As I reflect upon my childhood I remember many fairy tales and Disney movies that were shown to me but I distinctly remember that my mother never allowed to watch Alice in Wonderland. I was confused because society seemed to approach the delightful story as if it were a classic. In reviewing Alice's adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll I discovered that the ideas presented in the novel are not meant for children at all.
Many hidden messages are included in the tale. The whole adventure seems to examine different aspects of a drug "trip." The slowing down sensation of time and movement can be found in the rabbit hole scene as Alice has plenty of time to look around her and wonder as she falls. The whole story includes imaginative visual experiences that can be compared to hallucinations.
The caterpillar is another blatant example. The insect is smoking a hookah or water pipe that is a common way to inhale marijuana. He not only shows poor Alice a bad example by taking drugs but also tells her to eat a mushroom. As the mind can expand with drugs so did Alice's size.
These are just a few obvious examples of drug uses. The adventure is filled with comparisons. Rooms shrink, cats disappear, riddles do not make sense, Alice is called a weed and tears become an ocean. Alice seems to partake of any substance that says "consume me" without thinking or caring about the consequences. What a great lesson for children.
While most children should not understand any of these ideas as Carroll alludes to drugs, we might want to take more caution in media that we expose to them. Just because someone hands you a mushroom and tells you to eat it to become bigger, this does not mean that you should listen. You might experience a whole new world.
Which one shall I eat? After all that I have been through I don't even care!
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