Reading Alice in Wonder

Under all the appearance of creative freedom, surreal humor and irony biting in all directions, one can discern a deeper Lewis Carroll perspective  – the benevolent Englishman visiting the colonies. Poised, civil, sure of her rationality, almost always entitled, Alice visits the other side of the earth where everything is...curious.  Alice has trouble finding the right size to fit in that foreign world, but otherwise she knows that after all she is bigger (stronger) than the others  and can draw help  (from her dog and cat).  She believes that because her culture is based on rationality, it is superior. The benevolent argument was that British colonized the world to bring civilization. All these countries with card kings and queens, where beheading was around the corner and jury trials misused, deserved to be under British rule. Civilization brings playing crocket, dancing quadrille and having tea parties.

Bookends

In the subway everybody was using a phone of some sort. Playing one game or another. I was at one end of the bench reading Dracula. Noticed  at the other end of the bench a young lady who was also reading a book . As I got off I could see the title of her book: Bargains for Brides.

Recovering

‘I am real!’ said Alice and began to cry.

‘You won’t make yourself a bit realler by crying,’ Tweedledee remarked

....

‘If I wasn’t real,’ Alice said — half-laughing though her tears, it all seemed so ridiculous —‘I shouldn’t be able to cry.’