At the beginning of the movie, The Matrix, the protagonist is depicted just like Alice following a symbol of a white rabbit. This was the very first moment that Alice in Wonderland, which I had considered just another children's fiction, got meaningfully imprinted on my mind. 'Is the story that common to be in pop culture?' was my impression, and it further led me to want to find why. Since then, this book has been on my reading list for a very long time. But the forgotten copy which has been faded in color and coated with dust comes alive now in a decade.
There have to be reasons why it is considered so-called children's classic and is occasionally recounted by grown-ups. Sadly enough, however, I felt like a loser from cover to cover. I was quite frustrated while figuring out what an array of inexplicable occasions were trying to convey. It was too weird to understand. It didn't even sound timeless. There was one thing clear, though; I didn't want to give in, nor brush it aside.
A ray of hope came only after googling and reading significant number of related web pages. The prerequisite keywords for the story are linguistic pranks, children's innocence as well as cultural stuff which reflects the British society of the time the book was written.
The author enjoyed making use of puns and playing on multiple meanings of words throughout the text. (Mock Turtle: The master was an old Turtle. We called him Tortoise because he taught us. Gryphon: 10 hours the first day, nine the next and so on. That's the reason they're called lessons. Because they lessen from day to day.)
Alice's constant growing and shrinking into different sizes could reflect the ups and downs of adolescence. Young people get confused feeling sometimes adult and other times quite the opposite. The whole book illustrates how confusing the adult world seems to innocent children.
Last but not least, I'm also very happy to know part of the contemporary culture behind the story through new vocabulary such as bathing machine, powdered hair, mock turtle soup, etc.
Much to my relief, now I can understand the story and find a peace of mind. Mr. Yoo said in his million seller travel book, quote, 'Once you love it, you get to know about it. Once you know about it, it'll never be the same again' unquote. The more I'm able to understand, the more I get drawn into the wonderland. Sorry for little knowledge. Sorry to judge that it's just children's fiction.
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| My favorite hookah-smoking caterpillar in the moive |
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