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Arturo Davila
Professor Lewis
English 114B
March 25, 2014
True Identity
Identity, the symbol of being human, is something that is a part of our everyday life,
whether we realize it or not. The moment you are born you have some sort of identity, which
you will work with and pursue for the rest of your life. Identity is not just a mental thing it is
also social, personal, and even physical. Many go throughout life wondering who they are and
who they can be, with many never finding out. From the moment we learn how to speak we
are shoved into ideologies that define us. We also start to question everything, wanting to
know how to identify things in life, whether it is the dog, a toy, a parent or even ourselves. In
the story Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Alice, despite thinking she knows who she is
lost her identity because of her interactions with various characters. Throughout the entire
story she is someone different to every character she meets, making Alice question her own
identity which she thought that she already knew. This confuses little Alice, causing her to
question herself more and more which all humans do and begins her real journey, to find
herself.
Lewis Carroll had many identities to his readers. Some thought he was a pedophile
because he would spend a lot of time with the Liddell children, mainly Alice, who was the
inspiration for his novels. Others say he had a childish mind which would not let him cope
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with the adult world causing him to create an identity which others did not like. This caused
Carroll to live a mysterious life, hiding his identity from those around him and quite possibly
himself, which is the reason his stories have such twisted meanings. Lewis Carrolls real
name was Charles Dodgson. His identity as Charles Dodgson was very different from his
identity as Lewis Carroll. Dodgson was a man of much nobility having a high position in his
community and being well known and liked by his fellow colleagues. Charles Dodgson and
Lewis Carroll were the same person with two different lives quite possibly to stay on good
terms with those around him. The main reason being that he spent a lot of time with the
Liddell girls which made him seem like a pedophile as well as a man that should be ignored if
seen in town. It gave him a childish attitude which people did not like which was why he kept
both of his lives very distant. At times if someone sent a fan letter to Lewis Carroll but was
sent to Charles Dodgson he would send it back saying he had no idea who that man was and
questioned his existence. Carroll and Dodgson did not know who they were; they were living
two separate lives in one body. This caused conflict in his life making the stories that include
Alice like Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, not about Alice so much but
more of Lewis Carrolls and Charles Dodgsons double life.
In Advice from a Caterpillar, Alice runs into a caterpillar that is smoking hookah on
top of a mushroom. The caterpillar has a noble aura which gives him a wise personality,
making him very influential to Alices quest for identity. The most important question that he
asks her is Who are you?(18). This causes confusion in her personality as well as deep
inside herself, Alice replies,
'II hardly know, sir, just at presentat least I know who I WAS when I got up
this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.' 'What do
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you mean by that?' said the Caterpillar sternly. 'Explain yourself!' 'I can't explain
MYSELF, I'm afraid, sir' said Alice, 'because I'm not myself, you see.' 'I don't see,' said
the Caterpillar. 'I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly,' Alice replied very politely, 'for I
can't understand it myself to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is
very confusing.' 'It isn't,' said the Caterpillar. 'Well, perhaps you haven't found it so yet,'
said Alice; 'but when you have to turn into a chrysalisyou 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 (19). It is only human to question yourself and that is
what Alice does throughout the entire story. Little by little she learned to grow and see
herself differently with different people. She adapted herself to every single individual
while adapting her identity to herself.
This question keeps popping up unconsciously throughout the story for Alice making her
more and more confused as she continues her journey throughout the story. Not only does this
question highly influence her thinking it helps her want to find her identity which is essential
to her. This is most important chapter in the novel because by asking questions and using
intellectualization the Caterpillar persuaded Alice to look deeper within her to find who she
really is and why she is that way.
