“Who in he wo ld am I?”: Liminali y and Iden i y in Lewis Ca oll’s Alice’s
Ad en u es in Wonde land and Th ough he Looking Glass, and Wha Alice Found
The e and Tim Bu on’s 2010 Film Sequel.
Malena Albu que que de Pablo
Supe ised by D Amaya Fe nández Menicucci
Deg ee in English S udies
2023/2024
Depa men o English and Ge man, T ansla ion and In e p e ing S udies
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Abs ac :
In he p esen disse a ion, I in end o analyse Lewis Ca oll’s Alice in Wonde land
(1865) and Th ough he Looking Glass, and Wha Alice Found The e (1871) and Tim Bu on’s
ilm sequel Alice in Wonde land (2010). My goal is o apply Vic o Tu ne ’s concep o
liminali y o hese ex s in o de o p o e ha he su eal dimension in which he h ee ex s in
ques ion a e se is cons uc ed as a liminal space. In pa icula , I con end ha Alice uses he
liminal space o Wonde land as a locus o sel -cons uc ion and ha Wonde land is con igu ed
as an in e s i ial space o endless po en iali y h ough which all h ee e sions o Alice ansi ion
om an imposed iden i y o a sel -cons uc ed one. In he hypo ex s, Alice, hough s ill a child,
has al eady unde gone a signi ican ans o ma ion; i is, howe e , in he hype ex ha his
p ocess o sel -cons uc ion culmina es in he emancipa ion as a sel -su icien adul . Alice’s
jou ney is, he e o e, as in e ex ual as i is in a ex ual: in each ex , Alice’s ansi ion in o he
nex s age o he de elopmen is a icula ed h ough an ini ial phase o de achmen ollowed by
one o sel -cons uc ion. Consequen ly, he analysis add esses Alice’s Wonde land as a space
o ansi ion, o aliena ion and o iden i y cons uc ion.
Key wo ds: liminali y; iden i y; Alice in Wonde land; Lewis Ca oll; Tim Bu on.
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Resumen:
El p esen e abajo iene como obje i o analiza Las A en u as de Alicia en el País de
las Ma a illas (1865) y A a és del espejo y lo que Alicia encon ó allí (1871) de Lewis
Ca oll, así como la secuela cinema og á ica de Tim Bu on Alicia en el País de las Ma a illas
(2010). El p incipal obje i o de análisis es aplica el concep o de liminalidad de Vic o Tu ne
a es os ex os pa a demos a que la dimensión su ealis a en la que se desa ollan se cons uye
como espacio liminal. En conc e o, sos engo que Alicia u iliza el espacio liminal del País de
las Ma a illas como un locus de au ocons ucción y que dicho país es á con igu ado como un
espacio in e s icial de po encialidad in ini a a a és del cual las es e siones de Alicia
ansi an de una iden idad impues a a una au o-cons uida. En los hipo ex os, Alicia, aunque
oda ía niña, ya ha expe imen ado una ans o mación signi ica i a; sin emba go, es en el
hipe ex o donde el p oceso de au ocons ucción culmina con su emancipación en calidad de
adul a au osu icien e. El iaje de Alicia es, po lo an o, an in e ex ual como in a ex ual, y en
cada ex o, la ansición de Alicia a la siguien e e apa de su desa ollo se a icula a a és de
una ase inicial de desapego seguida po una de au ocons ucción. En consecuencia, el análisis
abo da el País de las Ma a illas de Alicia como un espacio de ansición, de alienación y de
cons ucción de la iden idad.
Palab as cla e: liminalidad, iden idad, Alicia en el País de las Ma a illas, Lewis Ca oll, Tim
Bu on.
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Table o Con en s
1. In oduc ion 5
2. Liminali y in heo y 6
3. Liminali y in Wonde land 11
3.1. Wonde land as a ansi ional space 11
3.2. Wonde land as a space o aliena ion 14
3.3. Wonde land as a space o sel -iden i ica ion 17
4. Conclusions 21
5. Wo ks ci ed__________________________________________________________22
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1. In oduc ion
In he p esen disse a ion, I in end o analyse he hypo ex s by Lewis Ca oll Alice’s
Ad en u es in Wonde land (1865) and Th ough he Looking Glass, and Wha Alice Found
The e (1871), as well as hei cinema ic hype ex Alice in Wonde land (2010) di ec ed by Tim
Bu on. My goal is o apply Vic o Tu ne ’s concep o liminali y o hese ex s in o de o
analyse he way in which iden i y is ques ioned, decons uc ed and econs uc ed in he liminal
space a he hea o all h ee ex s. In pa icula , I con end ha Wonde land is con igu ed as an
in e s i ial space o endless po en iali y h ough which all h ee e sions o Alice ansi ion om
an imposed iden i y o a sel -cons uc ed one. Alice’s jou ney in Ca oll’s second no el comes
sequen ially a e he i s , and Bu on’s ilm is se app oxima ely a decade a e Ca oll’s
second no el. I ollows ha Alice’s de elopmen akes place in e ex ually. Howe e , I also
con end ha each leg o Alice’s jou ney—Ca oll’s Alice’s Ad en u es in Wonde land
(hence o h, Ad en u es in Wonde land), Th ough he Looking Glass, and Wha Alice Found
The e (hence o h, Th ough he Looking-Glass), and Bu on’s Alice in Wonde land—also sha es
a simila in a ex ual de elopmen . The phases o his de elopmen a e e lec ed in he
o ganisa ion o my analysis o Wonde land as a ansi ional space, as a space o aliena ion, and
as a space o he indi idual o sel -cons uc .
