything in which surrounds us as ‘thinking things’ is, and can be put to question. There is no true way to identify reality, as someone else’s definition can be obsolete to another’s. So in the case of Alice and Wonderland’s creatures their realities are questionable, but there existence is not when they are able to doubt and only when their able to doubt.

Most questions revolving around the idea of reality versus illusion can be seen just as rambunctious conspiracies that have grew a back bone or two. But is a question that will find itself in all kinds of works until one day we know for sure what there is to know.

 

Humans as a species have an eternal desires to have their own identities. In Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Carroll takes his readers into a world where identity is questioned and change is endless. In chapter five, Alice has a conversation with a caterpillar and he asks “Who are you?”. (Active voice) Alice struggles with this question because her experience in Wonderland has made her doubt her identity. For example, one moment she was tall and the next she was small. That morning Alice was not the same person she was when speaking with the caterpillar. While reading this passage I asked myself, are we ever the same person throughout our lives? I believe a person’s identity changes drastically throughout their lives; people can change just from an interaction with someone or something. So the question is will we ever be the same? I believe as humans we change constantly so to pinpoint exactly who we are is challenging; Alice demonstrates this when she states, “I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, sir’ said Alice, ‘because I’m not myself, you see.”. The caterpillar does not fully understand why Alice cannot explain herself. As Alice continues to ponder with the question she proposes to the caterpillar “Well, perhaps you haven’t found it so yet,’ said Alice; ‘but when you have to turn into a chrysalis—you will some day, you know—and then after that into a butterfly, I should think you’ll feel it a little queer, won’t you?’ ‘Not a bit,’ said the Caterpillar.”. Alice understands the aspects of the caterpillar and the changes it goes through, so does the caterpillar. The caterpillar knows what lies ahead and goes through changes not trying to figure them out. The caterpillar goes through merely accepting them as a way of life. As humans we have a choice of change, with this change comes discomfort. Alice was uncomfortable with all of the physical and psychological changes in Wonderland. We learn that Alice and the caterpillar both express the differences in how they face their changing identity. The caterpillar is comfortable with his identity even though he knows it is going to change; meanwhile, Alice doesn’t seem as comfortable because she wasn’t expecting a change.

The passage toys with the question of “who are you,” this creates the illusion that the question of “who are you” is simple. Identity is more than a simple name, rather its a reaction to events and experiences. Reactions define who we are, our reactions to experiences come from within, and represent our identity. People connect one another with how we look, how we speak and how we express ourselves, every reaction adds a layer to our identity. At the end of the day a person identity is what defines them and that identity is consumed of different aspects.

Overall, the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll makes me question identity. Alice struggles with her new surroundings and tries to understand who she is why. I can relate as a freshman in college with a new environment, new everything. I am uncomfortable with changes just as Alice is. I react in ways I’ve never imagined because new experiences have led to new reactions and added layers to my identity.

Tommy Kovac’s graphic novel, Wonderland, depicts the world of Lewis Carroll’s stories of which we are familiar by now. But the main character of the tale isn’t Alice – It’s Mary Ann, the White Rabbit’s housemaid whom Alice is mistaken for by the Rabbit. Although Mary Ann never makes a physical appearance in the story, Alice assumes that she is the White Rabbit’s maid. She is only mentioned in one section of the story, when Alice first comes upon the White Rabbit’s house, and in his rushed state, the following exchange occurs:

“Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice, as she went hunting about, and called out to her in an angry tone, ‘Why, Mary Ann, what are you doing out here? Run home this moment, and fetch me a pair of gloves and a fan! Quick, now!’ And Alice was so much frightened that she ran off at once in the direction it pointed to, without trying to explain the mistake it had made.

‘He took me for his housemaid,’ she said to herself as she ran. ‘How surprised he’ll be when he finds out who I am! But I’d better take him his fan and gloves—that is, if I can find them.’ As she said this, she came upon a neat little house, on the door of which was a bright brass plate with the name ‘W. RABBIT’ engraved upon it. She went in without knocking, and hurried upstairs, in great fear lest she should meet the real Mary Ann, and be turned out of the house before she had found the fan and gloves.”

The question of who Mary Ann is, although Tommy Kovac attempted to answer it, is one of those eternal literary mysteries. She is never mentioned again, during either of the other times that Alice comes face to face with the White Rabbit – In fact, she’s only mentioned that one time. All we know about her is that she apparently works for the Rabbit, and he seems to consider it her duty to fetch his gloves for him, so she’s probably his maid or some other housekeeper type.

Does Mary Ann count as a character if she’s never seen, and the scant things we do know about her are repeated secondhand by other characters, one of whom has never even met her? Alice is mistaken for her… does that mean that Mary Ann is a girl around Alice’s age? Or is the Rabbit so rushed that he would have mistaken anyone standing outside his home for his housemaid? Why is she working for the White Rabbit? None of those questions are ever answered. Identity in the Alice stories is especially fluid, and the identity of Mary Ann remains a mystery. Although Alice briefly says that she fears meeting the real Mary Ann, one wonders what that interaction might have looked like.

