From Homer’s Odyssey to Rick and Morty, storytelling history is full of voyages and returns that make readers grow curiouser. Adventure down the rabbit hole with a plot analysis of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
What is Alice in Wonderland? A Whimsical Adventure
Alice in Wonderland was written by author, poet and mathematician Lewis Carroll (born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). It was first published in 1865.
The story follows a young girl, the Alice of the title. While on an outing with her sister, Alice follows a talking white rabbit down a rabbit hole under a hedge. She arrives in Wonderland, a surreal, nonsensical world of talking animals, bloodthirsty croquet-players, vanishing cats and unexpected transformations.
Overcoming riddles, chaotic encounters and absurd trials, Alice returns to her sister full of stories of her adventures.
Keep reading to download a Plottr demo file summarizing Alice in Wonderland. We also examine the story via “voyage and return” plot structures (all available as plot templates in Plottr).
How to Study Plot Structure with Plottr: 4 Steps
Plottr is useful for doing plot analysis, whether you’re studying a book for an English class or editing. Here are several steps to start:
- Read through. Read the story and create a summary as you go. You can also use a resource such as Spark Notes if you’re studying a better-known book that’s already been summarized.
- Summarize. Put each chapter or scene’s summary into a scene card on a plotline in Plottr. Create a single plotline called “Main Plot.” You could also create a plotline for each viewpoint narrator who gets a chance to tell the story.
- Tag. Create tags to track key story elements (for example, you could tag every scene in Alice in Wonderland that features the theme “Alice vs Authority”). Tagging will help you filter your plotlines so that you can focus on one group of scenes at time.
- Compare. Look at the number of acts, chapters or scenes you have then create a new plotline, selecting Use Template. Look for a template with a similar number of acts, scenes or beats. You could also choose templates in a similar genre to your story where applicable. Compare story beats in that template to the main plotline.
You don’t necessarily need to do the fourth step. Just seeing the story elements laid out on a timeline will likely help you spot recurring motifs. You’ll see key turning points, potential plot holes, and other interesting plot details.
Why Compare Stories to Classic Plot Structures?
Comparing a story to popular plot structures will help in several ways, though:
- See where and how stories follow tradition. For example, how a “Hero’s Journey” story begins by showing the hero’s ordinary world before everything changes
- See where and how stories depart from expected plot points or beats. Many stories will not fit templates exactly. In some genres this could be an issue (for example, if you’re writing romance, subcategories often have strict formulas). In others (e.g. experimental literary writing), not so much
- Find and fix plot holes. Maybe a key turning point is missing, or a transition scene is lacking so that a time jump feels too abrupt. Seeing your story laid out visually will expose low-hanging fruit and give you next steps for crafting a better story
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Alice in Wonderland Summary
The Alice in Wonderland storyline is a classic example of a “voyage and return” plot structure. A heroine sets out, has adventures that change her, and returns to her ordinary world.
The book consists of twelve chapters. Read a short plot synopsis below. You can also read the full text here, and download the Plottr demo file here.
Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit-Hole
Alice, bored on a day out with her sister, follows a White Rabbit down a rabbit hole. As she falls into a deep well, her curiosity grows.
At the bottom, Alice finds a hall of locked doors, and sees a garden she wants to visit through a keyhole. Trying a bottle that says “DRINK ME” makes her shrink and she can’t reach the key on a table that she needs to get to the garden. The trials and changes make her cry.
This marks the beginning of her adventure into a world where nothing is as it seems, and logical rules no longer apply.
Chapter 2: The Pool of Tears
Alice grows until she is very large after eating a cake labeled “EAT ME” and cries a pool of tears she must swim through when she shrinks again.
She meets a talking mouse who she asks the way out of the pool, but there is miscommunication when it doesn’t respond to her and she tries speaking to it in French. Eventually, her and the mouse and other animals manage to reach the shore of the pool of tears.
