In Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and the Chronicles of Narnia Bachelor’S Diploma Thesis

Masaryk University Faculty of Arts

Department of English and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Sabina Vejpustková

Comparison and Analysis of Parallels in Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and The Chronicles of Narnia Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: Stephen Paul Hardy, Ph.D.

2019

I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

…………………………………………….. Author’s signature

I would like to thank to my supervisor Stephen Paul Hardy, Ph.D. for his time and patience during the course of writing this thesis. I would also like to thank my friends and family for their support.

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 2. CHILDREN HEROES AND THEIR JOURNEY ...... 2 2.1. ALICE LIDDELL ...... 3

2.2. WENDY DARLING ...... 7

2.3. EDMUND PEVENSIE ...... 12

2.4. COMPARISON ...... 15

3. ADULTS AS VILLAINS...... 18 3.1. THE QUEEN OF HEARTS ...... 20

3.2. CAPTAIN HOOK ...... 22

3.3. THE WHITE WITCH ...... 26

3.4. COMPARISON ...... 39

4. MAGICAL GUIDES ...... 31 4.1. THE CHESHIRE CAT ...... 32

4.2. PETER PAN ...... 35

4.3. ASLAN ...... 37

4.4. COMPARISON ...... 39

5. THE OTHER WORLD ...... 41 5.1. WONDERLAND ...... 43

5.2. NEVERLAND ...... 46

5.3. NARNIA ...... 49

5.4. COMPARISON ...... 53

6. CONCLUSION ...... 55 WORKS CITED ...... 56 RÉSUMÉ...... 58

1. Introduction

Growing up is challenging, yet inevitable process that every child has to go through. Children are allowed to make mistakes that are soon forgotten, they have almost no obligations and they need to follow just a few simple rules. However, this suddenly changes once they reach a certain age where they are not exactly children but they are not yet adults either. Their mistakes have consequences they need to face on their own, the obligations and expectations become unbearable and rules get more complicated and less reasonable once they enter the world of adults. The novels analyzed in this thesis explore this process of transitioning from childhood to adolescence through parallel aspects that are essential for the successful maturation of the hero.

Each one of the aspects that will be further analyzed has its own purpose and influences the whole process in a different way than the others. Not all of them are good; particularly villains have a negative impact not only on the journey, but also on the hero. However, even the negative experience is valuable as it usually has the strongest impact and helps the hero to learn from his own mistakes.

Although all three novels were written only approximately within fifty years apart, the overall changes in the world, such as technology, equal rights, or approach to children changed massively. For this reason, it is quite interesting that the key theme of a child struggling with maturation remains the same; suggesting it has not changed over the years and children still deal with it up to this day.

2. Children heroes and their journey

First of all, it is necessary to introduce parallels that all three selected books share, the most obvious one being the heroes of these stories. Ever since the beginning of the humankind, heroes were looked up to as an idea of what a person should be like.

Although their idealistic image shifted a bit through centuries and they eventually developed from divine heroes such as Achilles into more ordinary people like Robinson

Crusoe. Regardless, the role they play in the lives of ordinary people did not significantly change. To this day, they continue to inspire people to become better and to overcome the hardships of life. For this reason, child heroes are even more important as they serve as guides that children can connect to and explore the world through them.

Particular heroes and their journey that this thesis is concerned with are Alice

Liddell, Wendy Darling, and Edmund Pevensie. These three protagonists also present the most evident parallel between the selected books as all of them are children about roughly the same age, transitioning from their childhood to adolescence, which is essentially what they, in different ways, struggle with.

Struggling with growing up is yet another great feature these books share and it is closely connected with Campbell’s storytelling pattern they all follow. Joseph J.

Campbell was an American mythologist and religionist who spent several years by researching mythologies and folklore stories from all over the world and later presented the results in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In there, he explains monomyth, also called The Hero’s Journey, which is a concept of one set storytelling pattern the most stories follow. According to Campbell, it is because humankind has deeply rooted in unconsciousness how a story should be built. This is no exception for

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, or The Chronicles of Narnia. However, since Campbell’s research includes predominantly adult heroes, it is no wonder some

2 elements are different for children heroes. Firstly, although the monomyth itself serves as a mean for the hero to change and develop as a person, its function is even more stressed out when it comes to children heroes since they are literally on the edge of maturation and thus this journey presents an allegory of their growing up process. To clarify, the heroes begin their adventure as children, however during its course, they have to face complex obstacles which will inevitably change them and as a result, they show signs of being mentally mature at the end of their journey.

2.1. Alice Liddell

Alice Liddell is a seven year-old protagonist of Carroll’s worldwide famous novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She is also one of the most known literature characters whose story gained international popularity and is recreated in various forms up to this day. It is obvious from the beginning when she decides to chase a strangely looking rabbit down the hole, that she is a rather curious and adventurous little girl. Her childish nature is notable even at certain points during her journey in Wonderland, for instance when she unintentionally offends its inhabitants. On one of these occasions, she mentions to Dormouse how her cat Dinah is “a capital one for catching mice”

(Carroll 26), failing to realize in time it is inappropriate to tell Dormouse, although this is obvious to the reader. A similar situation happens later when she remarks Dinah’s ability to catch birds to Lory and other birds, which causes “a remarkable sensation”

(Carroll 35). Repetition of the same mistake signalizes that she is not yet able to fully think through what she says and fails to comprehend the impact her words may have on others. In Adolescence, it is noted that children of this age have not yet developed a hypothetical thinking that “helps the young person to take the perspective of others by enabling him or her to think through what someone else might be thinking” (Steinberg

57). Despite its possible pointlessness to prove Alice is, in fact, a child, it is important to acknowledge what her mental age and the general perception are at the beginning of her journey so it can be later compared to her matured self at the end.

Although she is just a little girl completely lost in an unknown world without any guidance or help, she soon starts to display signs of slowly crossing a threshold to adolescence. As soon as she gets to Wonderland, Alice at first cries whenever the situation causes her distress; for instance when she is unable to fit through the door

(Carroll 15) or when she cannot befriend the animals for which she “felt very lonely and low-spirited” (Carroll 35). However, these conditions are necessary for triggering both, her growing up process and independence. Later on, she gets into other, often far more stressful situations, yet she never once cries again. Instead, she focuses on finding a possible solution.

Another indication suggesting Alice is already growing up can be spotted in her inability to recall nursery rhymes, and when attempting, they come out wrong.

Important to note is this happens repeatedly, whether with ‘How doth the little crocodile’ (Carroll 22) or ‘You are old, father William’ (Carroll 48-50). One of the reasons why children learn rhymes and poems is that it helps them to work with language and memory, since “rhymes are one of the simplest ways to boost memory” and “by rhyming information, our brains can encode it more easily” (Dove). However as children grow old, the poems are no longer relevant and without repeating them, they are often unable to remember them as perfectly as before, or at all. Alice has already started to mess up the poems she was sure she knew by heart, hence it once again points out she is no longer a child. Particularly striking is how Alice perceives her knowledge in connection to her identity, as she states “’I'm sure I can't be Mabel, for I know all sorts of things, and she, oh! she knows such a very little! […] I'll try if I know all the

4 things I used to know.’” (Carroll 22). In other words, according to Alice, if she cannot recall the things she once knew, then perhaps she is not herself at all.

As a matter of fact, searching for an identity is without a doubt the most crucial theme of Alice’s journey. This is particularly notable when Caterpillar asks her who is she, to whom Alice answers “I—I hardly know, sir, just at present—at least I know who

I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.” (Carroll 46). By this statement, Alice reveals she has no longer a sense of self whatsoever since she did not even try to explain herself, even when she was asked to (Carroll 46). This could be of course an effect of Wonderland, as it is later noted that everyone is mad in there (Carroll 65) and thus it would make sense if losing an identity was a part of going mad. However, her lack of individuality is most likely connected to growing up. Regarding all the changes that happen when children enter adolescence, it is not uncommon to question their identity, and on top of that, they also become more self-aware. For this reason, the symbolic feature of this particular passage is even more important. As is noted by Alice, Caterpillar himself has to go through a growing up process where the old form is replaced by a new one, just as Alice has to. The question of her identity is once again challenged when the Pigeon accuses her of being a serpent.

“’I – I’m a little girl,’ said Alice, rather doubtfully, as she remembered the number of changes she had gone through that day.” (Carroll 54). This is yet another proof pointing out that the whole journey is, in fact, an allegory to maturation, as confusion about one’s identity and trying to find it is a common struggle for children entering puberty.

As chaotic and unsteady as Wonderland is, there is one thing staying constant –

Alice’s size changing. While it may seem as yet another funny element specific for

Wonderland which function is simply to entertain the readers, in fact, it bears a greater meaning. The change of her size is closely bound with her growing-up process and

5 perception of her identity, as is presented through most of the story. Right at the beginning, Alice struggles with being the right size in order to fit through the door that is too small for her (Carroll 15). This shows that in order to get into the Wonderland – which can be interpreted as an allegory of an adult world as will be proven in the particular chapter – she needs to change. The process repeats again and again, as Alice seems to struggle with being just the right size. Important to note is that she herself has no idea what her size should be, she only knows when it is not the right one. Struggling with identity and self-perception is quite common among teenagers as they do not know yet who they want to become, nevertheless, they still may have an idea of what they do not wish to be like. This is no different for Alice, and thus it implies that by this point, she has already crossed the threshold of adolescence. Most compelling evidence can be found in her dialogue with Caterpillar; “’What size do you want to be?’ it asked. ‘Oh,

I'm not particular as to size,’ Alice hastily replied.” (Carroll 51).

Another important link between changing size and growing-up is that Alice herself often connects these two, not only in the sense of ‘getting bigger’ but in maturating as well. This is most obvious when Alice states there should be a book written about her, adding “when I grow up, I'll write one—but I'm grown up now”

(Carroll 38). Clearly, the first mention is related to maturation, while the second one is of a purely physical nature. With this in mind, it is necessary to point out two specific parts in regards to this statement. First, when she starts to physically grow up in the

Rabbit’s house, Alice is still afraid of him, despite the fact she is now much larger and thus he cannot harm her. However, she still perceives herself as a child while the Rabbit presents a potential adult authority, which puts Alice into the position of a misbehaving child expecting punishment. Eventually, this gains even more importance when compared to the very last scene. During the trial, Alice dares to interrupt the King,

6 remarking that “she had grown so large in the last few minutes that she wasn't a bit afraid of interrupting him” (Carroll 123), even though the King is obviously far greater authority than the Rabbit. Nonetheless, unlike at the Rabbit’s, she has now found her right size and thus also her identity which finished her maturation process, meaning she is now no longer afraid to stand up to authority.

