Alice, Villain or Victim: A Study of Alice in Wonderland and Its 1951 Film Adaptation Ashley Farley College

In the famously popular novel Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll expresses themes of chaos, fantasy, and violence, all of which raise important questions throughout the novel. However, in the many film adaptations of the story, some of these themes are lost or manipulated to create a different meaning. Disney’s 1951 version of “Alice in Wonderland” follows fairly closely to the story of Alice’s time in Wonderland, keeping the themes of violence and disorder but changing the context. The alterations made manage to replace Carrol’s original Alice for a much more docile version. This change of character is such a drastic one due to the emphasis of Alice’s violence in the novel; by removing this part of her character, Alice becomes a new person, thus changing the interpretation of Wonderland and the overall meaning of the novel.

One of Alice’s largest representations to her violence in the novel is shown in her relationship to her cat, Dinah, who she uses to terrify and threaten the characters of Wonderland. This is extremely prevalent with her conversation with the Mouse, where she continues to bring up her pet cat Dinah to the rodent. In this conversation, Alice begins describing her pet who “sits purring so nicely by the fire,...