Relevanter and Relevanter!

Greetings from Goodwell, Oklahoma! I’m Marjory Hall with a BookByte for the Radio Readers Book Club. It might seem silly to revisit a book just for love of it when there are so many great books waiting out there. Like most bibliophiles, though, I have some that I will continue to re-read. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is one of those books. My childhood acquaintance with Alice began after I saw the well-known animated version and wanted to know the “real” story. Later, I re-read Alice in Wonderland in preparation for Through the Looking Glass, its sequel. I studied the books in college and graduate school and have taught them in my own classroom, but I still find myself happy to dive down the rabbit hole just for the fun of it. Like all good literature, Alice speaks differently to her readers every time we return to her at different times in our lives. What did she offer me this time? Alice modeled for me a way to approach all things unusual or inexplicable.

In 2024, there is no shortage of peculiar events to contemplate, no lack of unconventional personalities rising to public attention in every facet of life. Many of these voices, faces, and events are positive; some are frightening. For example, the joy of people’s seizing the freedom to be their authentic selves can be marred by other people’s sometimes violent rejection of those selves. One person’s exercise of freedom can be another person’s deadly offence. As we navigate the world, we could say that Alice’s example becomes relevanter and relevanter as time goes on.

Alice reacts to events and people as she finds them: friendly, threatening, or merely confusing. Alice’s behavior is governed by her sense of fairness and courtesy, not by any expectation of any improvement or accommodation to the situation. When she responds to an inquiry from the Duchess, admitting that she does not know an answer, the Duchess replies with contempt. Alice decides that the most polite reaction would be simply to change the subject. When there is the possibility of hurting someone’s feelings, Alice takes care with her own speech. She does not lie or denigrate herself, but she is careful not to mention eating lobster when in conversation with, well, with a lobster. Alice calls out the rudeness she receives from the tea partygoers, but she does not expect the Mad Hatter or the March Hare to change. She takes part in their riddle game knowing that it will probably not make much sense to her.

We should never mistake Alice for a doormat though. She resents the unfairness of the Queen’s croquet game and says as much to the Cheshire Cat. She stands up for her friend and reminds the haughty King that even a cat may look upon him. Our heroine assesses her surroundings and finds her way through them with practical common sense.

Alice never disengages from a situation, waiting for a level playing ground. She recognizes absurdity and unfairness, but she never waits for them to be rectified. Even in the face of some unpleasant characters and frightening situations, Alice’s composure does not falter. Although she has no idea where she is going, Alice recognizes that she must, indeed, keep going. She allows her curiosity to overrule her caution when she follows the White Rabbit. When falling and falling down the rabbit hole, Alice takes the time to pay attention to her surroundings and look forward to what will come next.

Alice shows us that there is no point in fearing the unexpected or pretending that we are always confident. Not everyone we meet on our adventures will like us. They don’t have to, and we don’t have to like them. Not every situation will end well, but there is no reason not to consider other’s feelings. What we cannot do, Alice demonstrates, is shape the world to our wishes, waiting until all is fine before setting out. Sometimes we might need to change the subject. Like Alice, we must meet life head-on and persevere through, even when we are afraid.

I’m Marjory Hall for HPPR Radio Reader’s Book Club.