To summarize, Alice starts her journey as a little girl, which is proven not only by stating her age but also by her curious personality and numerous misunderstandings she causes in Wonderland. At first, she feels upset and lonely for lacking any guidance, however that is exactly what she needs in order to grow up. The first signs of change in her mentality can be spotted in her inability to correctly recall children’s poems. On the whole, the point of her adventure is searching for her identity, which is bound to her constantly changing size. Nevertheless, during her journey, Alice is growing up not only physically, but primarily mentally, since she eventually becomes able to solve problems concerning rules and authorities. This is mostly stressed as she fully grows into her right size, meaning she found her identity, which ultimately leads to defeating the Queen.

2.2. Wendy Darling

Wendy Moira Angela Darling is the eldest child of George and Mary Darlings and also the main protagonist of Peter Pan. Although many would consider such statement false, the novel is called Peter Pan and not Wendy Darling, after all.

However, this is not entirely true, as the original title was Peter and Wendy, but during the time it was changed to refer just to Peter, in a similar fashion as the word

‘adventures’ was omitted from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence supporting that the story is actually about Wendy and her journey and experience in Neverland. Most importantly, the main focus is on Wendy and her

7 growing up process, as the other characters undergo some change as well, yet there is very little attention paid to it. It is also important to consider the way the story is being told, although the narrator seems to be omnipresent, it could be very well Wendy herself. It is no secret that she is a storyteller; actually, it is the main reason why she gains Peter’s attention in the first place. On top of that, it all starts at the Darlings’ nursery, and unlike Peter, Wendy is present for most of the time during the story.

Moreover, there are few pieces of information concerning Peter’s life before or after he met Wendy, and even those she may know either because Peter told her, or she guessed them. Given these points, it truly raises a question of why the novel is not named after her. Nevertheless, it is important to remind once again that she tells stories, it is also hinted that her mother might have met Peter and is clearly said that her daughter and granddaughter encounter him too, as well as other generations. In other words, Wendy is only a temporary observer in the long run of Peter’s life, and since he had such an impact on her own growing up journey, the story is named after him.

Although Wendy is still a child, there are several signs implying her growing up process has already begun. First of all, when she mentions Peter Pan to her mother, they argue whether it is even possible for a boy to get into a nursery on the higher floor without entering through the door (Barrie 14). Wendy does not argue that her mother provides logical arguments, instead, she tries to find her own that are stronger. Another suggestion that Wendy’s mindset is turning to more adult direction is the way she perceives Peter. In comparison to the other boys, her interest in him is more of a romantic nature. At the first scene when they meet, Wendy wants to give him a kiss.

The idea itself points out that Wendy is already considering things such as relationship, which is typical for girls entering adolescence. This stands out even more in contrast to

Peter, who will always be a child, as he has no idea what a kiss is and thus thinks it is a

8 physical object. Throughout the novel, there are other passages revealing she is in fact interested in romance or even experiencing it on some level. For instance, when it becomes obvious she is jealous of Tiger Lily, a princess of Neverland native tribe, who gets close with Peter. This leads to an interesting dialogue between him and Wendy:

“’There is something she wants to be to me, but she says it is not my mother.’ – ‘No, indeed, it is not,’ Wendy replied with frightful emphasis.” (Barrie 115). Coats goes a step further and comments on it that “Wendy’s attempts to seduce Peter Pan meet with incomprehension on his part.” (91). All in all, it emphasizes the difference in Peter’s and Wendy’s mental age; since Wendy is more matured, she fully understands what

Tiger Lily means and she wants to kiss him, while Peter is once again absolutely clueless because his mindset does not comprehend romance.

Nonetheless, probably the strongest evidence indicating her beginning maturity is her acceptance of a mother role. Wendy is not afraid to become a mother one day nor does she try to avoid it, as she is later considered to be a mother by the lost boys. In fact, she almost seems to embrace the idea. After all, it is not surprising since she is the eldest sibling and on top of that, the only female descendant. It can be thus logically assumed she was from a very young age supposed to look after her two younger brothers and so she adopted a motherly role quite soon. In her article, Roth expresses the same thought by stating that “The girl figure is always part woman and part child, which, for Barrie, means that she is never completely a child.” (54). In other words,

Wendy is mature only to a certain degree, thus she is not yet completely woman, but neither a child.

All things considered, it is quite obvious that she does not struggle with growing up itself, but rather with growing up into a certain type of society. In 1911 when the novel was published, there was still an idealistic approach to masculinity; men were

9 looked up to as invincible and superior humans worth admiration, which is even manifested in character of Mr. Darling. Women, on the other hand, gained far less acknowledgment as the work done for the family was perceived as a natural thing. This is the actual cause of her struggle concerning growing up. Although Wendy is ready to grow up and to eventually accept her role as a mother and wife, she is not happy with the lack of appreciation for it. The most compelling evidence is at the passage when

Peter cannot attach his shadow. Wendy quickly takes her sewing bag and sews his shadow to Peter (Barrie 32). Again, pointing out not only is she prepared to take care of others but also she does it on her own impulse. However, Peter quickly forgets she had any part of helping him with attaching his shadow, and when Wendy expresses her disagreement on his statement, he simply says “you did a little” (Barrie 32) which of course upsets Wendy. Given the time period and the behaviour her male family members demonstrate, it is very much possible that this is not the first time Wendy’s effort was belittled. All in all, Wendy does not mind to grow up and take upon the role of a mother, as long as she is appreciated as such.

Important to realize is that the main purpose of Wendy’s adventure is to test her.

As mentioned above, Wendy’s growing up process has begun before the events of the story; nonetheless, she has not yet reached the complete maturation. Although she is actually alright with becoming a mother, realizing what kind of world she is growing up to and her position in it make her question whether it is truly worth it. At this point,

Peter Pan comes as a distraction from this struggle and also as a possible solution. He shows her all the joys and advantages of childhood, along with those specific for living in Neverland such as flying, and thus the whole adventure tempts her not to grow up. Of course, this option is probably not possible even in Neverland as it is remarked that the lost boys do actually grow up (Barrie 58), however, it is not in any part mentioned

10 whether Wendy is aware of it. Hence, it emphasizes that it is a test of whether she decides to return home and grow up or stay with Peter in Neverland and potentially remain a child forever.

Despite all the wonders that Neverland provides, Wendy cannot bring herself to forget their parents, even though her brothers can, and so she becomes afraid they are actually going to forget them. Provided that she considers herself a mother to the lost boys, she can just now fully comprehend what their parents have to go through, as she would not want the boys to forget her. This can be traced further to the passage where she asks Peter whether he is going to forget her (Barrie 181), although it is important to mention this particular scene has a romantic intonation too. At this point, it is clear

Wendy has feelings for Peter and is happy with the place and the people she is living with; however deep inside she knows they cannot stay. During her adventure, Wendy grows up and becomes fully aware of what consequences their fleeing away may have.

Additionally, she also realizes that no matter what, Peter Pan is always going to be a boy, while she must become a woman. For this reason, she decides to let him go and come back home. Not to mention that this decision is not an easy one, but once again proves her maturity. By this, Wendy literally chooses adulthood over childhood and thus her maturation process is finished.

In conclusion, Wendy was already on her path to grow up but did not welcome the way motherhood was perceived in her surrounding which made her question it.

Upon that, Peter Pan took her away from home into Neverland, where she could potentially remain a girl forever and enjoy all the advantages of the youth. Nonetheless,

Neverland had, in fact, an opposite effect on her; it played an essential part in her maturation and also resolved her struggle with being unappreciated as a woman in the

11 society of that time. Unlike at home, she was recognized as valuable by the lost boys and Peter and thus assured herself that for her, motherhood is worth all the struggles.

2.3. Edmund Pevensie

Edmund Pevensie is the second youngest of the four siblings that are main characters of Lewis’s popular book series The Chronicles of Narnia. Although he may not appear to be the first choice of a heroic protagonist, especially in comparison to his little sister Lucy, his journey holds a greater importance because the change he goes through is the most dramatic one of all siblings. Nonetheless, it is important to realize not only he is a hero, but an anti-hero at the same time. In order to elaborate on this, it is necessary to provide the definition of anti-hero and how Edmund falls into that characteristic. Although no definition is generally united and some features may differ, a great number of them share aspects as being a realist rather than idealist, being rebellious, possessing negative traits that could be even perceived as villainous, or standing up to an authority (Ehlers). All of these fit Edmund perfectly. When Lucy discovers Narnia for the first time, Edmund does not believe her, just as the others, and calls the whole situation “batty” (Lewis 30). However, unlike his older siblings, he takes a step further and intentionally mocks Lucy, asking her whether she found any other countries in cupboards (Lewis 32). Eventually, the situation progresses after he himself visits Narnia. Instead of standing up to Lucy and confirming there is a country in the wardrobe, “he decided all at once to do the meanest and most spiteful thing he could think of” (Lewis 51), and so he lies and denies the existence of the other world.

Finally, the last anti-hero feature he possesses is his refusal of an authority. Most compelling evidence of this is when Susan sends him to go to sleep; Edmund refuses it, retorting she is not his mother (Lewis 10). His issue with accepting authority of his

12 siblings poses a great contrast to how he perceives authority of the White Witch, as will be discussed later in a particular chapter.

Edmund’s journey through his growing up process can be divided into two parts; each one of them carries an important significance. The first one is spent in a presence of the White Witch Jadis. Although he is afraid of her and she behaves nastily towards him at first, she quickly changes her behaviour upon realizing who he truly is. Even though he poses a great threat to her, he could also be a lot of a use and so she decides to manipulate him and make him dependent on her. The Witch succeeds in her doing as can be seen in a passage at the Beavers’ (Lewis 92). Despite hearing only negative things about Jadis and his own strange first-hand experience, he still refuses to acknowledge her ill intentions. He even tries to convince his brother Peter they do not in fact know which side is the good one, and so Jadis may be in fact in the right. Both, the lack of any parental authority in his life and his mean personality make it easier for

Jadis to trick him, in Deconstructing the Hero, it is stated that he is “morally the weakest of the four children” (Hourihan 183). Eventually, when he learns about Aslan and rise of his army that threatens to overthrow Jadis from her throne, he panics. Her loss of the throne would also mean his own loss, as she promised to make him her heir.

Edmund, being hungry for power and the Turkish delight, decides to leave the party and goes to the witch. This situation symbolizes the threshold between the childhood and the adulthood. Jadis offers to take care of him, to secure his future and provide him, almost as a mother. Hence, by running to her he chooses to remain a child instead of growing up.

On the contrary to this, Aslan represents maturity and changes connected to it.