Lewis Ca oll d aws a liminal space in which Alice unde goes abno mal e en a e
abno mal e en and his g adually changes he unde s anding o he su oundings and o he
own sel , as she ques ions he na u e and logic o e e y hing, and, consequen ly, o he own
sel -pe cep ion. In he li e a y ex s, young Alice is no ye con on ed wi h he need o
emancipa e he sel and become a young Vic o ian woman, se ling in o he social no ms o ha
e a. She simply d i s o in o ha liminal space as she is ying o igu e ou who she is: he
iend Mabel (Ca oll Alice’s Ad en u es in Wonde land 11), a igmen o he Whi e King’s
unconscious (Ca oll Th ough he Looking-Glass 157), o he “ igh Alice” (Alice in
Wonde land 00:16:28). This is such a c ucial, ye igh ening ques ion o he ha she needs o
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con on i in a way she eels com o able: in a d eam. She shu s he senses o an ex e nal wo ld
she does no unde s and and alls asleep o emba k on a jou ney inwa ds. A d eam allows Alice
o ecall hese expe iences while simul aneously ha ing con ol o e hem. Ye , Bu on chooses
a di e en mo i a ion o Alice’s u ge o escape eali y. Bu on’s Alice, who is no longe en
bu a he on he e ge o u ning eigh een, is o e whelmed by he p essu e o wha Vic o ian
adul hood means. She is bu dened wi h expec a ions o ma iage and adhe ence o Vic o ian
social no ms, o becoming a unc ional adul like he ones a ound he . She is nei he p epa ed
no inclined o ollow his pa h. Consequen ly, she chooses o ollow he Whi e Rabbi ,
emba king on an al e na i e pa h, a om he adi ional expec a ions imposed upon he . She
inally inds shel e in he own liminal space: Wonde land.
Since I in end o es ablish a compa a i e dialogue be ween Ca oll’s and Bu on’s ex s,
I am also in e es ed in explo ing he media-speci ic ways in which liminali y and he p ocess
o sel -cons uc ion a e ep esen ed in he li e a y and he cinema ic e sions o Alice and he
Wonde land. To his end, I will in es iga e how li e a y de ices a e ansla ed o he sil e
sc een, e.g., how ocalisa ion is con eyed di e en ly in he hype ex han i is in he hypo ex s.
F om a me hodological poin o iew, I ha e i s conside ed he no ion o liminali y as de ined
by English an h opologis Tu ne . I ha e chosen his app oach o he concep because Tu ne
no only concei ed i as a ool o an h opological esea ch, bu also o li e a y analysis. I hen
c osschecked he esul s o such applica ion wi h hose o an induc i e analysis o he media-
speci ic s a egies deployed o c ea e Wonde land in each no el and in he ilm. The esul is a
li e a y analysis di ided, as al eady no ed, in h ee sec ions: Wonde land as a liminal space o
ansi ion, as a liminal space o aliena ion, and as a space o sel -cons uc ion.
