成長(zhǎng)奇遇記——《愛麗絲夢(mèng)游仙境》中隱含主題的分析【畢業(yè)論文】

1、<p><b>　?。?0_ _屆）</b></p><p><b>　　本科畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)</b></p><p><b>　　英語(yǔ)</b></p><p>　　成長(zhǎng)奇遇記——《愛麗絲夢(mèng)游仙境》中隱含主題的分析</p><p>　　The Analysis of the

2、Underlying Theme of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland</p><p><b>　　摘要</b></p><p>　　《愛麗斯夢(mèng)游仙境》這部童話小說行文不拘一格，充滿了離奇的童真幻想。但是透過這些荒誕的想象、幽默的文字，我們卻能發(fā)現(xiàn)小說中的象征意義和對(duì)現(xiàn)實(shí)社會(huì)的描寫。本文試從對(duì)《愛麗絲夢(mèng)游仙境》中的角色人物，情節(jié)線索，以

3、及它們的象征三個(gè)方面的分析，揭示出文本中”成長(zhǎng)”這一隱含主題，以及這本童話和其隱含主題對(duì)后世文學(xué)和當(dāng)代文化的影響，體會(huì)這本童話小說帶來獨(dú)特與奇幻的“成長(zhǎng)”旅程。</p><p>　　關(guān)鍵詞：《愛麗絲夢(mèng)游仙境》；隱含主題；”成長(zhǎng)”</p><p><b>　　Abstract</b></p><p>　　Alice’s Adventures in

4、 Wonderland can seem to be fanciful nonsense and full of the imagination only fit for children. However this nonsense imagination and humors language veil the symbolism, and the descriptions of the realistic society. Thi

5、s paper tends to reveal the underlying theme ---- growth of this book by analyzing the main characters, the plots and the symbolisms behind them, and to find the influence of this fairy tale and its underlying theme on t

6、oday’s English literature. Experience t</p><p>　　Key Words：Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland；underlying theme；growth</p><p><b>　　Contents</b></p><p>　　AbstractII </p&

7、gt;<p>　　1. Introduction1</p><p>　　2. The Underlying Theme of Growth2</p><p>　　2.1 The underlying theme impact of the story2</p><p>　　2.1.1 The underlying theme analysis2

8、</p><p>　　2.1.2 The real adventure -- exploration of the adult world3</p><p>　　2.2 The analyzing of literature symbolism4</p><p>　　2.2.1 Analysis of the symbolic characters5</

9、p><p>　　2.2.2 Analysis of the symbolic of awakening self-awareness7</p><p>　　3. The Reality Reflection and the Today’s Influence of the Book8</p><p>　　3.1 The analysis of the reality

10、 reflection of the book8</p><p>　　3.2 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’s influence on today9</p><p>　　4. Conclusion10</p><p>　　Bibliography11</p><p>　　Acknowledgeme

11、nts14</p><p>　　1. Introduction</p><p>　　Charles Dodgson was born in 1832, in England. He studied at Christ Church College, Oxford. He would spend the rest of his life there as the main lecturer

12、 in one of his loves in life, mathematics. He took deacon’s orders in 1861; at the time, this was a requirement of all Oxford lecturers (Morton N. Cohen, 1995: P4). Dodgson loved children, although he never married or ha

13、d any of his own. Kids were indeed often the subjects of his stories. One of his favorites was Alice Liddell, the daughter of H</p><p>　　This is the story about a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hol

14、e into a fantasy world (the Wonderland of the title) populated by peculiar and anthropomorphic creatures. (Lewis Carroll, 2009: P30) The tale tells with logic in ways that have given the story lasting popularity with adu

15、lts as well as children. It is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense genre, and its narrative course and structure have been enormously influential, especially in the fantasy genre.</p>

16、<p>　　Since its publication, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been translated into over 80 languages worldwide. It is said that after Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll is the most quoted author in the world, and that

17、, short of the Bible, the Alice book is the most widely and frequently translated and published throughout the world. (Liu Wen, 2010: P31) In fact, the book’s characters and language have become a precious part of the En

18、glish culture. It is more even surprising to see how many people have dev</p><p>　　At first glance Lewis Carroll’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland can seem to be fanciful nonsense only fit for childre

19、n. However this nonsense thinly veils very relevant themes, many of which were profoundly crucial to Victorian society and its literature. While numerous themes do come up throughout the book, the most important is the s

20、ymbolism, the divided self, and a crisis of faith. All of these themes impact Alice in different ways and illustrate that the book is far more valuable than</p><p>　　2. The Underlying Theme of Growth</p&g

21、t;<p>　　2.1 The underlying theme impact of the story</p><p>　　Growth into the adulthood ----this theme is underlying and central to the book. Alice’s adventures parallel the journey from childhood to