Important to point out is that Edmund is afraid solely of a mention of him for no apparent reason. Possible explanation for this is that not only is he under the witch’s

13 influence, but he also the fears of the unknown that maturation surely is. Although

Edmund has yet no idea who Aslan is, he still feels “a sensation of mysterious horror”

(Lewis 89) when his name is said. In the light of this, a passage where Edmund wonders whether Jadis could turn Aslan into a stone is important as it again points out his insecurity. Once he gets to the Witch’s castle, he discovers a statue of a lion upon which he feels relief. Assuming it may be Aslan, Edmund proceeds to mock the statue by stating “this is the great Lion Aslan that they were all talking about. She’s caught him already and turned him into stone. So that’s the end of all their fine ideas about him!

Pooh! Who’s afraid of Aslan?” (Lewis 105). Nevertheless, he soon learns that he himself has been betrayed and there is neither Turkish delight nor throne waiting for him. In that moment, Edmund goes through various emotions at the same time. He feels foolish, betrayed, but especially hurt for Jadis was the one to whom he trusted the most.

However, this collision with reality is essential as it eventually triggers his growing-up process. To demonstrate, when Jadis threatens to turn innocent animals into a stone,

Edmund actually pleads for their lives and even provides her with a key piece of information in order to save them. Nonetheless, the Witch turns them anyway, which is followed by narrator’s comment that “for the first time in this story Edmund felt sorry for someone besides himself.” (Lewis 127).

Once he is set free, reunited with his siblings and actually meets Aslan for the first time, the change of his character and thus his starting maturation become more noticeable. When Jadis approaches Aslan and calls Edmund out for his treachery, it is noted that he “had got past thinking about himself after all he’d been through” (Lewis

152), pointing out he is ready to face the consequences of his actions, something he certainly would be unable to do at the beginning. Another piece of evidence is presented in his non-verbal behaviour. At first, Edmund was scared purely of the mention of

Aslan, while at this point he “just went on looking at Aslan” (Lewis 152), suggesting not only his fear is long gone but also that he feels comfortable enough to look at him in a situation when he is vulnerable. Finally, the process is complete when the battle takes place. Edmund faces his nemesis, even outsmarts her as he destroys her wand instead of attacking her directly, thus she is left powerless and can no longer turn anyone into a stone (Lewis 127). This particular event bears a great significance for it was him whom the witch manipulated and made a traitor. The act of striping her of her power is also important for Edmund’s own peace of mind, as it his way of redeeming his actions.

Eventually, as they truly grow up into adults, Edmund is said to be “great in council and judgement”, something he most definitely was not at the beginning of his journey, and even obtains a title “King Edmund the Just” (Lewis 198).

In the final analysis, growing up process that Edmund goes through is particularly interesting because not only it changes him as a character but also as an archetype. Although that starting as an anti-hero he refuses to acknowledge any authority, his journey and maturation is strongly influenced by two authoritative figures.

He assembles the role of a hero rather quickly; he is able to face the consequences of his own actions and even attempts to make amends for them. On the whole, the person he became during his journey poses a great contrast to who he was as a boy.

2.4. Comparison

An interesting element concerning these three particular heroes is that although they all have siblings, they differentiate in the order they are born in, which is reflected not only in their character but also in the way they approach their adventure. The oldest siblings usually take on the role of a protector and caretaker of the younger ones, which

Wendy undoubtedly does. The youngest ones then have the most freedom and are

15 adored by the rest of the family, as Alice is. However, Edmund, born as the third child out of four and thus being essentially a middle child, has neither needs to protect his siblings nor the affection as his little sister Lucy does. That is also one of the reasons why Edmund does not hesitate to betray them; his position in the family makes him feel like an outcast.

Of all of them, Edmund is also the most resistant to grow up; at first, he chooses to side with Jadis, who tempts him not to grow up. Wendy, on the other hand, has already begun the process and is actually comfortable with growing up, although she as well faces a temptation of not growing up. In contrast to them, Alice is not tempted to stay in Wonderland neither does she wants to remain a child forever; however since

Wonderland serves as an allegory to the adult world, it would be illogical if there would be such a temptation.

In the beginning, all of them experience some struggle that is related to growing up; however, these specific struggles are perhaps the most distinguishing element between these three characters. Wendy, being the eldest, has no struggles with the actual process whatsoever; she is already on the edge of adolescence and she takes upon the role of a mother rather naturally. Instead, she is concerned with her place as a grown woman in society. Alice’s conflict is of a bit similar character; it is also related to the society, but more to the adults, social conventions, and rules in general, as they make zero sense to her and mostly bring her troubles. On the other hand, Edmund refuses any maturation at all, he would prefer not to take responsibility for his actions and do as he pleases, at least at the very beginning.

Of all the changes, Edmund’s is definitely the most dramatic one with the biggest impact not only on him but also on the plot of the whole story, while Wendy’s is barely noticeable. Then again, unlike Edmund, she was already in a more mature

16 mindset and the purpose of her journey was not to change her completely but to test her and reach the mental maturity. As for Alice, her change may seem insignificant, at least in comparison to Edmund’s. That is why it is important to pay attention to whom she was at the beginning and who she became at the end. She started off as a little girl crying whenever she was upset, but as she matured, she had to face more complex problems and she did so without shedding a single tear. At the end of their adventures, they all came out as different people, able to face obstacles that once concerned them.

3. Adults as villains

An element essential not only for the plot but also for the hero’s growth is a well-written antagonist. In these stories, they represent an obstacle the hero has to overcome in order to successfully finish the adventure and, in this case, to enter adulthood. The Queen of Hearts, the White Witch, or Captain Hook are all very well known for being evil and they are also just as famous as the heroes they oppose.

Nevertheless, it is important to take into consideration that was it not for their infamy their true nature might not have been so clear to those who read it for the first time.

They tend to behave kindly towards the heroes or even try to befriend them, for this reason, they may almost appear to be their guide and thus, it is not always easy to recognize them as villains. With this in mind, these three characters come out as particularly sinister since their supposed kindness is only a trick on how to gain heroes’ trust and eventually manipulate them.

The first thing to remember is that a feature specific for children literature is to portray villains as adults. However, provided that the main protagonists are children, it is a logical outcome. Children are from a very young age taught to show respect and obey adults, very often without questioning whether the adult is in right. Given these points, the aspect of adulthood itself grants villains a natural authority over the heroes.

However, since the heroes are on the edge of childhood and young adulthood, they tend to challenge and question the authority the adults have. On top of that, adulthood in children literature gain a negative connotation due to the predominant portrayal by villains, making child heroes even more relentless to grow up. For this reason, the quarrel between the hero and villain could be interpreted not only as stereotypical good versus evil but also as childhood versus adulthood, which is also the point of the journey.

Another key element is that although the characters mentioned above are adult, they, in fact, behave like children very often. In these books, there are various passages where the villains demonstrate quite immature behaviour that will be further analyzed in particular chapters. Generally speaking, these situations occur when they lose their temper due to some inconvenience. On the contrary to the children, adults are expected to deal with unpleasant circumstances in a collected way, yet it is something that all three of them seem to be unable to do. The most prominent example of this is the Queen of Hearts as most of the time present, she sentences nearly everyone to be executed even for the smallest annoyance, Jadis grows more and more impatient with Edmund throughout the story, and Hook constantly falls for Peter’s mockery.

Important to note is that adulthood is not the only aspect granting them superiority given that mentioned characters possess some sort of title as well. To them, it serves as yet another mean of power in enforcing heroes’ subordination. Even if they would dare to question the villains’ authority based purely on their adulthood it is harder to do the same when dealing with a person superior from a hierarchy standpoint.

Although Hook’s title does not apply directly to Wendy, as she is not a pirate, it still has an effect due to her upbringing and also since it is an authoritative title she is familiar with from her own reality. The remaining two characters are both referenced to as a

‘queen’. To Alice, the Queen of Hearts represents a great authority at first, however it is predominantly based on her royal title since it is quickly revealed she is rather childish and thus the significance of her authority of an adult does not last long on Alice. Jadis, on the other hand, is not a rightful queen, yet her title has perhaps the greatest influence of them all since the provided superiority lasts the longest and causes the most damage.

3.1. The Queen of Hearts

The Queen of Heart, sometimes incorrectly mistaken for the Red Queen, is a monarch of Wonderland and perhaps one of the most ridiculous villains of children literature. Still, from the archetypal standpoint, she meets the expectations of an evil queen rather perfectly. She is cruel and vane, which is remarked many times she makes an entrance, and throughout the journey in Wonderland, it becomes obvious that everyone fears her wreath. It is also worth mentioning that for her behaviour, she is on more than one occasion called ‘savage’ (Carroll 73, 94). Although there are quite a few characters expressing concerns about the Queen, notably even those who seem to be

‘savage’ themselves such as the Duchess, it is at Mad Hatter’s tea party when the true depth of Queen’s temper is displayed. “’I’d hardly finish the first verse,’ said the Hatter,

‘when the Queen jumped up and bawled out, “He’s murdering the time! Off with his head!”’” (Carrol 73). At this point, it is quite clearly hinted that the Queen has a rather short temper. Nonetheless, except for her flaws, she is relatively simple and her actions seem to lack any deeper meaning or goal rather than that she becomes furious at the moment.

The most outstanding element of the Queen’s character is her childishness.

During the course of the story, it is demonstrated in various ways, but perhaps the most notable one is in her lack of ability to react to unpleasant situations in a reasonable manner. Whenever the smallest annoyance occurs, she decides to solve it by sentencing whoever she finds irritating to be beheaded. In fact, Alice herself points out that “The

Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. ’Off with his head!’ she said, without even looking round.” (Carroll 86) This clearly shows that not only she is unable to solve problems as an adult should. In fact, Alice is at this point already

20 more mature and capable of dealing with problems more than the Queen, which eventually leads to challenging Queen’s authority as will be discussed further.

Although vanity is quite common flaw among both adults and children, in the case of Queen, it is yet another way how her childishness is expressed. When asked about how she likes the Queen, Alice answers “not at all” (Carroll 85) but realizing the

Queen is right behind her, she quickly adds that reason why is that she is most probably going to win the game. Upon hearing this, the Queen smiles and goes on (Carroll 85).

This is the perfect example of how vain her character is. The Queen does not mind if

Alice, or anyone else for the matter, dislikes her, as long as it is because of her superiority that is in this case manifested by supposedly winning the game of croquet.