2. Liminali y in heo y
Liminali y desc ibes a space bo h in p aesen ia and in po en ial, in which one can be
any hing, some hing, no hing o e e y hing. This space e lec s an on ological, cogni i e, social
and e en physical s a e o in-be weenness ha challenges dicho omous hinking. To eloca e
one’s sel in such a space is o obse e and expe ience eali y om a posi ion beyond black-
and-whi e logic; i is o s a app ecia ing he shades o g ey ha exis in be ween pola
opposi es. A space whe e one’s posi ion is no ixed gi es one he p i ilege o no being bound
o one hing o ano he ; one jus is. The idea o bounding is al eady a he oo o he concep
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o liminali y, as he la e comes om he La in noun limen, which means bounda y o limi
(Wels e al 2). English an h opologis Vic o Tu ne de eloped he concep o liminali y, which
s ill p e ails as one o "Tu ne 's endu ing legacies in he an h opological concep ual epe oi e"
(Wels e al 1). Tu ne ’s heo y o he liminal o e s a amewo k o he in e s i ial con ex in
which Alice inds he sel as she mo es om Vic o ian eali y o he me a- eali y in which
Wonde land exis s, and back again o Vic o ian eali y (Wels e al 1). The e m liminali y
indica es "a s a e o p ocess ha is be wix -and-be ween he no mal, day- o-day cul u al and
social s a es and p ocesses o ge ing and spending, p ese ing law and o de , and egis e ing
s uc u al s a us" (Tu ne , “F ame, Flow and Re lec ion” 465). In o he wo ds, his concep can
be illus a ed wi h he image o a h eshold expanding in o a dimension in i s own igh ; he
space ha esul s om such expansion o a bounda y allows he indi idual o exis in be ween
wo eali ies o o explo e he p ocess o mo ing om one o he o he . Liminali y is, in ac ,
also unde s ood as " he middle phase o any i ual p ocess [...] du ing which an indi idual
unde goes a ansi ion om one social s a us o ano he " (Wels e al 1). This shi en ails a
ans o ma ion o he indi idual's exis ence and iden i y (Fe nández Menicucci). The indi idual
ha inds hemsel es in his opening gap is hus con on ed wi h he need o g ow h and
e olu ion, wi h he ine i abili y o a me amo phosis. Ca oll’s Alice is in a liminal s a e
be ween he bliss ul unconsciousness o childhood and a conscious unde s anding o he adul
wo ld. She is caugh in be ween hose s a es as she ini ially e uses o accep he change, bu
a he igh s agains i . The ansi ion in o he nex phase is no necessa ily physical, al hough
Alice does unde go ana omical changes—sh inking and g owing abno mally, o ins ance—
bu i can also be emo ional and e en me apho ical, as showcased by Alice’s in e nal
ocalisa ion o Wonde land in bo h Ca oll’s no els and Bu on’s ilm.
The e m ocalisa ion is employed by Ge a d Genne e o e e o he poin o iew o a
li e a y ex , i.e., he “angle o ision h ough which he s o y is ocused” (q d. in G elle 100).
The ocalisa ion o any gi en ex is a icula ed on he ela i e posi ion o he ollowing
componen s; he na a ing agen — he cha ac e ha ells he s o y— he ocalise — he one who
sees—and he ocalised— he objec and/o cha ac e ha is being pe cei ed and na a ed
(Cohan & Shi es 95). In sho , ocalisa ion helps he eade and he iewe o be e unde s and
he s o y, he w i e ’s in en ion, and he cha ac e ’s hough s and eelings. In Lewis Ca oll’s
ex s, he sequence o e en s is na a ed by a he e odiege ic na a o wi h an in e nal ocalisa ion
h ough Alice. This enables he hypo ex ual na a o o gi e he eade an insigh in o Alice’s
i s imp essions in he space o Wonde land, bu i also limi s he eade ’s access o
Wonde land o Alice’s pe cep ions o and expe iences in i . In o he wo ds, Ca oll is no
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in oducing Wonde land o he eade ia Alice, bu Alice ia Wonde land. In Bu on’s ilm,
he e a e ce ain scenes in which Alice’s cha ac e is physically absen ; in hose ins ances, ei he
he e is “ze o” ocalisa ion, o he scene is ocalised h ough a cha ac e o he han Alice. This
may sugges ha Bu on is leaning owa ds a mo e cho al, pe haps e en polyphonic e sion o
Ca oll’s ex . Ye , and as we shall see in de ail in he analysis, Alice is indeed p esen in hose
scenes; he p esence and, mos impo an ly, he pe spec i e, imp egna es he whole ilm, o
e e y se ing, e e y cha ac e , e e y de ail is a mani es a ion o Alice’s consciousness and/o
o he unconscious. In Alice’s d eam—o memo y, as Wonde land is dubbed a he end o
Bu on’s ilm—e e y hing is bo n o and isualised because o he .
