Delving Deeper Into The Rabbit Hole: Death in a Children's Book Anonymous College

Lewis Carroll’s classic story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, tells the enchanting tale of a young Alice and the exciting journey she embarks on after falling down the rabbit hole. While on the surface it may appear as a pleasant children’s book filled with vibrant and humorous characters, if one delves below the surface Wonderland holds much more than the reader may think at a first glance. Through the reoccurring theme of death in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll draws a stark contrast between the various characters’ view of death, suggesting that some people choose to avoid the topic entirely, while children such as Alice are often inherently curious about it, and are often unable to recognize potentially fatal dangers. Through the inclusion of this concept, Carroll emphasizes the inquisitive and innately curious nature of children, but also implies that adults and the animals in this story often have different methods of avoidance to escape from delving deeply into unpleasant topics such as this, as to avoid thinking about something so dark.

Almost as soon as Alice falls down the rabbit hole, the theme of death becomes apparent. There are subtle references throughout her slow tumble down the rabbit hole...