Her childishness has also a great impact on the way Alice perceives her and her authority. As mentioned above, Alice hears about the Queen soon enough to have an idea about what her personality and habits are like. Hence, she is an authoritative figure right from the beginning for many reasons; she is a queen, an adult, and in general someone who should be treated respectfully due to the beheading threats. However, once Alice experiences her childish behaviour first hand, her adult authority is inevitably lost. When they meet for the first time, Alice is asked by the Queen who are the cards lying down, to which Alice reacts: “’How should I know?’ said Alice, surprised at her own courage. ‘It's no business of mine.’” (Carroll 81). This part is interesting for more than one reason; firstly Alice knows very well who the cards are, as she referred to them by specific numbers in the previous passages but she decides not to tell. Secondly, this is the very first attempt where she challenges Queen’s authority. To clarify, this particular section could be interpreted simply as an adult who demanding answer from a stubborn child. Of course, as can be guessed, this is not the kind of

21 answer the Queen expects to hear which immediately leads to their first conflict and also the very first serious danger.

Even more interesting is the way Alice reacts to the situation. At the moment, she is threatened to be beheaded simply for being impolite, but instead of apologizing or pleading, she goes a step further: “’Nonsense!’ said Alice, very loudly and decidedly, and the Queen was silent.” (Carroll 81) As is already known, everyone fears the

Queen’s fury, however Alice is apparently the first one who dares to defend herself and so she directly threatens Queen’s authority, as this may set an example for others to challenge her decisions. On top of that, the fact that Alice is “only a child” (Carroll 81) is what saves her from the executioner. However, if she were an adult, her actions would have serious consequences. For this reason, the dynamics of the scene is interesting as the child gains superiority over the adult. The final moment when the

Queen loses any authority whatsoever is at the trial, when Alice becomes her true size and thus grows up both literally and mentally.

In summary, the Queen of Hearts is infamous for her short temper and sentencing people to death, in and out of Wonderland. Except for cruelty and vanity, her childish behaviour is yet another aspect important for her character. Most of the time, it is demonstrated through her inability to solve slightest difficulties in other way than in beheading whoever who is responsible for it. However, omitting these features, her characters lack any depth or goal.

3.2. Captain Hook

James Hook, the captain of Jolly Roger, rightfully belongs to one of the most known villains across children’s literature. Although it was mostly his hook and cruelty that gained him quite a reputation, there is more than meets the eye when examined in

22 deeper analysis, particularly that Hook’s character is full of contradictions. He is predominantly known as a pirate, however he is far less acknowledged as an ‘English gentleman’, even though he is referred as such a few times. Given his behaviour and persona, it is not surprising that this piece of information is usually omitted, since Hook does seem to be just as much gentlemanlike as Peter Pan is adult. Nonetheless, his supposed gentleman part is the source of his solitude. Even though he does not manifest any honourable characteristics, he still has a mindset of a man brought up in high society. This can be found in mentions of his time spent at Eton College and an elite social club in there, but also in his obsession with ‘good form’ as will be discussed further. However, the same cannot be said for the members of his crew who are described as illiterate and brute, in fact, Hook himself refers to them as dogs most of the time, indicating he thinks them so inferior that to him, they are not even human. It is then clearly stated that “This inscrutable man never felt more alone than when surrounded by his dogs.” (Barrie 146).

Another core element of Hook’s character is his falseness. One particularly interesting piece of information provided by the narrator is that Hook “was never more sinister than when he was most polite” (Barrie 61). This statement is important for two specific reasons; firstly, it is linked back to his double identity as a pirate and a gentleman, as gentlemen are always perceived as polite, while pirates are usually seen as sinister. Secondly, it points out the pretence that comes with adulthood. As people grow up, they learn to pretend and keep their true thoughts to themselves, often in order to be polite because of social circumstances. On the contrary, children have not yet formed this habit and are thus more likely to be honest, unless they would get into trouble.

Connected to it is his obsession with a ‘good form’. Although its meaning is not explicitly defined, given the context it can be assumed that by ‘good form’ is meant a state when the person demonstrates an honourable behaviour only and does not let any negative feature of them to be seen. It is also worth mentioning it is yet another social construct concerned with adults and their behaviour, as children are not worried about such things. Nonetheless, despite his obsession, Hook in fact very often manifests a

‘bad form’. The most compelling evidence is when he fights with Peter, Hook slips and instead of taking advantage of it, Peter offers him his hand but Hook bites him (Barrie

102). Clearly, this is far from gentlemanlike behaviour and thus from a ‘good form’ as well. The next time the term is brought up is when Hook finds out that children like

Smee, according to Hook’s own conclusion because he does have a ‘good form’. This upsets him so much he is about to attack Smee, but he stops in time, realizing that hurting him just because he has a ‘good form’ would mean he himself has a ‘bad form’, which he ironically does not want to have (Barrie 148). The contrast between these two situations is outstanding; he is unable to recognize his ‘bad form’ when fighting Peter but stops himself from killing Smee, although he kills his crew member for lesser reasons. In addition, during the last fight with Peter on the ship, Hook gives up on life and focuses purely on Peter showing his ‘bad form’. “Hook was fighting now without hope. That passionate breast no longer asked for life; but for one boon it craved: to see

Peter show bad form before it was cold forever.” (Barrie 165). This is parallel to their previous fighting scene, but this time Peter learned from his mistake and uses the advantage, to which Hook is happy as it presents Peter’s ‘bad form’, which Hook considers to be his “last triumph” (Barrie 166).

Compared to the other two villains and heroes, Wendy and Hook have quite interesting relationship dynamics in regards of authority. Undoubtedly, Hook has an

24 authority over Wendy from two basic standpoints; firstly, he is the most authoritative adult figure in Neverland that is actually capable of basic functioning, as there were several hints suggesting that his crew is more or less useless. Secondly, he is a man and thus from a periodical point of view, naturally superior to her. This is again strengthened by his element of an ‘English gentleman’, since her brother John and her father made a few remarks implying their superiority based on this particular aspect.

Nonetheless, there is a twist in this dynamics when Hook states they will kidnap Wendy so she can be their mother. This is interesting because by this, Hook is ready to change the dynamics and hand power over to Wendy. Nevertheless, Wendy declines his offer.

Since their first true interaction does not happen almost until the end of the story and most of the time his quarrel with Peter is so essential for his character, it may almost appear that Wendy is not a threat to him. Nonetheless, under the closer look it becomes clear that it is exactly Wendy who is the biggest obstacle in reaching his goal – killing Peter Pan and the lost boys. Being a cunning man, he sets a trap in form of a poisoned cake for the boys because he knows they are too careless to think twice about it, he explicitly says that “They will find the cake and they will gobble it up, because, having no mother, they don't know how dangerous 'tis to eat rich damp cake.” (Barrie

67) However, this is where Wendy comes to play her part and completely ruins Hook’s plan as she has enough wit for all the boys and does not let them eat it (Barrie 88). For this reason, she becomes Hook’s enemy ever since then. By saving the boys, she not only challenges him and his superiority, but also proves to be his equal at least from the mental point of view.

In conclusion, Captain James Hook is far more complex character than most people consider him to be. He is full of contrasts, such as that he is a pirate and an

English gentleman at the same time, or that he is obsessed with having a good form,

25 even though he only manifests a bad form, which also points out his falseness. As far as authority is concerned, he has a great deal of it over Wendy, at least from the periodical standpoint, however he is willing to give it up if Wendy becomes his mother. Although it does not happen, Wendy at least manages to become his equal.

3.3. The White Witch

Jadis, also known as the White Witch, is an infamous villain of second book of

The Chronicles of Narnia. Particularly interesting about her character is that she fits into all three most common archetypes of a female villain. The first one is logically a witch.

Nonetheless, it is essential to point out that she differs greatly in terms of appearance in comparison to most of the witches known throughout the European folklore and fairytales. While they are usually depicted as old wrinkled ladies, Jadis is described as having a beautiful face (Lewis 37). Although it can be argued that they may seem to be harmless because they are old and thus trick their victims this way, it can be also interpreted that their unappealing appearance is one of the red flags warning the victim; on top of that, children have certain expectations in regards of what a witch should look like. In contrast, there is nothing like that about Jadis, and thus she is even more dangerous for she does not remind of an evil witch in any way. Hourihan points out her unusual appearance as well, stating that “Her physical attractiveness has a hint of

Hollywood glamour.” (183). Secondly, she also fulfils a characteristic of an evil queen.

There are many occasions on which she proves her cruelty, such as when she turns a whole family of animals into a stone (Lewis 127). It is also worth mentioning that she is not even a rightful heir to the throne of Narnia; instead, she usurps it from the ruling family and proclaims herself a Queen. Afterwards, she sets an eternal winter upon the whole country to maintain her position. Both, the self-proclamation and setting the

26 winter reflect her attitude perfectly – she takes over everything by power. In fact, she does not even care whether she is liked or not, she only cares whether she is feared since the fear is the main tool of power to her.

However, arguably the most important aspect of her character that is also often used as a female villain archetype is her possession of a role of step-mother. In contrast to perception of her as a witch and a queen, her maternal side may be harder to see. For this, it is important to explain the situation of Pevensie siblings. Since the story is set during the World War II, Pevensies are among children evacuated from London to the safety of countryside while their father serves in war and mother stays at home. This makes them to lose any parental authority whatsoever, even though only temporarily.

Still, this loss becomes notable in Edmund’s misbehaving when he refuses to accept any authority, especially when it is coming from his older siblings. This creates a perfect opportunity for Jadis to take the role of mother upon herself. Despite her nasty behaviour at first, she quickly changes her mind upon realizing who Edmund is, calling him “My poor child”, and invites him to sit on her sledge, even offers to warm him up with her mantle. Although Edmund does not want to, it is stated that “he dared not disobey” (Lewis 41). To point out, this is the first time in the novel that Edmund recognizes someone as an authority, partly also because he is afraid of her but mainly because she behaves as a mother to him.

Manipulation is another key tool of her power. When they meet for the first time, she gains Edmund’s trust rather quickly once she provides him with a hot drink and Turkish delight (Lewis 43). As much as insignificant it may appear; the food plays a major role. In many stories, such as Hans and Gretel or Snow White, food is a witch’s instrument for making a connection with her victim. In Edmund’s case, Jadis literally makes him addicted to Turkish delight since “the more he ate the more he wanted to

27 eat” (Lewis 43) and therefore makes him dependent on herself. To put it another way, some of the things children usually connect their parents with are comfort and security, which also includes food. The feeling of comfort itself is an important aspect as well, when they first meet, Edmund is cold and his teeth are chattering (Lewis 42). But once

Jadis provides him with a drink and food, he feels “quite warm” and “very comfortable”

(Lewis 44), again pointing out her taking over the role of a mother.