Be o e becoming liminal, Wonde land is i s concei ed by he ocalise as a liminoid
space, an al e na e eali y whe e she simply escapes om he p essu e o social and
in e pe sonal li e. The e m liminoid was coined by Tu ne and i signi ican ly di e s om he
concep o liminali y. When indi iduals e ade hei e e yday eali y bu a e no ans o med
by he expe ience, hey ha e en e ed a liminoid space. The liminoid does no ha e he sac ed
aspec ha he liminal space holds. The indi idual en e s he liminoid space o a conce hall
o a cinema o disconnec om hei busy u ban li es, no necessa ily o change and e ol e
(Fe nández Menicucci). Tu ne de eloped he e m liminoid “ o desc ibe simila expe iences
and ci cums ances in mode n pos -enligh enmen socie ies whe e such expe iences did no , as
he saw hem, ha e he same socie y-wide salience ha he liminal had in p e-mode n socie ies
(Spiegel 12). In he p ocess o e ining he concep o liminali y, i s in oduced by Van
Gennep, Vic o Tu ne explo ed he possibili y o applying he concep o “ i es o passage” o
e en s ha a e “associa ed wi h seasonal changes o an en i e socie y” a he han only applied
o i uals conce ning “p ac ices o symbolic e e sals and in e sions” whe e he no ion o ime
was suspended (Spiegel 12). In p inciple, bo h “Alices”—Ca oll’s and Bu on’s—wan ed o
en e a liminoid space o escape om hei eali y. A space ee om he u ge o ans o m o
unde go any kind o sac ed change, which, o cou se, includes g owing in o an adul . Howe e ,
Alice soon disco e s ha he onei ic dimension beha es like a liminal space o cing he o
g ow and e ol e. Ca oll’s Alice alls sleep due o pu e bo edom and s a s d eaming; he e o e,
his ini ial space o igina es om a con lic . She canno comp ehend he alue o a book wi h
no illus a ions o dialogues, inding adul logic i esome and inexplicable. He adul sis e is
no willing o cla i y o esol e his con usion, so she can only wi hd aw in o he inne wo ld
and seek he answe s in he sel . The ini ial e asion o he liminoid e en ually e ol es in o a
ansi ional and hus liminal space.
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Tu ne coined he e m liminoid wi h he aim o emphasising he impo ance o a oiding
s uc u alis analysis, o ecognizing social p ocesses as de e mina i e o cul u al p ac ices, and
o seeking analy ical ools ha do no p oduce images o igidly cons aining s uc u es (Spiegel
14). The e ms liminoid and liminal, while dis inc , a e no opposi ional o each o he bu a he
complemen a y. While he liminal is ela ed o ansi ional phases in mo e adi ional, i ualis ic
con ex s ha b ing o h a change in he s a e o iden i y o he indi idual, he liminoid e e s
o p ac ices o e asion ha a e no mally associa ed wi h c ea i i y and hobbies and do no en ail
a me amo phosis. Acco ding o Tu ne (“F ame, Flow and Re lec ion” 487), he ‘ low’ du ing
a liminal expe ience is a men al s a e in which he no ion o ime and one's sel -awa eness a e
los . The asks pe o med in his s a e need o be a he p ecise, concise and s uc u ed, so ha
hey a e s imula ing enough o keep he indi idual ocused, bu so di icul as o us a e hem.
The consequence is ha one o ge s abou one’s pe sonal, social, economic and physical
s uggles as one becomes comple ely abso bed in he execu ion o each ask in a seamless
succession, o he poin ha i can be said ha one loses one’s sel in he p ocess, as is he case
wi h Alice in all h ee ex s in ques ion. I ha is so, hen i is e en possible o ind an/O he
sel a he end o he p ocess: o become someone else (Fe nández Menicucci). Imme sing in a
s a e o low also con ibu es o pa icipa ing in a s a e o communi as, which enables he
indi idual o o ge abou social hie a chy so ha a eeling o s onge communal connec ion
can eme ge (Fe nández Menicucci). In e pe sonal and collec i e connec ions wi hin he liminal
space lack s uc u e and p omo e equali y, s aigh o wa dness, spon anei y, e en ana chy o
an in e sion o no ms, as is he case wi h Ma dí G as celeb a ions (Pen ikäinen 156) and
Ca oll’s and Bu on’s Wonde lands.
Tu ne ’s de ini ion o liminali y was de i ed om a p e ious s udy o ce emonial i es
by Belgian e hnog aphe A nold Van Gennep (Tu ne , "Liminali y and Communi as” 359).
Vic o Tu ne iden i ies he liminal as he in e s i ial space be ween he eal and he me a eal
as an e olu ion o he h ee phases o i ualis ic p ocesses ha Van Gennep had named
"sepa a ion, ma gin, and agg ega ion" (Tu ne , “Liminali y and Communi as" 359). Van
Gennep based his ca ego isa ion on his in es iga ions ega ding i es o passage, which he
de ined as p ocedu es ha celeb a e social con e sions, changes o place, s a e and age
(Pen ikäinen 155). These i es a e public celeb a ions common o all cul u es and ci iliza ions
and a e de ined as “indica o s and ehicles o ansi ion om one sociocul u al s a e and s a us
o ano he (Tu ne , “F ame, Flow and Re lec ion” 466). The indi idual unde going hese i es
is expe iencing liminali y since hey a e no longe in hei p e ious s a e and nei he in he nex
one; hey a e in-be ween, in ansi o he new one, which is he s a e celeb a ed as he goal o
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hose encoun e ed in d eams. The beginning o bo h Ca oll’s no els alludes o Alice alling
asleep ou o bo edom while si ing by he i e wi h he sis e , o snoozing o by he i eplace
in a com o able a mchai . In ei he case, he subsequen e en s ein o ce ha idea ha she is
d eaming. In Bu on’s ilm, he ini ial assump ion is ha Wonde land is a d eam. Alice
cons an ly insis s ha ha is so and e e yone is pa o i : “wai , his is my d eam” (00:22:08).
