As we have discussed in class, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland can be a metaphor for many things, including college life, coming of age, etc.  One of the reasons that this book is so renowned might be that it speaks to each reader about their life in a seemingly innocent way.  A lot of this story is appreciated by adults for different reasons than those that make children enjoy it.

One of the parallels between Alice's Adventures and my life is her meeting with Humpty Dumpty.  This applies to my life in more than one way.  Firstly, I find myself to be Humpty Dumpty.  When Alice says "You seem very clever at explaining words" (214), she is describing him in a way that is similar to my role with my friends.  Being an English major, my friends often come to me for advice on word usage, spelling, and general grammar.  While I am not a self-professed master of these things, my peers seem to think that I am, so I would feel bad letting them know.  I also feel as though Humpty Dumpty can be almost any English professor I've had (of course not you, Dr. Bump).  Especially when it comes to poetry, I find English professors often saying things like "I can explain all the poems that were ever invented" (214).  To me, this is a preposterous statement, because one person is not able to relate to poetry in all ways possible at the same time.  Therefore, while a pompous professor might be able to shed some insight on a confusing line, he/she is not truly able to explain every possible meaning a poem has.

Another event in Alice's Adventures that any college student can relate to is her constant growing and shrinking in the hallway at the beginning of the first book.  When one comes to college, he/she thinks of him/herself as a much more mature person than the one he/she was in high school.  However, when one actually gets here, the sheer size and scope of college life makes one feel as though they have suddenly become "only ten inches high" (17).  Adjusting to a new part of one's life, college or not, often makes one feel large and small at the same time.  However, with each new experience, we become more adaptable and thus more mature individuals.