Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll is a classic children’s novel that has captured the imagination of readers for generations. This book is a sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and follows Alice as she enters a fantastical world through a mirror. The novel is full of whimsical characters and nonsensical situations that have made it a beloved work of literature.
One of the most interesting aspects of Through the Looking-Glass is its use of allegory. The novel is full of hidden meanings and symbols that represent deeper ideas and themes. For example, the chess game that Alice plays throughout the novel is believed to represent the struggle between order and chaos. The Red Queen and White Queen are also thought to represent opposing political ideologies. Understanding these allegories can provide readers with a deeper appreciation for the novel and its themes.
Historical Context of ‘Through the Looking-Glass’
Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass was published in 1871, six years after the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The book was written during the Victorian era, a time of great change in England. The Victorian era was characterized by rapid industrialization, urbanization, and social change.
Carroll’s works were part of a larger cultural movement that sought to challenge traditional Victorian values and social norms. The book was written for children, but its themes and messages were aimed at adults as well. Through the Looking-Glass was a commentary on the social and political issues of the day.
The book was also influenced by Carroll’s personal life. Carroll was a mathematician and a deacon in the Anglican Church. He suffered from a stammer and was partially deaf. These personal experiences are reflected in the book’s themes of logic, language, and identity.
Through the Looking-Glass is also notable for its use of allegory. The book is a commentary on the nature of reality and the human condition. The chess game that Alice plays in the book is a metaphor for the game of life. The book’s themes of identity, growth, and self-discovery are universal and timeless.
Main Allegorical Themes
Reflections on Victorian Society
Through the Looking-Glass, written by Lewis Carroll, is a vivid representation of the Victorian era. The book reflects the strict social norms and values of the time, especially for women. Alice, the protagonist, is constantly reminded of her position as a woman and is expected to adhere to societal expectations. The chess game serves as a metaphor for the strict hierarchy and social structure of Victorian society, where everyone has a predetermined role to play. The book also highlights the importance of education, especially for women, as Alice’s knowledge and wit help her navigate through the challenges of Looking-Glass World.
The Nature of Reality and Perception
The book challenges the notion of reality and perception. Alice’s journey through the looking-glass is a journey of self-discovery and understanding. The looking-glass serves as a metaphor for the distorted reality that people perceive, and Alice’s journey helps her understand the true nature of reality. The book also emphasizes the importance of imagination and creativity in shaping one’s perception of reality.
The Journey of Personal Growth
The book is a journey of personal growth for Alice. She starts off as a naive and innocent child, but her experiences in Looking-Glass World help her mature and become more confident. The book highlights the importance of taking risks and facing challenges in order to grow and develop as a person. Alice’s journey also serves as a metaphor for the journey of life, where one must face challenges and overcome obstacles in order to grow and succeed.
Character Analysis and Symbolism
Alice as the Everyman
In Through the Looking-Glass, Alice is the protagonist and serves as the Everyman figure. She represents the ordinary person who is trying to make sense of a world filled with absurdity and illogicality. Alice’s character is both imaginative and logical, and her struggles to navigate through the nonsensical world of Looking-glass land are symbolic of the challenges that people face in trying to understand the complexities of the real world.
The Red and White Queens
The Red and White Queens are two of the most prominent characters in the novel and represent opposing forces. The Red Queen is associated with chaos, while the White Queen is associated with order. The two queens are symbolic of the duality of human nature, and the struggle that individuals face in trying to balance their desires and aspirations with their sense of morality and responsibility.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum
Tweedledee and Tweedledum are two characters that Alice encounters in Looking-glass land. They are identical twins who are always in agreement with one another, and they represent the idea that people often conform to societal norms and expectations rather than thinking for themselves. The characters are also symbolic of the dangers of groupthink and the importance of critical thinking and independent thought.
Chess Motif and Life’s Game
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll is a novel that employs the chess motif as a way to explore the concept of life’s game. The chess game serves as a metaphor for life, where each move represents a decision that one makes in their life. The novel shows that every decision has consequences, and these consequences can either be positive or negative.
The chess motif is introduced at the beginning of the novel, where the thirty-two pieces of a chess set are identified as ‘Dramatis Personae.’ The characters in the novel are represented by the chess pieces, and their movements correspond to the movements of their respective chess pieces. This motif is used to create a world where the rules of chess govern the actions of the characters.
The novel also explores the idea of power and hierarchy through the chess motif. Just as in a game of chess, where the ultimate goal is to checkmate the opponent’s king, the characters in the novel strive for power and dominance over each other. The Queen, who is the most powerful piece in chess, is also the most powerful character in the novel.
Furthermore, the chess motif is used to explore the idea of order and chaos. The looking-glass world’s landscape is squared off like a chessboard, with brooks and hedges dividing the ground ‘up into squares’ that ‘reached from brook to brook.’ This setting creates a sense of order, but the actions of the characters disrupt this order and create chaos.
Language, Logic, and Nonsense
Through the Looking-Glass is a literary work that explores the themes of language, logic, and nonsense. Lewis Carroll uses these themes to create a world that is both absurd and thought-provoking. In this section, we will examine how these themes are used in the book.
Language is a central theme in Through the Looking-Glass. Carroll uses language in a playful and imaginative way, creating new words and phrases that are nonsensical but also meaningful. The most famous example of this is the poem “Jabberwocky,” which is full of made-up words that sound like real words but have no clear meaning. This poem highlights the importance of language in our lives and how it shapes our understanding of the world around us.
Logic is another important theme in the book. Carroll uses logic puzzles and games to challenge the reader’s understanding of the world. For example, in the chapter “Looking-Glass Insects,” Alice encounters a group of insects who are engaged in a game of logic. The game is based on the idea that things can be both true and false at the same time, which challenges Alice’s understanding of logic and reason.
Nonsense is also a key theme in the book. Carroll uses nonsense to create a world that is both absurd and entertaining. The characters in the book often speak in riddles and puns, which adds to the sense of confusion and disorientation that Alice experiences throughout her journey. The use of nonsense also highlights the arbitrary nature of the world and how things can be both meaningless and significant at the same time.
Role of Mirrors and Duality
Mirrors play a significant role in Through the Looking-Glass, and they are used as symbols of duality. The novel’s premise is based on the concept of a mirror image, where everything is reversed. Alice enters the mirror and finds herself in a world where everything is the opposite of what she knows. The mirror symbolizes the idea of dualism, where everything has two sides, and nothing is straightforward.
The theme of duality is also evident in the characters, such as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, who are identical twins. They represent the idea that everything has two sides, and one cannot exist without the other. Similarly, the White Queen and the Red Queen are two sides of the same coin, representing the opposing forces of good and evil.
Critical Reception and Interpretations
Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass” has been widely analyzed and interpreted since its publication. Many scholars have compared it to its predecessor, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” and have noted that “Through the Looking-Glass” is a more controlled and less spontaneous work. Critics have also interpreted the novel as an allegory for the journey from childhood to adulthood.
One of the most notable interpretations of “Through the Looking-Glass” is that it is a political allegory. Some scholars have suggested that the novel is a commentary on the political climate of Victorian England, with the Red and White Queens representing the two major political parties of the time. Others have suggested that the novel is a critique of the British monarchy, with the character of the Red Queen representing Queen Victoria.
Another popular interpretation of the novel is that it is a commentary on the nature of language and logic. Carroll, who was a mathematician by trade, was known for his love of puzzles and wordplay. Many of the characters in “Through the Looking-Glass” speak in riddles and nonsensical language, and the novel is filled with logical paradoxes and contradictions. Some scholars have suggested that the novel is a critique of the limitations of language and the difficulties of communication.