In A Caucus Race and a Long Tail, many wet animals are with Alice trying to figure
out a way to get themselves dry after a good, long swim in a crowded pool. A mouse then
comes up with an idea to have a Caucus race to dry themselves off. The race has no rules with
no beginning or an end. The race ends when the Dodo calls an end to it with everyone being a
winner. They all turn to Alice when the Dodo, the Duck, a Lory, an Eagle and many other
animals put her in charge of awarding everyone with a price after winning. All the animals
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surrounded her identifying her as a person who will reward them for their achievements. She
seemed very confused being identified differently in every chapter still not knowing who she
is or who she will be. The way the animals looked at Alice and approached her made her feel
uncomfortable and uneasy just like her voyage throughout the entire novel.
In Pig and Pepper, Alice meets the Cheshire Cat for the first time. He has a very wide
grin and gives off a mysterious vibe with the way he talks to Alice. She referred to him as
Cheshire Puss, at first thinking it would flatter him and she went on,
'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?' 'That depends a good
deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat. 'I don't much care where' said Alice.
'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat. 'so long as I get
SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation. 'Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the
Cat, 'if you only walk long enough.' Alice felt that this could not be denied, so she tried
another question. 'What sort of people live about here?' 'In THAT direction,' the Cat
said, waving its right paw round, 'lives a Hatter: and in THAT direction,' waving the
other paw, 'lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad.' 'But I don't want
to go among mad people,' Alice remarked. 'Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: 'we're
all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.' 'How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice. 'You must
be,' said the Cat, 'or you wouldn't have come here.' (27)
The Cheshire Cat is another very influential in Alices journey throughout the twisted world
of Wonderland. He makes her realize that everyone is mad which makes Alice realize that
many different kinds of people will have many different kinds of identities. The Cheshire Cat
started to help her realize that her identity would be different to every individual but he would
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always be the same as long as she keeps it that way. The cat says that Alice is mad for being
there with all the other characters in Wonderland. This makes Alice think that she truly is mad
just like the others making her have an identity for them as well. It made it seem like she had
a double life just like Lewis Carroll and Charles Dodgson, there were an Alice and an Alice
from Wonderland. This caused ease is Alices tension in finding herself within herself as well
as others.
When Alice first met The Mad Hatter all he did was confuse poor Alice. After wishing
she had not talked to the Cheshire Cat she soon changed her mind talking to the Mad Hatter.
He made her feel confused and unsure of her journey once again questioning who she is. The
Hatter was no help to Alice but did try to give her advice in a very confusing way. He used his
own phrases while asking her nonsense which made sense to him but only him giving him a
twisted identity to Alice. Making Alice seem rude which gave her a new identity to the Hatter,
March Hare and Dormouse. In the movie, Alice in Wonderland by director Tim Burton, the
Hatter is similar to the book mad. He is also constantly questioning Alice about herself
causing her to realize her true self at the end which makes the Hatter a significant character in
both versions.
Identity in Alice in Wonderland alone is such a huge deal which causes so many of the
interpretations of the story itself that anyone can have their own meaning to the story relating
to their own identity while guessing Alices. Like who is the real Alice? No one really knows
but everyone thinks they have the right answer which causes tons of controversy over the
interpretations of the identity itself. Like Lewis Carroll and Charles Dodgson alike there is
always more than one side to a story. Like in the movie, Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton.
Wonderland seems to be very different and even more twisted than in the story by Lewis
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Carroll. Interpretations can be done by anyone and for anything. Many new interpretations
have been done on the adventures of Alice making her have many identities to the readers.
Alice has a different story and background in each novel, movie, short story, etc. which makes
her such a mysterious character. She causes wonder and excitement whether it is in
Wonderland or within herself. Her identity will never be figured out only guessed throughout
all of her stories. The only ones who truly know are the writers themselves.

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Works Cited
Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, New York: MacMillan. Print. 1865.
Lane, Christopher. "Lewis Carroll and Psychoanalysis: Why Nothing Adds Up in
Wonderland." The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, Print. 92.4 (2011): 1029-
1045.
Alice in Wonderland. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp. Walt Disney
Studios, 2010. DVD.