22、adulthood. She comes into numerous new situations in which adaptability is absolutely necessary for success. She shows marked progress throughout the course of the book; in the beginning, she can barely maintain enough c

23、omposure to keep herself from crying. By the end of the novel, she is self-possessed and able to hold her own against the most baffling Wonder</p><p>　　2.1.1 The underlying theme analysis </p><p&g

24、t;　　Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a coming of age story. It is the growth of Alice from an undisciplined child to a wise young woman. The principle arrangement of this growth is two-parted. First Alice must learn t

25、hat rules are essential to civil, adult life. Then she must learn that if rules are adhered to blindly, and without a merciful sense of justice, then society becomes worse than childish anarchy, it becomes a tyranny. The

26、se truths are played out in the symbolisms of children’s games. </p><p>　　Growing up, in Alice’s dream, was a constant challenge. She was faced with more difficulties with growing up than any other theme. Th

27、e adventure of Alice portrays her venture progress of a child to an adult. Alice’s patience, intelligence, and courage among other things are being tested and tempered literally, almost every step she takes. Her shifts i

28、n size and inquiries into her own identity reflect the difficulties of growing up abruptly, almost violently. All these suggest the sudden physical</p><p>　　The “sudden changes of adolescence” are very real,

29、 and sometimes they seem to happen as rapid and as unexpected as portrayed in Alice’s dream. As put symbolically and literally, Alice entered Wonderland as a tiny version of herself, but she will leave a giant. There wer

30、e many examples of her rapid physical growth and regression in size that also symbolized her gradual emotional growth throughout the book. For instance, when she met the giant caterpillar, she was told that by eating one

31、 side of t</p><p>　　Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland represents the child’s struggle to survive in the confusing world of adults. To understand our adult world, Alice has to overcome the open-mindedness that

32、 is characteristic of children.</p><p>　　Apparently, adults need rules to live by. But most people adhere to those rules blindly now, without asking themselves ‘why’. This leads to the incomprehensible and s

33、ometimes arbitrary behavior that Alice experiences in Wonderland. When entering Wonderland. Alice encounters a way of living and reasoning that is quite different from her own. A Duchess is determined to find a moral in

34、everything. And the trials that seem to be very unjust. But during the journey through Wonderland, Alice learns to</p><p>　　More and more she starts to understand the creatures that live in Wonderland. From

35、the Cheshire cat she learns that “everyone is mad here” (P32). She learns to cope with the crazy Wonderland rules, and during the story she gets better in managing the situation. She tells the Queen of Hearts that her or

36、der is ‘nonsense’ and prevents her own beheading (P44). In the end Alice has adapted and lost most of her vivid imagination that comes with childhood. She realizes what the creatures in Wonderland </p><p>　　

37、In conclusion, the underlying and the center theme of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is growing up, in other words, Alice’s struggle to adapt to the rules of this new world; symbolically, it is Alice’s struggle to ada

38、pt to the strange rules and behaviors of adults. She, in her dream, was captured by a whirlwind of confusing and intimidating situations and circumstances. Her making it through Wonderland and back into reality was an ac

39、complishment that earned her a stronger, more mature and pre</p><p>　　2.1.2 The real adventure -- exploration of the adult world </p><p>　　In a dream world, the definitions of reality seem to be

40、 no longer viable. They become twisted and multiplied; each definition can be molded into a new form. The connections between objects and their definitions are liquid, and seemingly inapplicable to the waking reality. An

41、d yet, as Lewis Carroll proposes in Alice in Wonderland, the dream world is not so different from reality –they are both absurd.</p><p>　　Many people have seen Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as a prime exa

42、mple of the limit-breaking book from the old tradition illuminating the new one. They also consider it to be a tale of the “variations on the debate of gender” and that it “continually astonishes us with its modernity”.

43、From the looks of it, the story about Alice falling through a rabbit-hole and finding herself in a silly and nonsense world is fairly guileless as a tale. The underlying story, the one about a girl maturing away</p>

44、;<p>　　One other example of maturing is Alice getting used to the new sizes she grows. She talks to her feet and learns some of the new ways her body works in. Her feelings are much shaken from her adventures and

45、she cries quite often when it’s impossible to obey the rules of the Wonderland — or is it adulthood? “Everything is so out-of-the-way down here” (P10), as Alice often repeats to her own self. Alice doesn’t like the anima

46、ls in Wonderland who treat her as a child, but sometimes she gets daunted </p><p>　　2.2 The analyzing of literature symbolism </p><p>　　The story of Alice is both a mixture of contradictory patt

47、erns and a symbolism for growth. With the right train-of-thought and a little imagination, this otherwise straightforward fairy tale becomes a key to Carroll’s inner thoughts. That symbolism Carroll used in the book show