Her manipulation is also essential in order to keep the throne. It was foretold that once human children, hence Pevensies, appear, her reign will end. However, Jadis awaits them so she can kill them when they come and thus remain the queen forever.

Unfortunately, Edmund is unaware of this and so when she promises to give him more sweets and even make him a prince, he lurks his siblings into Narnia and then betrays them. A vision of becoming a prince is yet another tool of her manipulation, since she makes it explicit that his siblings will be his servants (Lewis 45), granting him superiority over them that Edmund craves. Interesting to point out is that Edmund clings on to the bond he established with her, even though she starts to show her true colours and mistreats him. It once again suggests just how great impact her assembling of a mother role and authority had over him.

To summarize, an interesting feature of Jadis’ character is how she fits all three most common archetypes of a female villain, although the most essential one is that of a step-mother. It gives her an opportunity to strengthen her authority so she is not only perceived by him as a powerful queen but also as a mother, by this she takes an advantage of the absence of a parental figure that Edmund is lacking any at the time.

Both her authority and manipulation have a great impact on the course of story developing since Edmund betrays his siblings because of her.

3.4. Comparison

In a way similar to the heroes, the villains share a great amount of parallels.

However, perhaps the most outstanding one is their childishness. All three of them manifest it on numerous occasions throughout their stories, but the most striking case is the Queen of Hearts. She is short-tempered, unable to solve problems in a way that does not involve beheading and needs to always win. Ironically, this is exactly what makes her the least evil of the three. She does not really think anything through, just like a child, and thus even though her actions may have serious consequences, she is not fully aware of it.

Jadis, on the other hand, is the complete opposite and perhaps the cruellest of them all. She intentionally tricks Edmund into betraying his family and later on abuses him. It presents a certain line that Hook or the Queen of Hearts did not cross. Even though Hook kidnaps Wendy and the Queen wants Alice to be executed, they never truly put the heroes in danger. The same cannot be said about Jadis since she eventually wants to sacrifice Edmund.

Interesting to note is that Hook is the only one who cares about how others perceive him. This is most obvious in his obsession with a ‘good form’. Despite manifesting a ‘bad form’ for most of the story, the thought itself points out he is still human. Although the Queen of hearts expresses a certain concern with the perception of her character, it is not quite the same. She cares only whether she is seen as superior, but not with whether she is liked by those surrounding her. Finally, Jadis does not care about any perception of her personality whatsoever. As long as she is feared, opinions of others do not really matter.

It is hard to decide who meets the worse end – Hook or Jadis – as one is eaten alive by a crocodile that he feared, while the other is torn to pieces by a lion. In regards to this, the Queen of Hearts is an exception as she does not meet any deadly end.

Although it is not clear what exactly happens after Alice leaves Wonderland, it can be safely assumed that everything falls back into its usual chaos. Nonetheless, it is interesting to point out that Alice started a small rebellion by standing up for herself so the option of overthrowing the Queen cannot be omitted.

4. Magical Guides

In the event that villains present authority in a negative way, the hero needs another figure with the opposite effect – a guide. Their role in the story is to provide the hero support and literally guide them on their path of growing up. In opposition to villains, they are trustworthy and honest to the hero. Nevertheless, just as villains, guides may not be so easily recognizable; in fact, sometimes they may be even perceived as villains at first. Most compelling evidence of this perception is found in

Edmund’s mindset that was manipulated to see Aslan as the evil usurper, although needless to say Peter Pan and Cheshire Cat also do not come across as the most convincing companions.

Despite the fact that in general, the portrayal of guides varies on the story, a distinctive feature shared among the analyzed ones is that they are easily distinguishable from other characters, especially antagonists. If villains take upon a form of evil adults and thus make adulthood seem untrustworthy, then guardians should be portrayed in a way that is closer to the heroes. Equally important is to mention that since the perception of the other world has been positive so far, it is only logical that someone connected to it stands a better chance in forming an attachment rather than someone who reminds of the real world. In Narnia and Wonderland, the guide takes upon a form of an animal; lion Aslan and the Cheshire Cat. Peter Pan can thus seem to be a little out of place; he is a boy and thus does not seem to be any different. Nonetheless, right at the beginning, he proves his connection to the magical world by flying and catching his shadow.

4.1. Cheshire Cat

One of the most famous supporting characters that received as much attention as the protagonist is Carroll’s Cheshire Cat. Its mischievous personality and playfulness gained a lot of popularity across generations of children and adults. Although it appears only twice in the novel, its presence is essential for guiding Alice through Wonderland and thus also through her maturity. Despite possessing a few features distinguishing it from ordinary cats such as an ability to grin or appear and disappear as it pleases, it still resembles Alice’s cat Dinah which is yet another necessary aspect for Alice’s adventure.

In order to explain the importance of resemblance between them, it is necessary to explain why Dinah herself is a crucial character for Alice. During her journey in

Wonderland, Alice makes remarks of aspects from her own world, such as school, rules, or knowledge; however, none of them are personal. She never remembers her parents or her sister, although the readership knows they exist. Instead, her thoughts are about her cat. This suggests that for Alice, Dinah is an important part of her life. Further, it is confirmed when Alice praises her, often in inappropriate situations. Taken into the consideration the only thing from the real world Alice thinks about is Dinah, it can be assumed that Dinah is kind of an anchor that still connects Alice with her reality. At one point, Alice feels particularly upset for she wishes she had Dinah with her and eventually even dreams that “she was walking hand in hand with Dinah” (Carroll 14).

This again emphasizes Dinah’s importance. At that moment, she is a child lost in a chaotic magical world and thus it would be logically assumed she would rather seek guidance from someone older, most probably her parents, sister, or maybe a teacher, but instead, it is her pet she would appreciate to accompany her. Nonetheless, since Dinah

32 did not follow her into the rabbit hole and thus cannot be present, she needs to be substituted by someone else who possesses similar attributes to her – the Cheshire Cat.

Although the resemblance between Cheshire Cat and Dinah may appear shallow as it is based merely on the fact they are both cats, it is, in fact, an important feature that cannot be overlooked. The similarity in appearance helps Cheshire Cat to gain Alice’s trust in a very short span of time since she trusts Dinah. In addition, Alice already has a strong bond with Dinah, and thus, it is only logical her guide through Wonderland would be in the form of a cat. A key point suggesting they indeed formed some kind of relationship is that despite meeting many characters on her journey, Cheshire Cat is the only one whom Alice considers being a friend with. When asked by the king who is she talking to during the game of croquet, her answer is “It's a friend of mine—a Cheshire

Cat,” (Carroll 85). This is a particularly interesting statement considering they have met only once before and it was quite brief. However, the impact of their meeting was strong enough for Alice to form an attachment to it and also since it reminds her of

Dinah whom Alice trusts, she finds Cheshire Cat trustworthy as well.

Although Cheshire Cat is not present from the beginning, it still does provide important guidance. The most compelling evidence of its mentorship is when Alice asks it for the advice of where she ought to go, to which Cheshire Cat replies that it depends on where she wants to get to. This is again linked to Alice’s sense of identity. If the whole journey in Wonderland is an allegory of growing up process, then this particular dialog could be interpreted as asking her guide who she ought to become. It also suggests that Alice has an option to decide who she wants to be as a grown up. As absurd as it may sound at first, it is important to emphasize that her story was written at the time when people, especially women, usually did not have this option. This becomes even more obvious when Alice admits the destination does not matter to her, to which

Cat replies “Then it doesn't matter which way you go,” (Carroll 64). At this part, Alice hasn’t yet figured out what kind of person she would like to be, thus she has no perception of her ideal self and so it does not matter who she becomes, or in Cheshire

Cat’s words; which way she goes. The similar idea is hinted in Alice in Wonderland and

Philosophy when it is stated that “The Cheshire Cat’s response acknowledges that we are the creative artists of our lives when we select our own perspectives.” (Mayock

160).

Another point worth mentioning is that Cheshire Cat is fair to Alice and it does not try to sugar-coat the reality. When Alice is lost, it gives her two options of where she can go, although it right away says that nevertheless which one she chooses, she always finds mad creatures there (Carroll 64). Needless to say, Alice is not happy with such a statement as mad creatures brought her only troubles so far. However, Cheshire

Cat’s honesty is essential in order to prepare her for what the grownup world is like, since Wonderland is a reflection of an adult world, as is discussed further.

Cheshire Cat’s guidance becomes even more prominent at their next encounter during the game of croquet. The whole passage is one huge chaos and to say the least,

Alice is not amused by it. Merely since this time the Queen and her favourite threats of execution are included. So upon seeing the Cat, she “put down her flamingo, and began an account of the game, feeling very glad she had someone to listen to her” (Carroll 85).

Furthermore, she complains about the game and its lack of rules. (Carroll 86) To explain, this points out that to Alice, Cheshire Cat is someone who she can turn to with her problems. Again, in troublesome situations, children usually turn to someone they find trustworthy; hence that is exactly what Cheshire Cat means to Alice.

In the final analysis, Cheshire Cat’s resemblance to Dinah is crucial as it helps to establish a trustworthy bond with Alice, which is later shown on various occasions. It is the only character whom she considers to be her friend and also the only one with whom she can have at least somehow normal conversation that will not leave her more confused. It serves her as a guide when she does not know where to go, or who to be, and it provides her a direction on her growing up journey.

4.2. Peter Pan

Since his appearance in the first stage play place that took place in 1904, Peter

Pan became a personification of joyful and adventurous childhood. During the decades, his story gained so much popularity that many adaptations were based on it. The reason why he managed to capture so many people throughout generations and time is not hard to guess, Peter is known for being mischievous, cocky, brave, adventurous, and he defeats Captain Hook over and over again. Nevertheless, he is above all known as a boy who never grows up. Given all these points, his character is very likable and distinctive; in fact, his character is so outstanding that he very often overshadows Wendy, the true protagonist of Peter Pan, whom he guides.

Although Peter’s personality is in general perceived as playful and boyish, it cannot be denied there are certain passages suggesting that Peter is not exactly a good character, sometimes he even reminds more of a villain. This theory has been extensively researched by many scholars and amateurs and eventually gained a lot of supporters. As was later found, even Barrie’s notes for the original stage play marked him as a “demon boy, villain of the story” (Dudgeon 177). Wendy sometimes questions his intentions as well. Merely when they fly into Neverland, Peter almost lets her

35 brothers die and laughs about it (Barrie 48). At this point, the story is quite at the beginning and despite Peter appearing to be friendly; he even learns them fly and takes them on an adventure, his role in the story is not yet certain. For this reason, it is reasonable to question his true motives as he indeed could be a villain kidnapping children only to play with them and let them die afterward. Dudgeon points out a similar thought when he notes that Peter uses his attractive personality for “persuading the children to fly away with him” (178). Given the subtle hints throughout the novel, the possibility of Peter’s true role of a villain cannot be fully omitted. Nonetheless, there is yet another important role Peter plays in the story and that is of guidance to Wendy.