Ye , bo h he audience’s awa eness o he exis ence o a ious hypo ex s abou Alice, as well
as he ac ha e e ybody expec s a he oic sa iou by he name o Alice o e u n and sa e he
day a he sugges ha Bu on’s Wonde land is mo e akin a memo y han a d eam, as con i med
in he ending: “i wasn’ a d eam a all, i was a memo y” (1:21:49).
Whe he a scene is a d eam o a memo y, Wonde land is mani es a ion o Alice’s
psyche. This is pa icula ly ele an o Bu on’s ilm, whe e Alice emains he implied
ocalise , e en i she is no physically p esen in he scene. When he Red Queen is i s
in oduced, Alice does no appea on sc een. The Red Queen is p esen ed h ough a medium
sho , allowing he audience o app ecia e no only he cha ac e bu also he os en a ious
su oundings. The Red Queen p ojec s an a mosphe e o ea and insecu i y, which ep esen s
a pa o Alice’s iden i y ha she chooses o supp ess. Among hese uns able adul igu es, he
Mad Ha e is he one ha a ac s he a en ion he mos . He is one o he i s adul igu es ha
Alice encoun e s, howe e , he does no mee Alice’s de ini ion o adul hood no does he ul il
he needs, o he does no exhibi he same beha iou al pa e ns as he adul igu es om he
space o o igin. These cha ac e s a e o en conside ed as adul s because hey embody some o
wha Alice conside s as adul ai s, bu hei senseless beha iou in alida es he p econcei ed
no ions o adul hood. The only way o make sense o hei e a ic beha iou is o ead hem as
e lec ions o Alice’s in e nal con lic s and he s uggle o de ach om and decons uc he p e-
Wonde land iden i y. She pe cei es hem as igu es o dominance o e he — pa icula ly, o
cou se, he Queen o Hea s who is cons an ly commanding “o wi h hei heads”— hus
e lec ing in ojec ed no ions o con ol and au ho i y. Alice is in oduced o many o he
eccen ic cha ac e s o Wonde land a he amous Mad Tea Pa y. The Ma ch Ha e s ikes a
con e sa ion wi h Alice by encou aging he o d ink some wine, ye , he e is no wine in sigh .
“I wasn’ e y ci il o you o o e i ,” (Ca oll 53) eplied Alice upse . This in e ac ion shows
he childish na u e o hese olde cha ac e s. These adul igu es a e loud and meddlesome—
“You hai needs cu ing”, la ly s a es he Ha e add essing Alice o he i s ime (Ca oll
53). Alice, who has been p e iously augh abou e ique e, begins o pe cei e Wonde land in
gene al as alien. These inconsis encies wi h wha she has been aised wi h causes he o eel
“d ead ully puzzled” (55). The e is one hing in pa icula ha oubles he : con a y o he
17
s e eo ype o busy adul s, hey a e was ing hei ime—“I hink you migh do some hing be e
wi h he ime” (56). The gues s and hos a e no p eoccupied wi h esponsibili ies and he
p essu e o ime; hey a e mo e in es ed in exchanges unsol able iddles: “why is a a en like
a w i ing-desk?” (Ca oll 54). Thei e a ic beha iou is pa o he liminal expe ience since he
cha ac e s ha exis in his space a e beyond he bounda ies o no malcy (Pen ikäinen 156).
The o iginal Alice is he p oduc o wha she has been augh by he adul igu es o he uppe -
class Vic o ian wo ld. He e, none o he cha ac e s, including Alice, i s he hegemonic
de ini ion o Oneness so ha Wonde land becomes he space in which “no malcy” is
ques ioned and challenged.
The absu di y and illogici y so conspicuous in Wonde land a e used o unde sco e he
a bi a iness o socially accep ed no ms. One o he ways in which cul u al no ms a e
challenged is by highligh ing he ac ha hey a e discu si ely and ideologically p esen ed as
‘ easonable’ and ‘logical’: as he ‘na u al’ way o hinking and beha ing. In Bu on's ilm,
illogici y s ems om di e ing pe cep ions o undamen al concep s, such he no ion o ime.
The Ha e e e s o Time as a pe son—“I ’s him”(Ca oll 56)— a he han an abs ac concep .