48、s the separation of art or imagination and life or reality. Choices made a show which is most important to the individual, or to see if there is some way of balancing them both. Since, in Wonderland, imagination seems to

49、 b</p><p>　　2.2.1 Analysis of the symbolic characters </p><p><b>　　Alice</b></p><p>　　Alice is reasonable, well-trained, and polite. From the start, she is a miniature,

50、middle-class Victorian “l(fā)ady.” Considered in this way, she is the perfect foil, or counterpoint, or contrast, for all the unsocial, bad-mannered eccentrics whom she meets in Wonderland. Alice’s constant resource and stre

51、ngth is her courage. Time and again, her dignity, her directness, her conscientiousness, and her art of conversation all fail her. But when the chips are down, Alice reveals something to the Queen </p><p>　　

52、Certainly, Alice fits no conventional stereotype; she is neither angel nor brat. She simply has an overwhelming curiosity, but it is matched by restraint and moderation. She is balanced in other ways, too. To control her

53、 growth and shrinking, she only “samples” the cake labeled “EAT ME.” And never is there a hint that she would seek to use her size advantage to control her fate and set dictatorial rules of behavior for Wonderland. The C

54、aterpillar takes offense when she complains of being three i</p><p>　　Some critics feel that Alice’s personality and her waking life are reflected in Wonderland; that may be the case. But the story itself is

55、 independent of Alice’s “real world.” Her personality, as it was, stands alone in the story, and it must be considered in terms of the Alice character in Wonderland. </p><p>　　A strong moral consciousness op

56、erates in all of Alice’s responses to Wonderland, yet on the other hand, she exhibits a child’s insensitivity in discussing her cat Dinah with the frightened Mouse in the pool of tears. Generally speaking, Alice’s simpli

57、city owes a great deal with Victorian feminine passivity and a repressive domestication. Slowly, in stages, Alice’s reasonableness, her sense of responsibility, and her other good qualities will emerge in her journey thr

58、ough Wonderland and, especial</p><p>　　Food and Size change</p><p>　　Food is used in this novel as a path for growth. Carroll is literalizing the old notion that food helps you grow big and stro

59、ng, that food is the path to adulthood. Ironically, Carroll is also pointing out that growing up is only half the way to adulthood. </p><p>　　“She opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the w

60、ords ‘EAT ME’ were beautifully marked in currants. ‘Well, I’ll eat it, ‘ said Alice, ‘a(chǎn)nd if it makes me grow larger, I can reach the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, I can creep under the door; so either way I’ll g

61、et into the garden, and I don’t care which happens!” (P7)</p><p>　　Alice can control her size and therefore her position as an adult with the food provided by the Caterpillar, but it isn’t until the Cheshire

62、 Cat shows her the dangers of adulthood that she is able to be truly adult. Food can make you big in Wonderland as in life but only mercy and experience can make you wise.</p><p>　　Closely connected to the a

63、bove theme, size change is another recurring concept. The dramatic changes in size hint at the radical changes the body undergoes during adolescence. The key, once again, is adaptability. Alice’s size changes also bring

64、about a change in perspective, and she sees the world from a very different view. In the last trial scene, her growth into a giant reflects her interior growth. She becomes a much stronger, self-possessed person, able to

65、 speak out against the nonsensical</p><p><b>　　Red</b></p><p>　　Red is the symbol of bridge between childhood and adulthood, literally it can be taken to refer to menstrual blood, an

66、d thus fertility and vigor. The Queen and Alice are on opposite sides of this color, Alice just growing into her adulthood, the Queen just growing past it. It is over this place, this wise middle ground, which the novel

67、fights. Red is, hopefully, a place or an age of balance between rules and mercy, between young and old, between wisdom and nonsense.</p><p>　　Games and Rules</p><p>　　Every new encounter is some

68、thing of a game for Alice; there are rules to learn, and consequences for learning or not learning those rules. Games are a constant part of life in Wonderland and learning the rules is a symbolism for the adaptations to

69、 new social situations that every child makes as she grows older. The game in Wonderland is change and transformation. Alice learns, sometimes unwillingly, about survival in Wonderland in lessons such as one the Caterpil

70、lar gave her, in which “she must </p><p>　　The term ‘growing up’ implies literal and figurative meaning in that she grew in size and stature, but also that “her true ‘growing up’ came with her adaptation to

71、each new challenge. ‘Adaptation’ here refers to her intellectual growth, as well as physical alterations to her constantly changing environments. For a more specific example of the kinds of problems she faced, there were

72、 the confusing, insane characters that she met and had dealings with such as the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the C</p><p>　　By analysis the symbolisms of these characters, we find the underlying theme of g

73、rowth hiding in the book everywhere; and by studying these details, we could understand the facts which the author wish to tell. It helps us to look deeper into Carroll and his Alice, and the Alice’s Wonderland.</p>

