Reading Response #4

Symbolism and Metaphorical Devices Present 


The use of symbols and metaphors greatly enhances writing as they help you to understand and grasp concepts in a new and organic way. In each novel, there is an abundance of these devices that enrich the story. 


The symbolism in Alice in Wonderland is so extremely extensive that there have been volumes written on it (The Annotated Alice by Martin Gardner being a popular example). It seems nearly every object functions as some sort of symbol, however very few clearly represent one specific thing. The metaphor of going "down the rabbit hole" is widely used in popular culture and alludes to exploring or delving into the unknown. Alice's change in size is extremely prevalent in both the real world and Wonderland, although in Wonderland these changes are extremely exaggerated. As Alice is a growing young girl, she is always changing in size. This is an arbitrary process she cannot control. In Wonderland, it seems to be just the opposite. Alice is able to control her size, but she does so in a mindless manner and always seems to be the wrong size for what she wants to accomplish. For example, when Alice first "arrives" in Wonderland, she catches sight of a beautiful garden. She wishes to enter this garden and manipulates her size in order to do so. However, she always seems to be too big or too small. "And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches high, and her face brightened up at the thought that she was now the right size for going through the little door into that lovely garden. ... "After a while, finding that nothing more happened, she decided on going into the garden at once; but, alas for poor Alice! when she got to the door, she found she had forgotten the little golden key, and when she went back to the table for it, she found she could not possibly reach it: she could see it quite plainly through the glass, and she tried her best to climb up one of the legs of the table, but it was too slippery; and when she had tired herself out with trying, the poor little ting sat down and cried." (Carroll 6). 


The garden itself is also extremely symbolic, and many have speculated it to represent the Garden of Eden. Because Alice is not permitted to access the garden also contributes to it's complex symbolism, and so the garden may simply represent the experience of desire. The complete story essentially revolves around Alice finding her way to the wonderful garden, so when she finally gets there and finds it's somewhat corrupt it can be seen as a way of saying that our lives on Earth are the closest we can get to true paradise. "'Would you tell me, please, ' said Alice, a little timidly, 'why you are painting those roses?' Five and Seven said nothing, but looked at Two. Two began, in a low voice, 'Why, the fact is, you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake; and, if the Queen was to find it out, we should all have our heads cut off, you know." (Carrol 63).


Peter Pan is extensively symbolic as well, although one may need to look harder at the underlying themes in order to achieve this understanding. In the beginning, Peter flies into the Darling household to find his shadow. In an abstract sense,  a shadow must exist with both darkness and light. This concept can transcend to happiness and sadness; one can only know true happiness when one has experienced sadness. The abstract thought beginning with Peter's shadow is continued in a very interesting manner; "light" and "dark" occur in conceptual ways throughout the story. Darkness is often what children are afraid of and can often be seen as similar to being lost. However, Barrie often changes the connotations of light and dark. Peter appears as though he is afraid of light, both physically and metaphorically. "'I will turn up the light,' she said, 'and then you can see for yourself.' For almost the only time in his life that I know of, Peter was afraid. 'Don't turn up the light,' he cried." (Barrie 176). Part of growing up is seeing the world in a new light, and Peter refuses that exposure; instead he chooses to remain ignorant and kept "in the dark" in order to remain a child. 


Another interesting symbolic device is Mary Darling's "hidden kiss". "She was a lovely lady, with a romantic mind and such a sweet mocking mouth. Her romantic mind was like the tiny boxes, one within another, that come from the puzzling East, however many you discover there is always one more; and her sweet mocking mouth had one kiss on it that Wendy could never get, though there it was, perfectly conspicuous in the right-hand corner." (Barrie 1). I see this as a symbol of her youth, as Mary often has faint recollections of Peter, leading the reader to believe that she once traveled to Neverland. "At first Mrs. Darling did not know, but after thinking back into her childhood she just remembered a Peter Pan who was said to live with the fairies. There were odd stories about him, as that when children died he went part of the way with them, so that they should not be frightened. She had believed in him at the time, but now that she was married and full of sense she quite doubted whether there was any such person." (Barrie 7). "She started up with a cry, and saw the boy, and somehow she knew at once that he was Peter Pan. If you or I or Wendy had been there we shouold have seen that he was very like Mrs. Darling's kiss. ... "When he saw she was grown-up, he gnashed the little pearls at her." (Barrie 11).  This kiss belongs to her first love, Peter, and because the kiss is hidden leads me to believe that it is from long ago in her youth and innocence. She keeps it as a memory of her wonderful childhood; a symbol of something one loses with time but never parts with. 


Comparatively, the garden in Alice in Wonderland, the garden in The Secret Garden are both locked away and tempt the protagonists to find out what lay inside. To Alice's chagrin, the garden was underwhelming and fraudulent. However, the garden Mary comes across has a very different symbolic meaning: beauty, passion and hope lay dormant in all of us, and all we need to do is tend to this power inherent in all living things. Colin calls this power "the magic". "Sometimes since I've been in the garden I've looked up through the trees at the sky and I have a strange feeling of being happy as if something were pushing and drawing in my chest and making me breathe fast. Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing. Everything is made out of Magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us. In this garden - in all the places. The Magic in this garden has made me stand up and I know I am going to live to be a man." (Burnett 189).


Dickon is also a very important symbol within The Secret Garden and represents a motherly figure yet also is quite reminiscent of Peter Pan. Dickon is often described as the "spirit of the moor". "It was a very strange thing indeed. She caught her breath as she stopped to look at it. A boy was sitting under a tree, with is back against it, playing on a rough wooden pipe. He was a funny looking boy about twelve. He looked very clean and his nose turned up and his cheeks were as red as poppies and never had Mistress Mary seen such round and such blue eyes in any boy's face." (Burnett 77).  His presence as an ideal child is constant and is a driving factor in the changes Mary and Colin make throughout the novel. Although Dickon is seen as an ideal child figure in the eyes of Colin and Mary, he also has certain aspects of a grown up. They look up to him and his relationship he has with the world around him; the way he nurtures his animals and takes care of plants within the garden as if they are children. 


Surely there are many symbols existing in these novels, however the examples I have chosen all relate to the changes each of the protagonists go through. Many are catalysts or simply results of these individual changes or relationships between characters, and all are entirely essential to the plot and themes.