“Wha a unny wa ch”, Alice ema ks, “i ells he day o he mon h and i doesn' ell wha
o'clock i is!” (55). The Ha e eplied by ques ioning whe he he wa ch ells he he yea , o
which she logically eplies “O cou se no , bu ha 's because i s ays he same yea o such a
long ime oge he ”. The Ha e hen esponds, “Which is jus he case wi h mine”, using his
own logic o jus i y his hinking and con use Alice e en mo e. In a ious ways, Alice’s
ad en u es in bo h o Ca oll’s no els cons i u e di e en legs o a ques o a ‘guide book’, a
se o ules ha esemble o he ones she was aised wi h and which will p o ide he wi h some
a ionale o deal wi h he peculia i y o he inhabi an s o Wonde land (Ede 79). Since he only
way o cope wi h Wonde land is, in ac , o enounce he ules ha go e ned he p e ious
eali y, he p ocess o decons uc ion is ine i able o , once Alice ealises how incohe en he
social no ms a e which wi h she has been aised, she de aches om wha seems an a bi a ily
imposed iden i y. I , as I con end, Wonde land mi o s Alice’s psychological dimension, i is
a space O he han socie y: i is he space o and o he sel , whe e he sel is ee o nego ia e
no ms and s anda ds, and by doing so, o ede ine iden i y.
3.3 Wonde land as a space o sel -iden i ica ion
Despi e he appa en olle coas e o emo ions, and apidly changing landscapes, he e
is one hing ha s ays s able in Wonde land: Alice’s sel -doub ing and ques ioning o he
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iden i y. Wonde land is no a land ull o wonde because o i s excep ionali y, bu because, in
i , Alice ne e ceases o wonde who she is. The ac ha i is liminal makes i excep ional; he
ac ha i is an excep ion om socie al no mali y makes i a space o he indi idual o g ow
spu ed by o ces and mo i a ions O he han hose imposed by socie y. In he i s o Ca oll's
no els, Alice is depic ed as a naï e young child ha is cons an ly in sea ch o an iden i y and
a sense o belonging. Indeed, he chap e s ha come a e "Ad ice om a Ca e pilla " in
Ad en u es in Wonde land con ain a hema ic shi om physical o me aphysical changes in
Alice (Ede 93). The Ca e pilla is a c ucial cha ac e in ha p ocess. Likewise, in Alice in
Wonde land, he Whi e Rabbi , he ha binge o he ‘wonde s’ o come, di ec s Alice o mee
Absolem so he can aid he in ques . He is he i s cha ac e o challenge Alice ega ding he
iden i y. “Alice’s sense o sel hood is undamen ally di e en om ha o he Ca e pilla , [...]
a leas ega ding such impo an concep s o iden i y, Alice can no mo e ‘explain’ he sel ha
he Ca e pilla can ‘see’ he meaning” (Ede 94). Ca e pilla s symbolise he p ocess o iden i y-
cons uc ion by embodying hei own. Thei me amo phosis pa allel Alice’s ansi ion om
one iden i y o ano he ; wo kinds o blossoming ha ede ine hese cha ac e s. The cha ac e s
become in ol ed in a con e sa ion in which he Ca e pilla , employing he Soc a ic me hod,
elici s he knowledge ha she seeks om Alice he sel . Since, as al eady es ablished,
Wonde land is bu a p ojec ion o Alice’s mind, he injunc ion o “know hysel ” is obeyed
wice, as bo h he ques ioning Ca e pilla and Alice he ques ionee a e aspec s o he same
mind. The Ca e pilla ’s mode o ques ioning also implies ha Alice al eady knows who she is;
she jus needs guidance o disco e he ue sel unde laye s o imposed iden i y.
The i le o he chap e al eady discloses he each o he cha ac e . “Ad ice” deno es
guidance and con idence in he counsello ’s wisdom. Unlike Alice, he Ca e pilla is awa e o
his s a e o ansi ion. Alice, who is s ill unawa e o he own liminal s a e, seeks his guidance.
Alice’s jou ney s a s wi h a clea ye complex inqui y: "who a e you?" (Ca oll 34), which,
a he han a banal answe ega ding he name, igge s a p ocess o deep pe sonal
in ospec ion. Alice shyly answe s ha she ha dly knows due o he se e al changes ha she
has su e ed since she a i ed in Wonde land, emphasizing he luid na u e o he liminal space
ha g an s he a space o ques ion hese ma e s. The ca e pilla , in awe, u ges he o explain
he sel , o wha she admi s he inabili y o do so. As she has been s ipped om he iden i y,
she lies symbolically naked and unable o a icula e who she is. She can only de ine he sel in
nega i e e ms as wha she no longe is. No only does language g an us he abili y o
communica e, bu also o unde s and and o be unde s ood, o be seen and acknowledged. These
con e sa ions and he e o e, he language employed in hem, “de ines he bounda ies o he
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human imagina ions, and hence, o he sel ” (Ede 84), s ablishing his connec ion be ween
language and he meaning o iden i y when Alice asks: “Who in he wo ld am I?” (Ca oll 10).
