Alice in Isolation

This work is in collaboration with Chandler Danner.

The story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) is about a little girl named Alice that jumps down a rabbit hole and falls into a place called Wonderland. In Wonderland, from the talking animals, to the magical cakes and potions that change her height, nothing quite makes sense. Our goal is to portray Alice as a character who has been sequestered in a house in Wonderland against her will due to a widespread virus that plagues the land. But staying true to the spirit of the original novel, many things will not make sense. The decisions that she makes in the original story will be used to inform how she acts in isolation. Perhaps Alice’s most distinguishable trait is her pettiness. Being a Victorian child of a presumably high end family, Alice is used to getting what she wants when she wants it. In one such scene, after recently arriving in wonderland, she comes to the conclusion that she has “been changed” for a lower class girl she knows named Mabel. Alice becomes distraught at the thought of being Mabel and having to “live in that poky little house, [with] next to no toys to play with” (Carroll ch. 2). This shows that Alice is more concerned about having no toys than the more troublesome fact that she may be stuck in someone’s else’s body away from the comfort of her real family. Likewise, Alice’s impatience will increase rapidly over the course of the letters, highlighting the perspective of a Victorian era child with a sophisticated vocabulary used for unsophisticated means. In this manner, we hope to create an interesting tale that reflects the sentiments of isolation many of us feel in quarantine while staying true to the original character design of our protagonist, Alice. 

4 May 1865

I have found myself in a peculiar situation after having jumped down the rabbit hole and falling into Wonderland. It appears that a viral outbreak has occurred and I, along with the inhabitants of Wonderland, have been thrust into quarantine. I was made aware of this after having passed the home of the March Hare. He called to me from his window, commanding that I take refuge in the empty home across the street before the Queen’s guards began making their runs. It seems that the Queen has given strict orders for everyone to stay inside and that her guards have been demanded to fulfill these orders. Having been warned of the lunacy by the March Hare and his comrades the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse, I was skeptical at first, but upon hearing a resounding “Off with their heads! Off with their heads!” coming from down the road, I elected to make haste towards the vacant house across the street and take shelter for the time being. 

5 May 1865

After a bit of time in quarantine, I’ve grown quite bored of this place. I’ve decided to write about my experience thus far because it is one of the few things that I have found to keep myself occupied with. After managing to get the attention of the Mad Hatter from across the street for some time, he finally entertained me with a short game of charades. It was rather difficult to convey from across the street, but we made it work nonetheless. I have wondered how my cat, Dinah, has been doing. Oh, how nice it would be to see her right about now! I surely hope that they are taking good care of her back at home. Oh I know! She must be coming here to save me! I only need to wait a little while more and Dinah should appear any minute, ready to lead me out of this place!

7 May 1865

I’ve been cramped up in this house for quite some time now and frankly, I just want to go home. I really miss my toys and there’s absolutely nothing to do in this blasted place! I’m beginning to doubt that Dinah really is coming to save me. Maybe the Queen found her? No, no, that can’t be as Dinah is much too fast to be captured by such a woman. All my attempts to socialize with the March Hare, Mad Hatter, and Dormouse have all been futile as they wholly refuse to see me in person. Have we not become friends? The White Rabbit comes by every so often repeating the same lines: “Stay away! Stay away! Haven’t you any sense? Stay away, stay away for your and my defense!”. I don’t quite understand why he gets to be out and about, telling me to stay away when truly he should be the one staying away from me! Really it is his fault for leading me down into this mess. The Queen’s raids have increased in number as of late. She once attempted to apprehend the Cheshire Cat threatening to behead him, but to no avail as he simply fades away leaving nothing but a toothy grin. I’m not sure how she intends to behead something with a seemingly detachable head, but knowing the Queen I wouldn’t put it past her to try it. Many times have I broke down crying, utterly frustrated with this peculiar situation. I hope that I will wake up from this nightmare soon and be able to embrace my sister and all my loved ones. I never realized the importance of socialization until now. Never before have I been so frustrated at being so close, yet so far from what I want, and essentially, what I need.

Works Cited

Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. 1865. Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11/11-h/11-h.htm. Accessed 29 April, 2020.