Considering that Peter represents youth and never-ending childhood, it may seem contradictory to assume him to be a guide helping the heroine to grow up.

Nonetheless, it is once again important to note that Wendy has already begun this process and so the whole adventure in Neverland is a test of whether she decides to continue in it and eventually becomes an adult, or if she chooses to remain a child. For her, Peter presents a temptation; not only does she have feelings for him, but he also shows her all the advantages of childhood that are forbidden to the adults. However, since Wendy is no longer completely a child, Peter’s influence on her does not last long.

It is precisely his childish and reckless behaviour that pushes her towards adolescence.

Upon that, Wendy comes to a realization she perceives the world differently than Peter, as they are mentally on different levels already. Peter is never going to grow up and due to that he is never going to change or look at things from a different perspective which

Wendy finds disturbing; she does not want to be like that. Because of Peter, she comes to a conclusion she is already too mature for backing down and thus she chooses to grow up.

In conclusion, Peter is by some assumed to be the actual villain of the story although by the general audience he is perceived as the main hero. Although there are rightful claims for supporting both, this thesis is interested in him as a totally different type of character – Wendy’s guide on her path to growing up. It is precisely his childishness that makes Wendy realize she cannot remain a child as she is already too mature to see things the same way Peter does and thus views childhood in a new, not necessarily positive light, which pushes her to grow up.

4.3. Aslan

Although he perhaps is not as popular as his counterparts, Aslan still plays a major role in the hero’s maturation. Despite being perceived by Edmund as the actual villain at first, he eventually proves to be the exact opposite which has a great impact on

Edmund and his maturation. Aslan is portrayed as a talking lion and he is the true king of Narnia. For various reasons, he is also very often connected with Jesus Christ. The two have certain similarities in common; however, the most striking one is they both gave their lives for sinners, only to be later resurrected. It is generally known that Lewis was very religious and throughout the whole series of The Chronicles of Narnia, he used many Christian symbols and allegories for his story. The idea of Aslan being Jesus was brought up by various scholars, but more importantly, it was confirmed by Lewis himself, although he explained that Aslan is not an allegory to Jesus, but rather what

Jesus would be like in Narnia (Martindale and Root). For this reason, it could be thus assumed that Aslan is a guide to Edmund in a similar way that Jesus can be a guide to a religious person. Nonetheless, there is no single remark on Edmund being particularly religious or seeking God’s guidance. Although it is true that back then, religion was part

37 of ordinary life so perceiving Aslan as Jesus from Edmund’s standpoint cannot be fully omitted. On the contrary, if it was the case, it can be assumed this connection would be much more emphasized and presented through Edmund.

However, what is emphasized quite a lot is that Edmund lacks parental authority.

Temporarily, he finds it in Jadis as she takes upon the role of a step-mother, only to find out she used him, which leaves him without authority again and on top of that betrayed.

On the contrary, Aslan is genuinely interested in Edmund has a truly parental approach to him. Despite all the troubles Edmund caused, Aslan forgives him and reminds others to do the same (Lewis 150). Moreover, when Edmund is supposed to face punishment for his betrayal, Aslan decides to take his place. Although there are various reasons for this; again, he presents Christ’s attribute, and Edmund is still a key character for the plot. Yet another reason why Aslan decides to sacrifice himself for Edmund is that he feels responsible for him and is also very well aware that the lack of authority and the feeling of not belonging were crucial aspects for his actions. Undoubtedly, Aslan is a great authority, not only for the children but also for most of the Narnians. However, as was already noted, Edmund does not perceive him as such; he even mocks a statue of a lion, thinking it is him. This changes once he is betrayed by the witch, but mostly after he meets him and is forgiven. Later, the way Aslan treated him strengthens Edmund’s seeking for redemption as he strikes for the Witch during the battle. Overall, Aslan’s authority leaves a great impact on Edmund and also provides him with the right direction in life, since he is later called “King Edmund the Just” (Lewis 198).

Equally important to point out is Aslan’s resemblance to Edmund’s father. As farfetched as it may seem at first, there are a few pieces of evidence supporting this idea. First of all, Edmund’s father is a soldier fighting in World War II, just as Aslan is later on actively fighting in the war against Jadis. Edmund’s father is not mentioned

38 often, but every time it is obvious he is dear to his family and seen with great respect and thus his comeback is highly anticipated. With Aslan, it is exactly the same – everyone in Narnia who is not on the Witch’s side sees him as the high authority, similar to father’s, and is excited and waiting for Aslan to come back and restore the order. Even though there is very little information provided about Mr. Pevensie, the evidence presented suggests the connection between the two is not completely off-topic.

To summarize, although Aslan’s connection to Jesus Christ is undeniable, his role in the story is more than of a saviour as he also presents a parental figure and a guide to Edmund. Lack of authority is one of the reasons why Edmund falls for Jadis’ trickery and eventually causes problems on a bigger spectrum. Nonetheless, once he meets Aslan who treats him fairly, he finally gains guidance that is essential for his maturation. Through Aslan, he learns to be just, which he, later on, becomes known for.

Without a doubt, Aslan has a great impact on the change of his character, possibly also because there is a resemblance to Edmund’s father, even though it is not very distinctive.

4.4. Comparison

As was already mentioned, all of the guides analyzed in this thesis are of a magical origin, which is also almost the only element they have in common. On the other hand, it is absolutely logical that every guide needs to be different, as their main purpose is to help the heroes to grow up and set them in the right direction. For this reason, they should fulfil the hero’s needs in order to be able to guide them, and thus the guides distinguish a lot.

Perhaps the closest of them all are Aslan and Cheshire Cat. Primarily, they are both talking animals and essentially cats. However, they are similar in other ways too.

For instance, Aslan right away leaves an impression of a wise mentor, which he is. This is not so obvious in Cheshire Cat at first, but in a deeper analysis it becomes clear he is not different from Aslan in this aspect. In fact, he is the only creature in Wonderland whose answers point out the important things to Alice instead of leaving her more confused. In addition, they guide their heroes fairly and honestly, which is crucial as neither Edmund nor Alice have such a kind of mentor on their journey. Most of the time, they are both in the background of the main events, except for when they guide the hero.

Quite outstanding contrast between Peter Pan and Aslan is that although both of them serve as guides to the heroes, they are actually opposites of each other in terms of the allegories they present. While Peter is obviously bound to childhood and its imprudence, Aslan’s connection to adulthood and responsibilities is just as strong. It is thus interesting to realize that despite their distinction, the impact on the hero and eventually the outcome is still the same, although for different reasons.

5. The Other World

Although it is not the most outstanding aspect, the concept of the other world contributes greatly to the journey the hero goes through. Its importance was also recognized by Campbell, as he divided monomyth not only into various points but also into two spaces - the ordinary world and extraordinary world. Both of them are essential for the hero, although the latter one takes up a larger part of the journey because the whole maturation process happens outside of the hero’s ordinary. Not in all stories does the other world need to be literally ‘other’; in some of them, it is simply just the world that exists within the same universe, yet is unknown to the protagonist. However, in the selected ones the other world is part of a whole new universe with its own rules, customs, inhabitants, and most importantly possibilities that the ordinary world is unable to provide. At the beginning, the way this world is perceived by the hero can differ a bit – for Alice it is an opportunity for an adventure, for Edmund, it is kind of a safe haven, while for Wendy it is a mixture of both. Nonetheless, the perception is positive. In addition, an element that connects them all is that the other world is a place where the hero flees from the reality of the ordinary world. Wonderland, Narnia, and

Neverland share a great amount of same features; for instance, the magic is real in there, it is full of fairytale creatures, talking animals, and child’s imagination very rarely meets its limits. Hence, for the hero, it could be an ideal, problem-free world. However, it is not.

Despite appearing perfect, the main purpose of the other world is not to fulfil children’s wishes, but to reflect the issues from the real world. These reflections will be analyzed in more detail in relevant chapters. In their reality, the child protagonists struggle with something they cannot change or avoid and thus going to another world is often an escape from their problem, whether it is conscious or unconscious.

Nonetheless, what they fail to realize is that they cannot escape it; they can only change its form which is dependent on the magical world they enter. To elaborate on this,

Edmund’s struggle with growing up is connected to the World War II, which strongly resembles an ongoing war in Narnia, Alice struggles with finding her place in the world and understanding society which is reflected in chaotic nature of Wonderland and her changing size, while Wendy struggles with the idea of growing up in general but

Neverland provides her an opportunity to remain a child forever. Equally important is to note that this reflection is extremely crucial for their growing up process since by dealing with the problem in the other world they gain an ability to face the original struggle of the real world and thus grow up.

Another feature distinctive for the other world is a difference in time passing. It is not unusual for child protagonists to go on a journey and then return to their world as if none or barely any time had passed and it is no exception for these three characters.

After their return, they often refer to their adventure as nearly a dream, pointing out that the other world messed with their time perception so much it made them unsure it ever happened. A possible reason for this is to put them fully back into their own reality and, as they are no longer little children, to maintain their newly gained maturation.

Nevertheless, there is yet one possible explanation of why there is a time difference. As was already noted, the growing up process takes place in the magical world, however just as in the real world, it still requires time and cannot happen overnight, thus they need to spend a longer period in there. Although the amount of it may vary; for instance, Edmund spends years in Narnia while Alice seems to be there for only a day, and Wendy loses track of it altogether. With this in mind, it becomes clear that time in the real world cannot pass the same way, for if it did, the struggles they were supposed

42 to face originally would be no longer relevant and thus going on the adventure would be meaningless as it would lose its purpose.

5. 1. Wonderland

One of the most popular fantasy worlds known even among people who did not read Carroll’s work is Wonderland. It is especially because of its chaotic nature, smirking cats, and strange food that this world attracts many. The name itself is quite interesting. While it can be comprehended simply as a ‘land of wonders’, for it surely is, the other possible explanation should not be omitted. According to Oxford Dictionaries, one of the meanings of ‘wonder’ as a verb can be “desire to know something; feel curious” (“Wonder”). There is no doubt that Alice is a curious girl who desires to learn more about the world and that is exactly the kind of opportunity that Wonderland provides her. At the same time, it also makes her wonder about the adult world, society, identity, and rules, as these themes are very vividly presented in the book.