Ca oll’s and Bu on’s linguis ic dis o ions chip away a he logocen ic con igu a ion o
wes e n cul u e by aking away Alice’s abili y o communica e he iden i y e bally. Fo
ins ance, he Tea Pa y scene becomes he s age o many made-up wo ds, such as “F abjous
Day”, “ u e wacke ”, and “uppe lkuhen”. As he wo ds mo ph and change meaning, she has
ouble bo h unde s anding he o he cha ac e s and explaining he sel . Each ime she has o e-
explain he sel o guess he meaning o a wo d, she loses a pa o he pas sel , o he old
e sion o he sel , enabling he new e sion o bloom. I is h ough he con e sa ions wi h he
o he cha ac e s ha Alice is con on ed wi h he issues ha she has been a oiding in he
p e ious eali y, which is wha Bu on sugges s when his e sion o he Cheshi e Ca asks Alice
how she go hu —"I looks like you an a oul o some hing wi h wicked claws [...] Wha did
ha o you?” (29:08-17). In Ca oll’s i s no el, he in e ac ion wi h he Cheshi e Ca shows
Alice's inquisi i e na u e, as well as he despe a e seek o guidance. “Would you ell me,
please, which way I ough o go om he e?”, o which he esponds: “Tha depends a good deal
on whe e you wan o ge o” (Ca oll 49). He e lec s he peculia logic o Wonde land, in
which he implies ha i Alice does no ha e a clea goal o des ina ion, any di ec ion is as good
as he o he . “I don' much ca e whe e—as long as I ge somewhe e” (49), encapsula ing he
desi e o keep o wa d, o e ol e, so ha she a i es somewhe e and becomes, indeed,
someone.
In Bu on’s wo k, Absolem’s wise, au ho i a i e igu e is he one ha ells Alice she is
“no ha dly” he sel (1:26:48). No ye , a leas . A c ane sho imme ses he spec a o in o
Wonde land’s unde wood, s eadily and slowly descending om he ops o he ess owa ds
he mush ooms on he g ound. The sequence ends wi h a mas e sho ha includes Alice along
wi h he Whi e Rabbi , Tweedledum, Tweedledee and he Do mouse. They ha e en e ed
Absolem’s domain amid he blue smoke ha his enigma ic cha ac e pu s o . The ambigui y
o Absolem’s s a emen unde sco es he complexi y o Alice’s sea ch o an iden i y. She
knows she is Alice, bu also ha she is no he igh Alice, as she has no ye un a elled he
p e ious, socially imposed iden i y. She is s ill bound o he iews, beha iou s, and e en he
name ha has been imposed upon he . Unawa e o his, she canno comp ehend how she may
no be he igh pe son since i is he d eam—“How can I be he w ong Alice when his is my
d eam?” (00:19:23). She is he p o agonis and he ocalise , hence he igh Alice, o cou se.
In he ilm, he ep ession o Alice’s acknowledgemen o an/O he iden i y o he s is con eyed
h ough Absolem’s po ayal: he is a silhoue e ensh ouded in smoke and mys icism, unde he
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exo ic plan s and hick ege a ion ha shel e s him om he ligh and om exposu e o public
iew. Alice is esco ed by o he cha ac e s, who a e also igmen s o he psychological
dimension. As hey app oach him, Bu on changes o a hand-held came a. The e ec o his is
ha he oo age becomes mo e p eca ious. When she encoun e s Absolem, a low angle sho is
used e e y ime he audience sees Alice’s poin o iew, highligh ing who is in es ed wi h
au ho i y. Du ing hei con e sa ion, Alice s uggles wi h he iden i y because o a p ophecy.
Absolem e eals ha on he F abjous Day he ‘ igh Alice’ will igh he mons e ha has been
e o ising Wonde land o yea s. Accep ing he iden i y as he “ igh Alice” en ails being he
one des ined o kill he Jabbe wocky. Fea o con on a ion makes he deny he ue iden i y
and eel con en wi h being “ he w ong Alice”. Fea is also wha o iginally made he escape
in o Wonde land, hoping i would be a liminoid space as de ined by Tu ne , a e uge om he
esponsibili ies and du ies o adul li e. I u ns ou ha he e a e obs acles and con lic s and
con on a ions in Wonde land oo, which makes i he psychological e lec ion o eal-li e
p oblems. Since Alice canno escape Bu on’s Wonde land wi hou de ea ing he Jabbe wocky,
Wonde land is con i med as a liminal space due o i s ans o ma i e powe : Alice mus
become “ he igh Alice”. In bo h he hypo ex and he hype ex , he cha ac e o he
Ca e pilla /Absolem is annoying and annoyed, unbo he ed, a i s , by he p esence o Alice,
and i i a ed by i in he end. This eac ion mi o s he discom o ha is o en he consequence
o he p ocess o sel -disco e y. No only does Absolem embody a physical and men al
ansi ion, bu also he upse ing expe ience ha ques ioning one’s sel is.
