Who else here thinks that Alice's Adventures in the Wonderland is a religious allegory for the soul's journey?

Question

Lewis Carroll gave the first manuscript to Rev.and Mrs. George MacDonald who greatly approved of it.
If you look at the book's characters closely from the religious perspective, you might find them to be exactly matching the stages of enlightenment in a soul's journey back to God. For example: first comes the wonder and confusion of falling through "a rabbit hole" -- when the seeker is confused and looking for something to hold on to and accidentally peeps into the wonderful garden that it desperately wants to get into.

wtim 68, great answer! I see you copied it from the back of the Bantam classic edition. Well done!

Answer 1

This story has been called a satire on language, a political allegory, a parody of Victorian childrens literature, or even a reflection of contemporary ecclesiastical history. The book originated as a story Lewis told to a young friend, Alice Liddell, during a boating trip on the Thames. I tend to think it was no more than a dream, a fairy tale about the trials and tribulations of growing upor down, or all turned round as seen through the expert eyes of a child.

Answer 2

if i could vote for a best question, you would win. the secret charisma of alice in wonderland/through the looking glass is that no matter how old you are, whether you are an adult or a child, you can so easily imagine that you are in fact the one who is falling down a rabbit hole or running from a jabberwock (real when you are a child, usually metaphorical when you are an adult). everyone can relate to being so bored that they start daydreaming. and depending on where you are in your life and the experiences you have had, everything in there can be interpreted in a different way. a classic example of this is the beginning of the movie dogma, where one of the angels uses the walrus and the carpenter poem to convince a nun that there is no god. sorry, i temporarily switched to term paper mode. lol. in a nutshell, i LOVE it. i am completely obsessed. i have read it over and over, seen 5 (i think) movie versions, and drawn and painted so many of it's images. i am addicted.

Answer 3

I never thought of it before, but it sounds quite plausible to me. In fact whenever a story has a deeper basis like that, it tends to remain in the forefront for a long time... and that story has done so.

You are making an excellent point. A more tame version of that same story is the story of the Prodigal Son.

To recognize even more twists and turns in the human drama... and iron them out... take a look at this.

Answer 4

I think you are taking it way too seriously... Lewis Carroll was a pervert who watched this little girl and created fantasies about it. There are hidden metaphorical meanings in the story but I highly doubt it is a religious thing, it is more of a sexual thing.It is very interesting that you suggest this though. I never thought about it that way...

Answer 5

I think it is more an allegory for the hallucinations that Carroll was having after downing lots of opium.

Answer 6

No, I think it was the result of a man who was fascinated by young girls and especially by Alice Liddell with whom he may have been in love, his attempt to amuse and entertain Alice to remain in her proximity, a strange star-crossed friendship although I don't think it ever crossed into anything socially unacceptable, it was getting a bit close.

Answer 7

if a person tends to be religious, that person can connect any number of things to their own religious belief as confirmation of that belief.
for the record, it is thought that lewis carroll had a medical condition that gave him inspiration

Answer 8

Coincidence, my sugar coated candy man

Answer 9

I do! If you take acid, then you believe in ridiculous stories for a while, then you return home.

Answer 10

If you drop a couple hits of acid, then f*ck yeah!