74、;<p>　　2.2.2 Analysis of the symbolic of awakening self-awareness </p><p>　　Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland provides an inexhaustible mine of literary, philosophical, and scientific themes. Here are

75、some general themes which the reader may find interesting and of some use in relating the main theme.</p><p>　　Self-Identity</p><p>　　Related to the theme of “growing up”, is the motif of “ident

76、ity”. In Wonderland, Alice struggles with the importance and instability of personal identity. She is constantly ordered to identify herself by the creatures she meets, but she herself has doubts about her identity as we

77、ll.</p><p>　　After falling through the Rabbit hole, Alice tests her knowledge to determine whether she has become another girl. Later on, the White Rabbit mistakes her for his maid Mary Ann. When the Caterpi

78、llar asks her who she is, she is unable to answer, as she feels that she has changed several times since that morning.</p><p>　　Among other things, this doubt about her identity is nourished by her physical

79、appearance. Alice grows and shrinks several times, which she finds “very confusing”. The Pigeon mistakes her for a serpent, not only because she admits eating eggs, but also because of her long neck. The Cheshire cat que

80、stions another aspect of Alice’s identity. He is not questioning her name or species, he is questioning her sanity. As she has entered Wonderland, she must be mad, he states.</p><p>　　However, it is not only

81、 Alice’s identity that is instable. Some creatures in Wonderland have instable identities as well. For example, the Duchess’ baby turns into a pig and the members of the jury have to write down their names, or they will

82、forget them.</p><p>　　Nature and Nurture</p><p>　　The structure of a dream does not lend itself to resolution. A dream simply is a very different kind of “experience.” In this sense, Alice does

83、not really evolve into a higher understanding of her adventure. She has the memory of Wonderland but she brings nothing “real” from Wonderland — only her memory of it. This is a powerful testament to the influence of her

84、 domestication. In Alice’s case, good social breeding is more important than her natural disposition. But if Alice leaves Wonderland wit</p><p>　　In Wonderland, much of the fun depends on the confusion of “t

85、raining.” Nature and natural feelings seem to more often than not mean danger or potential violence. (But except for the puppy and the pig/baby, there are no natural creatures, however much natural feelings are expressed

86、.) The Duchess, for example, seems to be only the epitome of rage; she conveys a kind of sadistic delight in digging her chin into Alice’s shoulder; anger even seems to motivate her didactic morals (that is, “Flamingoes&

87、lt;/p><p>　　Finally, nature seems superior to nurture in Wonderland, as the personification of beasts seems to be no improvement on the actual beasts themselves. </p><p>　　Alice’s Adventures in Won

88、derland offers a relief from structured reality. Alice’s “awakening” from her dream journey instructs the reader in a special way. Fantasy is a fact enables the reader to engage the ordinary world with clearer insight an

89、d sharper perspective. Even with renewed faith. It provides a temporal removal from rea1ity. In this separation, the reader follows a little girl leave the temporal world for a wonderful journey to fantasyland. </p>

90、;<p>　　3. The Reality Reflection and the Today’s Influence of the Book </p><p>　　3.1 The analysis of the reality reflection of the book</p><p>　　Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is common

91、ly interpreted as children’s stories. If we look much deeper we can find different meanings. If we understand what type of literature a work is, it is easier to find the meaning. “The more complete and concrete our knowl

92、edge of an artist’s generic contacts, the deeper can we penetrate the peculiar features of his generic form and the more correctly can we understand the interrelationship within it, of tradition and innovation.” (Brandis

93、t Craig, 2002: P15</p><p>　　The Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was written during the Victorian era, a time now remembered for its stifling propriety and constrictive morals. The Alice books also mock the

94、children’s literature of the day. In keeping with the character of the time, children’s literature was full of simplistic morals and heavy-handed attempts to educate the young. Some of the books supposedly for children w

95、ere quite dry, and at the least suffered from a lack of imagination. But Carroll’s position gave him </p><p>　　Reading the Alice book just as a fairy tale, we may only see the story of an adventure, but in f

96、act, Carroll tried to make an irony to the British society at that time. That he described these eccentric and unreasonable characters and the strange plot of all forms is not completely from the unreal imagination. The

97、creatures of wonderland have many arbitrary customs. Their behaviors are all defensible with strange logic, but the customs are still silly or even cruel. There are obvious echoes of t</p><p>　　For example,

98、the white rabbit, staring at his watch all the time and always feared of being late, represent the cowardly and careful small potatoes; the Queen, Corky, picky and yelling the words of “off with his head”, represent the

99、dictatorial tyrant; the rose gardeners, painted the white rose into red to avoiding the punishment from the Queen, represent the less sense of reasonability and babbling civil servant; the Duchess, speaking the nonsense