Mad Tea Party::Like Alice

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Such nonsense from Lewis Carroll.

Or is it?

Have you seen the recent Tim Burton rendition of the classic tale Alice in Wonderland? I saw it in the theater, but recently bought the DVD. Up until now I have never felt that poem made much sense {obviously}, but I can see it clearly now, thanks to Tim Burton. I am so glad that I saw the movie in the theater with my friend. It seems that we both shared so much in common with young Alice {albeit for different reasons}.

I wonder if you share things in common with Alice, too?

Tim Burton fills his world with color and wonder and deep dark demons. The characters that populate his imagination are rich and filled with poetic reckoning, but also with a curiouser and curiouser stature.


As pure entertainment, it ranks right up there as a most visually stunning feast, or tea party, if you will. I found the sets, the costuming, the make-up and the fantasy world all winners. I enjoyed Johnny Depp's delightfully quirky performance as the Mad Hatter {seriously, who else could play that role?}, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen {she reads pathetically fearful at the same time}, Crispin Glover is perfect as the creepy Knave of Hearts {with a twisted penchant for big things}, and all the animated characters who truly came alive from what I had wished every other version had looked like.


I have read some reviews which labeled Mia Wasikowska ineffectual as Alice, because she was so naive and stiff at every turn. I happened to like her portrayal because she wasn't the sentimental wide-eyed child that we have come to know from any of the other Alice renditions {like the animated Disney classic, which is much too saccharine}. I think that it was important for her to be on the verge of becoming an adult, with her eyes wide open and her inability to see this 'Underland' as anything but a dream. Children naturally accept the Wonderland. This Alice has lost the ability to delve into her unconscious dreams, as she stared into the precipice of what her adult life would hold. I found that more believable, not less.

This quest that Alice embarked upon started with a day that should be something celebrated, but was rather dreaded. A day in which the culmination of a life of pleasing others came to an abrupt halt. When Alice took a moment to follow the White Rabbit, she took back her life.
After tumbling down the rabbit hole, Alice encounters a world at once strange and familiar. She is told that she is most certainly not the real Alice, although she swears she knows who she is. But who is she really? Or rather, what is she becoming?

Absalom, the huffing cerulean caterpillar {voiced masterfully by Alan Rickman}, mysteriously pronounces the grown-up girl as 'hardly Alice.' Indignantly, she insists that she is exactly who she says she is, but she is not the Alice they want her to be. And thus ensues her quest to find the true Alice.

I think that I am quite like Alice.
What about you?

Like Alice, I may be too often pulled in a direction that I don't want to go, as the Tweedles do to her.

Like Alice, I am told what I must do certain things and am expected to be happy with what I get, as her sister Margaret tells her.

Like Alice, I feel constricted by the ideals that society puts on me, as if wearing a codfish on my head would make any more sense.

And like Alice, there is a 'Wonderland' inside of me, waiting to be re-discovered.

There is also a Jabberwocky to slay in each of us.
Has thou done battle with your Jabberwock?

My Jabberwocky may be different than yours...my Jabberwock rears it's ugly head in thoughts that I am not good enough that routinely throw me off track...self-sabotage that I heap on myself preventing me from fulfilling my potential...doubt of my worth that creeps in on Cheshire cat feet before vanishing in a pouf of regret at what I haven't done, what I have failed at.

As the White Queen says, it must be your choice to slay the Jabberwock and when you go you will go alone. Just knowing that you have the entire White army behind you and your own cast of wacky 'Wonderland' characters, including a Mad Hatter in your corner ready to take up a sword and fight beside you, should give you the courage you need.

"From the moment I fell down that rabbit hole, I've been told what I must do and who I must be. This is MY path. I'll decide where it goes from here."

When Alice reaches this turning point she sets her feet pointing firmly toward her goals. And once her Vorpal sword slays her Jabberwock {we are told that the Vorpal sword knows what to do, as long as it is held steady}, she is given a choice: stay in 'Wonderland' or go back to the reality that awaits.

I am glad that Alice went back...and that she believed enough in herself to see that she had choices. She succeeded in challenging the dragons that were clearly ambushing her at the top of the rabbit hole because she knew that she would always have the 'Wonderland' inside of her. And that gave her the courage to dare to dream of a different life.

In the end, Absalom begins his own transformation, and proclaims that Alice has indeed found herself. She has become more complete now that she has vanquished her Jabberwock with a snicker-snack. She has regained her 'muchness' {muchness, n. physical magnitude or largeness}. She is about to become all that she can be. She is spreading her wings to fly.
I will take a cue from Alice and fight the battles that need to be won, with resourcefulness and confidence on the way to celebrating my muchness and vanquishing the impossible.

"This is impossible," laments Alice.
"Only if you believe it," replies The Hatter.

Were you inspired by this rendition of Alice in Wonderland?
In what ways are you like Alice?
Do you recall a turning point where you lost the ability to see your Wonderland? Have you ever lost your 'muchness'?
Have you come upon a turning point where you regained your Wonderland?
What is your inner Jabberwocky to slay?
Do you have an impossible dream?
Who is your Mad Hatter, the one who believes in you, sees your true self and spurs you on?

Do tell!
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you so much for stopping by my Mad Tea Party! Be sure to go to Mad Tea Party Central and hop around the other 350+ parties!

Since you made it to the end of this {really long} post, I want you to have a chance to win a party favor, just for coming. Or better yet, how about four prizes to win. I will select four names at random from my Mad Hatter's hat and send these lovelies off to you, wherever you are.

Prize #1: As an artisan jewelry designer making pieces for publication, I have a whole storefront to choose from. For the Mad Tea Party I chose to share a piece called "Fly Away Home" {quite a fitting name for an Alice post, don't you agree?} that was featured in the June 2009 issue of Bead Trends magazine. This piece has a dragonfly filigree wrapping a matte purple bosher (button-washer). There are pearls, crystals and lots of Vintaj brass. {Did you know that dragonflies are lucky? That they imply deeper thoughts are just below the surface? That their short life reminds you to live life to the fullest?} This is actually a long necklace, about 30" but depending on your neck, you might be able to wrap it twice!
Retail Value: $125

Prize #2: How about I throw in a really cool set of letterpress coasters from 1Canoe2 on Etsy.
Retail Value: $15

Prize #3: A beautiful letterpress print from EightHourDay on Etsy.
Retail Value: $20

Prize #4: Home Tweet Home! This charming birdhouse kit from Paper Fashions Boutique will come home to roost with one lucky winner.
Retail Value: $32

Here's the fine print:

1. Comment on this post to win. That's it. Feel free to answer any, or all of the questions in the post above.
   
   
2. If you would be so moved as to follow on our journey of inspiration, become a follower of this blog and you will be entered a second time.
   (Be sure to post a separate comment so that I can tell.)
   
   
3. Four winners will be selected at random from all comments received by June 30th, 2010 at 11:59 pm CST. The awarding of the prizes will be at the sole discretion of the blog owner (that's me ;-).

Check It Out::Alice in Wonderland featurette

Enjoy the day!