The general idea accepted by many critics is that chaos and peculiar circumstances that Alice has to go through are either due to the drug use or Alice’s madness. However, this thesis will rather approach the chaotic nature of Wonderland as a feature caused by representing the adult world that makes no sense to a child. As children get older, they often struggle with adjusting to the world of grownups, since up to a certain age they had few, usually simple, rules to follow and almost no obligations.

And even if failed, they were usually forgiven precisely because they were children.

However, this changes as they mature and start to peak into the adult world. The rules become more complex and they often do not make much sense to them, especially when it comes to socially appropriate circumstances. The most prominent example of this is

43 again when Alice praises her cat Dinah in front of the Dormouse and the Lory, failing to realize it is both insensitive and socially unacceptable (Carroll 26).

Despite struggling with adjusting to the new rules and trying to find logic in them, rules in general still play an important role for Alice's growing up process. In general, children are from an early age taught to follow and obey them, which is something Alice tries to stick to even in Wonderland. However, this proves to be nearly impossible as Alice discovers there are no rules to follow or if they are, no one follows them. This is demonstrated on many occasions, such as in Caucus-race when everyone starts to run whenever they want and there is no way to decide who is the winner, or in the game of croquet when participants “all played at once without waiting for turns, quarrelling all the while” (Carroll 84). Although it may sound almost welcoming for a child to appear in a fantasy world without any order or boundaries, it shows to be quite the opposite. Even though children are usually not particularly happy with rules limiting them, they are important for providing them security and sense of boundaries. In fact,

Alice often struggles with the absence of rules, not only because that way the situation becomes more confusing for her but also because rules provide her guidance. Since there are none, she is left without any sense of what to do or how to behave. For this reason, she tries to make her own explanations, such as that “’Maybe it’s always pepper that makes people hot-tempered,’ she went on, very much pleased at having found out a new kind of rule.” (Carroll 89). Although whether pepper plays any role in making people hot-tempered or not does not resolve her issue with chaos in Wonderland, it perfectly demonstrates her demand for order since she herself is literally ‘pleased’ with discovering it as a rule. However, this absence of order is intentional as it pushes Alice towards finding her own solutions and thus encourages her to grow up.

Another point suggesting that Wonderland is actually an adult world is revealed by the representation of characters. First of all, Alice is the only child that participates in the book. Other children, such as a mouse, Queen’s offspring or duchess’s baby, are only mentioned. And moreover, the ‘baby’ is later revealed to be in fact, a pig. All of the remaining characters that Alice encounters during her adventure are adults.

Secondly, none of these characters is in their best state of mind and a great deal of them struggles with issues that are predominantly evinced in adulthood. For instance, the

White rabbit is anxious and always concerned with time, the Duchess tends to switch moods to the extreme which could possibly indicate she is bipolar, or the Mock Turtle who is clearly depressed. All of these examples reflect the same obstacles that adults in the real world have to face as well. Nonetheless, it is important to note that all of these issues can affect children as well, or can be triggered by a negative experience in childhood; however, they are mostly concerned with adulthood.

The time in Wonderland is unable to track; however, Carroll provides an explanation for this, which is simply that Mad Hatter offended time that thus refuses to work since then. Nonetheless, at least to Alice, the whole adventure feels just as a day, which she explicitly states when saying “one doesn’t like to be changed so much in one day” (Carroll 51) and it is true that she experiences a lot for such a short period of time.

However, that is exactly why it is important that to her it feels like one day, first of all, judging by the inhabitants, she could go possibly mad had she spend a longer period of time. In similar fashion to other worlds, the time does not play a major role in relation to

Alice’s real world; it seems as if none passed in there while she was on an adventure.

To clarify, although she spent what to her feels like a day in Wonderland, it still gave her enough time to mentally grow up without disconnecting her with reality.

In conclusion, although Wonderland is often assumed to be chaotic due to the drugs or madness, another possible explanation for it may be that it is simply an adult world viewed by a child. Supporting this, the only other children except for Alice are mentioned but never participate while all other characters are adults. On top of that, these adults express many struggles that are more often connected to adulthood, such as anxiety, depression, or bipolarity. An element strengthening chaos is the lack of rules; however, it is necessary for pushing Alice towards her growing up as it makes her to figure what to do on her own.

5.2. Neverland

Neverland truly seems to be a dream island that every child, or perhaps even adult, would love to visit. There are mermaids, fairies, occasional quarrels with pirates, and most importantly, there is no ‘growing up’. In fact, it is against the rules of

Neverland to grow up (Barrie 58). Nonetheless, there is yet one special aspect of

Neverland that is presented very subtly but holds great importance and that is the way mothers are perceived in there.

As was already mentioned, Wendy’s struggle with growing up is caused by the way the gender stereotypes are practiced in her world, which is reflected in the way motherhood is perceived in Neverland. In England at that time, men are appreciated and craving admiration, while women are perceived as inferior and they gain very little appreciation for taking care of the household and its inhabitants as it is something

‘natural’ for them. There are various passages hinting that this way of thinking is not unusual at Darlings’ household, perhaps the most prominent evidence is when Wendy is wounded and asleep when her brother proposes to wake her up so she can make them a

46 meal (Barrie 75). They soon discover that the lost boys are building a house for Wendy, which leaves her other brother in shock, stating: “Why, she is only a girl!” to which one of the boys answers “That […]is why we are her servants.” (Barrie 75). The contrast between the real world and Neverland in regards to perceiving womanhood and motherhood is striking. Appreciation is emphasized by various characters on more than one occasion; the lost boys dream of mothers and plead Wendy to adopt them as her sons. Even pirates share this respect for motherhood, as they plan to kidnap Wendy so she can become their mother. After they do so and are turned down, Smee, Hook’s most loyal crew member, offers to set Wendy free under the condition she becomes his mother. All in all, unlike in the real world, the mother role is highly appreciated and sought in Neverland.

Equally important is to point out the similarity between Captain Hook and

Wendy’s father, Mr. Darling. Although it may seem to be unrelated to Neverland, it is actually yet another aspect of the real world that is reflected in there. At first, these two characters seem to have very little in common; one is a pirate and the other one is a bank clerk. Nonetheless, they do share quite a lot of personality traits. They both dwell on other people’s opinion, or at least as long as they find those people worth impressing.

For Mr. Darling, this is obvious in his constant wondering what the neighbours think of them (Barrie 8, 9). Hook does not care what his crew thinks of him, but then again he does not even see them as his equals, so it cannot be truly compared to the neighbours of Darlings. However, what Hook does care about is his ‘good form’, as was remarked earlier. He wants to be seen by outsiders as someone good, honourable and worth admiring. However, if the neighbours would talk, it would mean that Mr. Darling does not really have a ‘good form’. In relation to this, it is interesting to point out that both are said to have a university education (Barrie 18, 148).

However, the most obvious parallel between the two is how they both deceive children. When Michael does not want to take his medicine back in London, it is suggested that Mr. Darling shall take his as well so he can set an example and prove his bravery. Only he slips it behind his back while Michael drinks it, which obviously upsets the children as narrator comments that “it was dreadful the way all the three were looking at him, just as if they did not admire him” (Barrie 10). The way Hook deceives

Peter during their quarrel at mermaid lagoon is of a similar fashion; when he slips, Peter offers him a hand, but Hook takes advantage of his naivety and bites him (Barrie 102).

The narrator states that “Every child is affected thus the first time he is treated unfairly.”

(Barrie 102) which once again strongly resembles the way the children felt when their father tricked them. In both cases, the children did not expect such behaviour from adults, and thus it twists their perception of them.

On top of that, these two characters are very often played by the same actor.

Before the novel, there was a stage play called Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t

Grow Up, where this tradition started. Although the reason behind casting one person for two different roles is of a more practical nature, as at the time it was inconvenient to have fewer actors, the similarity between these two characters did not go unnoticed by creators of future adaptations. Peter Pan (2003) is one of those, and the parallel between them is far less subtle than in Barrie’s work. But perhaps even more interesting is Walt

Disney’s Peter Pan (1953) adaptation, since even though it is animated, they decided to keep the tradition and cast the same voice actor for both roles, again pointing out to the viewers the resemblance of these two characters.

Another quite interesting aspect of Neverland is time; it is not really non-existent in there but almost impossible to track. It is never specified how long the Darlings stayed even though it plays a crucial role for them. Since they have no idea how much

48 time has passed since they left the nursery, they have no guarantee their parents still remember them and thus if the even have a place to go to. Wendy does not consider this to be possible, but her opinion changes when Peter reveals his parents, in fact, forgot about him once he went to Neverland (Barrie 122). It is thus an important aspect for

Wendy’s maturation process as it urges her to either stay and chose childhood or to go home and grow up.

In summary, Neverland appears to be a trouble-free dreamland for all children seeking adventure. However, its specialty does not lie only in its magical inhabitants or possibilities it provides, such as flying, but also in the way the motherhood is perceived.

In contrast to the real world, mothers are highly appreciated and wanted. This has a positive impact on Wendy and her growing up, as it tempts her at first, but also provides assurance that mothers can be appreciated too. In connection to this, the outstanding similarity between her father Mr. Darling and Captain Hook is essential as well.

5.3. Narnia

Narnia is Lewis’ fictional world where his famous series takes place. It is mostly known to be entered through an old wardrobe, but also for its history mentioned throughout the whole series and bears a lot of symbolism, very often of a religious kind.

The similarity between Jesus and Aslan has been already noted, however, it is equally worth mentioning that by an ancient prophecy, the peaceful reign may begin only when

“Adam’s flesh and Adam’s bone // Sits at Cair Paravel in throne” (Lewis 90), thus, when humans rule.

The resemblance of conflict in Narnia to the conflict in the real world is remarkably striking. The most obvious aspect they have in common is that both worlds

49 deal with an ongoing war that has a global impact. In Narnia, it is the White Witch Jadis with and her supporters, while in the real world it is Adolf Hitler and his army and allies. In both wars, the opposing sides are not so much different from one other.

Although it is true that in the real world, the conflict is between just one species – humans, whereas in Narnia there are animals such as wolves, beavers, foxes, and mythological creatures, for example, fauns, dryads, centaurs, and dwarves. However, it is important to point out that particular species do not play a role in choosing a side in the war; for instance, wolves fight for the Witch, while foxes and beavers do not, although they are all animals. It thus cannot be interpreted as animals versus creatures, just as it cannot be done in the real world where all participants are human. Hence, the core of the conflict in Narnia does not lay in difference in species, but rather in how different species perceive the world, which corresponds to the situation during the

World War II when the conflict was not even because of the difference in race, that is the closest element to the Narnian species, but in people’s beliefs and cultures.

