The Great Fall of Authority :: Essays Papers

The Great F in all of AuthorityAs Alice journeys through Wonderland and Looking-glass Land, she encounters a variety of characters whose nonsensical assertions call into question her mum ontological assumptions. The strange logic these characters introduce to Alice forces her to acknowledge and reevaluate learned perceptions that she had previously accepted as objective truths. Because m all of Carrolls absurdities bear an hyperbolize but recognizable resemblance to observable phenomena in society, the paradoxically meaningful trash causes Alice (and the reader) to experience epiphanies about the nature of the phenomena Carroll satirizes. In this way, Carroll cleverly, and ironically, uses nonsense to raise consciousness. Specifically, Carroll employs nonsense in the Alice books to construct a satirical, dystopian view of consent. One example can be inferred from Alices humorous inability to remember her lessons, or memorized propaganda from schoolmasters (who book authority ove r knowledge). Because Alice suddenly cannot remember what these schoolmasters have forced her to learn, the lessons be consequently illustrated as useless and asinine, and the teachers as senseless, counterproductive and undeserving of the position of authority they have secured. Carroll ultimately ridicules authority figures, pedagogues in particular, through the character, Humpty Dumpty. His hyperbolic depiction of Humpty Dumpty as a narcissist, a pedant, and a charlatan exposes authority figures for what they often are unnecessary, and even disadvantageous.Humpty Dumptys narcissism is immediately apparent. As soon as Alice stumbles upon him, Humpty Dumpty proclaims his self-importance and implies Alices inferiority. He is extremely defensive and unwilling to consider any remark that he perceives as potentially criticizing, since he believes himself to be a superior creature. The egg therefore responds to Alices unintentionally insulting comments by ridiculing her, thereby shifti ng the negative attention to Alice so that he can preserve his inflated self image and gain control over the conversation. In accession to belittling Alice to demonstrate his power, Humpty Dumpty egregiously boasts about his connection with the King to illustrate his elite status. Humpty Dumptys arrogant behavior, including bragging about his affiliation with the King, can primarily be attributed to the power and authority he believes he deserves for being an intellectual. Humpty Dumpty clearly views himself as extraordinarily brilliant he is so inordinately intelligent that he knows the answers to all questions (232). While Humpty Dumpty knows everything, everyone else, particularly Alice, knows nothing Wrong Humpty Dumpty exclaims triumphantly.... You dont know what youre talking about (235, 237).