Because the audience doesn’t know who Mary Ann is, the confusion around who she is adds to the frenetic nature of the scene, with the White Rabbit running about, harried and confused. If Mary Ann had a concrete identity, one suspects the scene would not have come across so chaotic or confusing, which was probably not what Lewis Carroll wanted out of it. So Mary Ann remains the eternal mystery of the Alice books. Perhaps she may have made more sense to our heroine than the other characters did.

Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll is a story which poses many questions with its strange and nonsensical world. As young Alice Little encounters fantastical and odd characters in Wonderland, her notions of what makes sense are challenged. Alice attempts to apply her experience to this new world and finds at every turn that Wonderland operates by a different set of rules. These new experiences call into question many of the things Alice believes, among them, her very own identity. One passage in particular stands out on the topic of Alice’s identity and what role it plays in her behavior:

“She generally gave herself very good advice (though she very seldom followed it), and sometimes she scolded herself so severely as to bring tears to her eyes; and once she remembered trying to box her own ears for having cheated herself in a game of croquet she was playing against herself, for this curious child was very fond of pretending to be two people.”

As shown, Alice is a girl whose personal identity is not yet fully formed. This is understandable as she is quite young and an identity is something which takes time and experience to develop. This passage poses a question, just how greatly are our own identities influenced by the values, goals and actions of those around us? This question is one which fits well with the themes of madness and nonsense which are so prolific in Wonderland. The story suggests some complications as well as an answer in the way characters behave towards Alice when she tries to apply her logic to the things they say and do. Because Alice comes from a reality with a different set of rules, her expectations of things to come and how other characters will behave are not realized. In stark contrast to the seemingly unintelligible chaos of Wonderland, Alice has grown up in a rigid and orderly world with guidelines in place to regulate her behavior to fit it. In order to match these standards, Alice molds her identity in an abnormal way by playing the role of a harsh caretaker towards herself. From this, Alice finds herself a lawful and organized character trapped in a world of chaos and disarray.

Because of the upbringing she received in the world she has lived in, a part of Alice recognizes that she doesn’t want her identity to be that of someone who deserves scolding or cheats in games. Alice takes measures to correct negative behaviors in herself due to the expectations of those around her. In our youth, the way we are treated by others helps to form our identity, as do our own values and goals with our time in life.  Because we do not exist in a vacuum, we as individuals are amalgamations of our experiences and interactions with others. If we could know how many minds of others have influenced us and see how many lives have touched our own, we might realize how much we share with those around us.

Alice’s role as a sane and reasonable character causes her to stand out from the rest of Wonderland. This is how the story answers our question of how greatly we are influenced by our world and the people who surround us. What would be defined as nonsense to her in her world, makes sense to those who live in this world and vice versa. The world around us is what defines how we are labeled. Our identities as sane or insane, right or wrong, good or evil, vary depending on the company we keep. A world like Wonderland, which is by our set of standards abnormal, would label a young girl like Alice insane. It’s no different from how our societies would view the Mad Hatter if he lived in our world. Our identities as people and how we are labeled are not static. People adapt and change to fit their world when the rules and the people who make them are different.

While reading through the story by Lewis Carroll, Through The Looking Glass, you seem to stop and ask yourself some questions about the unusual or unordinary events that happen with Alice and her meetings with the different “unrealistic”, so to say, characters or people throughout her adventure. One key aspect that Carol emphasizes in both of the readings we have read of his for class, is the notion of Identity.

Focusing on the passage where Alice comes in contact with Humpty Dumpty, in the chapter named “Humpty Dumpty”, she seems to really question who she is and certainly why she is who she is. In the beginning of the chapter she realized the identity of the egg shaped object that was before her, she says:  “‘the egg only got larger and larger, and more and more human: when she had come within a few yards of it, she saw that it had eyes and a nose and mouth; and when she had come close to it, she saw clearly that it was HUMPTY DUMPTY himself. ‘It can’t be anybody else!’ she said to herself. ‘I’m as certain of it, as if his name were written all over his face.'” Predicting that Alice already had a good idea of what Humpty Dumpty looked like and concluding that Alice may have read and known the identity of him previous to there encounter, she was able to identify him quickly when seeing his face.

Alice questions why Humpty sits alone on this wall and why no one is there to accompany him. Humpty Dumpty expalins to her that it is because there is no one there with him and then continues to ask her “Did you think I didn’t know the answer to that?” Humpty Dumpty is trying to explain to Alice that he knows who he is and what he is put there to do, sit with his identity being portrayed.

By the middle of the chapter, Alice starts to question her own identity. When Humpty Dumpty explains that the reason why he has his name is because a name has to have meaning. Humpty Dumpty does not think that Alice’s identity is being portrayed very well and then Alice kind of loses that sense of knowing who she is. Because her name does not have a meaning to it she may think to herself “if my name does not have a meaning then really who am I?”

‘My name is Alice, but—’

‘It’s a stupid enough name!’ Humpty Dumpty interrupted impatiently. ‘What does it mean?’

‘Must a name mean something?’ Alice asked doubtfully.

‘Of course it must,’ Humpty Dumpty said with a short laugh: ‘my name means the shape I am—and a good handsome shape it is, too. With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost.

In the sense of Identity, it can really make you stop and think to yourself, “what was I put here to do and how is it I can make my identity known to others.” Carroll focuses on this term very well in both of his works we have seen, Through The Looking Glass, and Alice’s Adventure In Wonderland.