Additionally, very often in children stories, there is just one villain either facing heroes alone or creating their own army. While here the feuding sides already exist, again, just as in the real world. Furthermore, Jadis the enemy leader also bears a certain amount of similarity to Hitler. As much bizarre as this statement may sound at first, there are points that should not be overlooked hinting their resemblance. As was already mentioned, only humans are allowed to rule in Narnia, which is the essential reason why Jadis pretends to be the one and “it’s on that that she bases her claim to be Queen.

But she’s no Daughter of Eve.” (Lewis 90) Comparatively, the Nazi ideology also preaches about the one ‘master’ race bearing specific visual features that is superior to others and thus should rule other inferior race. However, Hitler himself did not, in fact,

50 bear those features suggesting he was not part of the idealistic race he promoted and should not be allowed to rule, just as Jadis.

Finally, the hunt itself for humans or creatures that would potentially help them is incredibly analogous to the Nazis’ hunts for Jews. The faun Mr. Tumnus befriends

Lucy, who is human, in order to captivate her and give her to Jadis. However, he changes his mind in time and helps Lucy to return to her world. Nonetheless, Jadis finds out about this and sends her Secret police to arrest him. The reason presented for his arrest is “comforting her said Majesty’s enemies, harbouring spies and fraternizing with

Humans.” (Lewis 67) The existence of the Secret police itself points out to the Nazi regime as does the reasoning of his arrestment. This claim is also supported in essay

“The War Between Dark and Light” by exclaiming that “the rise of the White Witch herself parallels that of Hitler” (Brennan). Although the conflict in Narnia may appear to be purely fictional and unrelated to the conflict that happens at the same in the real world, given these points, they share many similarities.

It is important to mention that there is also a symbolic side of the Narnian war.

As has been noted above, at the time the story begins, the whole country is set in an eternal winter that was sent down by the White Witch Jadis. Most compelling evidence pointing out the symbolism of seasons can be found in prophecy revealing that “When he [Aslan] bares his teeth, winter meets its death, // And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” (Lewis 88). The symbol of winter is very often connected with cruelty, inhospitality, and death and thus perfectly depicts the Witch’s reign. In contrary, the long-desired spring that has been foretold symbolizes the end of torment, hope, and the new beginning. However, the change the spring is supposed to bring is also connected with Edmund’s growing up process. Interestingly enough, the connection is not only symbolic even though spring also indicates a continuation of the

51 cycle, which in this case points out to adolescence, but it is literal as well. As has been already noted in relevant chapter, the first hint of a change in Edmund’s character and thus beginning of his maturing is when he feels sorry for someone else, which is eventually followed by the passage “every minute it grew foggier and warmer” (Lewis

128) signalizing the connection between the end of the winter and his childhood.

An equally important factor for the world of Narnia as for other fictional worlds is time. Compared to the time in the real world, it passes much quicker. The first time

Lucy goes to Narnia, she spends several hours there; however, when she comes back, mere seconds have passed. Obviously, no one believes her story as they do not even notice she has been ever gone. Once they all go to Narnia, win the war and grow up there, they eventually forget the world they come from and “if they ever remembered their life in this world it was only as one remembers a dream” (Lewis 198). It is not explicitly said how much time passes when they reach this point; however, it is clear that by the end of the story they are adults. Nevertheless, when they return to their world, they are children again and it seems as if almost no time had passed. To explain, the quicker pace of time in Narnia is important as it provides them an opportunity to fully grow up and learn how to deal with hardships and responsibilities. In other words, the time they spend in Narnia is essential for their maturation as it further helps them to deal better with the situation at home. Precisely for this reason, the conflict in Narnia is so similar to the conflict in their world.

In conclusion, Narnia has a particularly strong resemblance to the real world.

Merely because in both of them, there is a war going on and their background is similar as well. The opposing sides are not truly divided by race or difference in species, but rather by beliefs and general perception of the world. Certain aspects of conflict in

Narnia mirror World War II very closely, such as the existence of the Secret Police, the political propaganda, or even character of Jadis who reminds of Adolf Hitler.

5.4. Comparison

All of these worlds reflect more or less obviously the struggle the hero has to face in the real world. Perhaps the most outstanding one is Narnia, as it shares a great amount of similarities to the original world and its conflict. Neverland, on the other hand, does not seem to have much in common with Edwardian London. Nevertheless, it is the struggle itself and also the resemblance between Mr. Darling and Captain Hook that bounds these two worlds together. Finally, Wonderland is somewhere in the middle between these two, as at first, it seems to be the opposite of the real world, but as the story graduates, the connection to Alice’s reality becomes very clear.

As was mentioned, one of the reasons why the other world is crucial for the hero’s maturation is that to them, they present a kind of ‘safe heaven’. The closest one to this description seems to be Neverland. Literally, it is a dreamland beckoning every little child for a visit. There are mermaids, fairies, tree houses, native tribes, pirates, and most importantly no growing up. However, it eventually turns out to be far from perfect.

Most of its inhabitants are not exactly friendly and there other dangerous aspects such as wild animals. Peter himself is not very trustworthy or reliable, and the island may become very quickly a prison once the fairy dust wears off. On top of that, time is impossible to track, which very often leads to parents forgetting about their children as it is been too long since they have been gone.

Again, Wonderland stands in the middle. It is obviously the most chaotic and crazy world to appear in; there are barely any rules, and if they do exist, they are ignored anyway. This corresponds to the fact that almost all creatures in there are mad.

As time is impossible to track just like in Neverland, it cannot be concluded how long would it took Alice to go mad in the same way the others are, but granted that keeping her sanity would be too upsetting, especially for a child, it can be deduced it would happen rather sooner than later. Nevertheless, particularly for this reason, Wonderland could be perceived as a ‘safe heaven’ in the end, once Alice would go mad and find comfort in the chaos.

Given these points, it is thus Narnia that is possibly the most suitable to be a safe place to live in and substitute the real world. Once the war is won, a peaceful reign begins and the Pevensie siblings live a happy life. However, it is still not entirely perfect because upon spending years in there, they barely remembered the life before discovering Narnia. When they eventually return back to England, it is long after they have grown up, which could have potentially negative impact on their mental stability as they are children again. For this reason, Narnia can be perceived as double edged sword.

6. Conclusion

All three of the analyzed works explore the hardships of growing up. Even though they were written decades apart, the amount of similarities in regards of maturation proves the whole process has not really changed. In the novels, this process is examined through certain aspects that are parallel to each other and without them; the heroes cannot reach their adolescence.

Every discussed aspect is important for a different reason and also has a different impact on the whole process. As has been noted, the protagonist of such a story needs to be a child on the edge of childhood and adulthood. That is precisely the main cause of their struggle, although they do not need to fear the growing up, but rather something explicitly connected to it.

Upon having such a struggle, they began their journey by entering a new, beckoning world that at first seems to be almost trouble-free. Nonetheless, they soon realize they have to face particularly the same problems as in their own reality, though the other world presents them in a different way.

On their journey, they meet a villainous adult who is vain, deceptive, and ironically very childish. Nonetheless to say the encounter with villain is not a pleasant one, however it is crucial for forming their new identity as a more mature self.

Finally, they are not left alone in a strange world with antagonists, since a figure of a guide from the magical world is important as well. Due to the attachment the form with them, they are able to provide them not only with their presence so the heroes are not completely alone, but also with some kind of mentorship. Their Although the particular guides differ a lot, they still fulfil their purpose of directing the hero on the right path.

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Résumé

The aim of this work is to analyze and compare parallels in Alice's Adventures in

Wonderland (1865) by Lewis Carroll, Peter Pan (1911) by J. M. Barrie, and The

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950) by C. S. Lewis, and to explain their importance in the story in regards of growing up. The main argument is that the transition from childhood to adolescence is not easy as is captured by these three novels, and in order to successfully reach it, all analyzed aspects need to be present.

The first chapter briefly introduces the topic of this thesis.

At the beginning of each following chapter is introduced one particular aspect that is common in all three novels. Subchapters then analyze the said aspect in regard to a particular book, its importance, meaning, and the overall impact it has on the process of growing up. Every chapter is then concluded by a comparison of the analyzed aspects.

The second chapter examines the children heroes and the journey they go through, merely concerning on who they are as persons at the beginning since they start it as children and then compared to who they mature into as once their adventure is over.

The third chapter analyzes the importance of villains as a key element for the heroes’ growing up process. All presented antagonists are adults, which not only gives adulthood a bad connotation, but it also means they present an authoritative figure to the heroes.

The fourth chapter presents magical guides as characters that help the heroes on their journey and direct them on the right path. The bond they establish with the heroes is crucial in order to successfully finish the adventure.

The fifth chapter explains the importance of the other world as the essential aspect where the maturation takes place, but also how the original struggle the hero has to face is reflected in there.

Finally, the overall result is summarized in the conclusion.

Účelem této práce je analyzovat a porovnat paralely v knihách Alenka v říši divů

(1865) od Lewise Carrolla, Petr Pan (1911) od J. M. Barrieho, a Kroniky Narnie: Lev,

čarodějnice a skříň (1950) od C. S. Lewisa, a vysvětlit jejich důležitost v daných aspektech v rámci dospívání. Hlavním argumentem je, že proces dospívaní není snadný, jak se tato díla snaží naznačit, a aby to úspěšně dokázali, musí být přítomné všechny analyzované aspekty.

V první kapitole je stručně představeno téma této práce.

Na začátku každé kapitoly je představen jeden aspekt, který je přítomen v každé z této knih. V podkapitolách je pak daný aspekt analyzován v souvislosti s jednotlivými knihami a jeho důležitostí, významem a celkovým dopadem na proces dospívaní. Každá kapitola na konci srovnává jednotlivé aspekty.

V druhé kapitole jsou zkoumáni dětští hrdinové a jejich cesta dospíváním, především pak to, jak dospěli, v porovnání s tím, jací byli jako děti.

V třetí kapitole je analyzována důležitost záporných postav jako hlavní faktor při dospívaní hlavního hrdiny. Všechny prezentované postavy jsou dospělí lidé, což nejenže dává dospělosti zlou konotaci, ale zároveň to znamená, že jsou pro hrdinu autoritativní postavou.

Čtvrtá kapitola se týká kouzelných průvodců, kteří pomáhají hrdinovi na jeho cestě a snaží se mu dát správný směr. Vztah, který mezi sebou mají je zásadní právě proto, aby hrdina svou cestu dokončil.

V páté kapitole je vysvětlené, proč je jiný svět zásadním faktorem, kde se proces dospívaní odehrává, ale taky originální problém, se kterým se zde hrdina potýká.

Celkový výsledek je shrnut v závěru.