In he nin h chap e o Th ough he Looking-Glass, “Queen Alice”, Alice eaches an
impo an miles one in he ques o he iden i y. By comple ing he jou ney ac oss he wo ld
on he o he side o he looking-glass, Alice is c owned queen; she becomes an au ho i a i e
igu e, equal in s a us o he adul s p e iously men ioned. And ye , despi e his p og ess, she is
s ill subjec o ques ioning. The Red Queen and he Whi e Queen make he awa e o hei
doub s ega ding he legi imacy, ques ioning he knowledge abou gene al no ions—“Can you
do Di ision?”—and no so gene al ones—“Take a bone om a dog: wha emains?”(213).
Alice’s iden i y as an independen , emancipa ed indi idual depends on he passing his es .
Since bo h he Red and he Whi e Queen embody pa s o Alice’s psyche, Alice is pu ing he
own ma u i y and iden i y o he es . Alice becoming a queen symbolises he so e eign y as a
pe son. As a so e eign, she will ha e a igh o sel -de e mina ion. The e o e, unlike he
younge sel , she is no longe moulded by o he s.
Despi e he p og ession, he sel -p oclama ion as a so e eign indi idual is no ully
add essed in Ca oll’s second no el on Alice’s ad en u es. Bu on picks up he ba on and
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inishes he na a i e in his cinema ic sequel. A he end o Bu on’s ilm, Alice eme ges as an
ac ual adul , an emancipa ed young woman, a new Alice ha is no cons ained by he social
no ms o Vic o ian socie y, bu is eady o emba k on a li e al jou ney ac oss he A lan ic
owa ds a new wo ld. Bu on s ages he momen o ealisa ion on he sil e sc een by placing
he be o e he cha ac e ha i s con on ed he wi h he iden i y: Absolem. He me aphysical
jou ney ac oss he liminal space o Wonde land comes ull ci cle and she inally ecalls he
isi s as a child o his land o wonde . Th ough his delibe a e in e ex ual e e ence o
Ca oll’s hypo ex s, Bu on indica es ha Wonde land is no a d eam bu a he a memo y. This
epiphany allows Alice o unde s and he ex en o Wonde land’s signi icance. I is a pa o he
and i i s eme ged as a esponse o pas aumas, as sca e ed bi s o he agmen ed sel ha
had o be ga he ed indi idually o unde s and he iden i y as a whole. Alice manages o con on
hese ep essed pa s o he sel , inally healing he spli o he agmen ed sel . Thus, Alice
concludes ha Wonde land is eal, emb acing i no only as memo y o he pas eali y, ha is,
as wha p o ides he wi h on ological con inui y, bu also as he means o keep building he sel
beyond childhood, i.e. he means o s ay a so e eign indi idual.
4. Conclusions
Alice’s whole jou ney ac oss Wonde land is a succession o e en s designed o o he
and sub e he o de and logic o he Vic o ian space o o igin. In o de o eme ge om he
appa en chaos ha is Wonde land, all h ee e sions o Alice mus ha e nego ia ed hei
iden i y agains he old o de and he p esen chaos, and succeeded in econs uc ing hemsel es
as a new sel . The ansi ional and liminal na u e o Wonde land mi o s Alice’s emo ional,
cogni i e and social e olu ion. Ca oll’s and Bu on’s depic ions o Alice show a
ein e p e a ion o he an as ic, he su eal and he onei ic ha challenges he adi ional
applica ion o liminali y o physical places and symbolic spaces. Bo h he li e a y and cinema ic
e sions o Wonde land encapsula e he in e nal jou ney o aliena ion om and ques o
iden i y. Alice is Wonde land. I ollows ha , in all h ee ex s in ques ion, Alice he sel
embodies he concep o liminali y as de ined by Tu ne . She es s he own iden i y wi h a
22
se ies o i es o passages de ised by he sel and o he sel . She is a walking, alking, hinking
space o endless po en iali y in and o he sel . By emb acing Wonde land, she emb aces
he sel . Tha he jou ney is a icula ed h ough a se ies o “ad en u es” in bo h he no els and
he ilm also demons a es ha sel -disco e y does no depend on jus one epiphany. And
Bu on’s ending o he me aphysical jou ney wi h he beginning o a li e al one indica es ha
he pu sui o sel -unde s anding is an ongoing, con inuous, unending ques . Each ex se es
as a sequel o he p e ious one, u he ing Alice's e olu ion. Bu on's ilm does no me ely
eimagine Wonde land; i ex ends Alice's na a i e beyond Ca oll's closu e, sugges ing ha
he jou ney is a om o e .
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