Chapter 3: A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale
Alice and the animals are drenched from the Pool of Tears. The mouse tells them a long history lesson which frustrates Alice, and a Dodo suggests a “Caucus-race” to help them dry off.
They all run whichever way they want and the Dodo declares that everybody won, and that there must be prizes. Alice wins a thimble from the Dodo and gives each of the animals a piece of candy as that’s all she has on her. The mouse leaves.
Chapter 4: The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill
Alice meets the White Rabbit again who mistakes her for his housekeeper Mary Ann. He sends her to fetch his gloves and a fan, but she drinks something in his house that makes her grow.
Trapped in the White Rabbit’s house, Alice is frustrated by her size and predicament. The Rabbit and others send a lizard named Bill down the chimney to try get Alice out, but she kicks him, sending him flying up and out of the chimney.
The animals outside throw pebbles at Alice, which turn into cakes as they fall. Alice eats some, remembering how food in Wonderland affected her earlier, and shrinks enough to escape.
Chapter 5: Advice from a Caterpillar
Alice has a puzzling conversation with a Caterpillar, who questions her identity and gives cryptic advice. Frustrated with her constant size changes, Alice learns from the Caterpillar that the mushroom he’s sitting on can control her growth.
After experimenting with pieces of the mushroom, Alice grows taller. She meets a pigeon who mistakes her for a serpent, and finally manages to return to her normal size.
Chapter 6: Pig and Pepper
In this chapter, Alice comes across two footmen, a Fish-Footman and a Frog-Footman. They discuss a Queen’s invitation to a Duchess to play croquet.
After a confusing conversation, Alice enters a chaotic house, where she meets the Duchess, her sneezing baby, and a grinning Cheshire Cat. Alice is worried the baby will be harmed due to the chaos in the house, and carries it to safety but it turns into a pig and runs away.
Alice meets the Cheshire Cat again, which tells her the directions of the March Hare and Mad Hatter’s houses when Alice asks who lives in the area. The cat disappears, leaving only its grin to Alice’s surprise.
Chapter 7: A Mad Tea-Party
Alice joins a bizarre tea party with the March Hare, the Hatter, and the Dormouse.
The conversation is nonsensical, featuring a riddle without an answer and a discussion about “Time” refusing to move beyond six o’clock.
Frustrated by the others’ absurd remarks and lack of civility, Alice leaves the tea party in disgust. She soon discovers a door in a tree, which leads her back to the hall of locked doors that leads to the garden she wanted to visit when she first entered Wonderland.
Chapter 8: The Queen’s Croquet-Ground
Alice meets three gardeners painting white roses red to avoid the wrath of the Queen of Hearts.
The Queen arrives with her entourage and Alice hears the Queen shout “Off with their heads!” for the slightest offenses.
A chaotic croquet game begins, with live hedgehogs as balls and flamingos as mallets, and Alice speaks to the Cheshire Cat. In an absurd twist, the King and Queen who are annoyeed with the cat debate how to behead it, since it is only a floating head.
Chapter 9: The Mock Turtle’s Story
Alice meets the Duchess again, who is in a much better mood than at the house earlier, and walks arm-in-arm with Alice.
As they chat, the Duchess becomes philosophical, speaking about love and finding meaning in small things. The Queen interrupts their conversation, angrily sending the Duchess away. She then invites Alice to meet the Mock Turtle.
Alice meets the Mock Turtle and a Gryphon, who tell her strange stories about life in the sea.
Chapter 10: The Lobster Quadrille
Alice listens as the Mock Turtle and Gryphon describe the whimsical Lobster Quadrille dance. They demonstrate a bit of the dance for Alice and sing a curious song.
The conversation shifts to wordplay and puns. They ask Alice to recite a poem, but her words get muddled by the chaotic influence of Wonderland. The chapter concludes with the Mock Turtle singing about “Beautiful Soup” before they hurry off to attend a trial.
Chapter 11: Who Stole the Tarts?
Alice attends the trial of the Knave of Hearts, who stands accused of stealing tarts. The court is filled with whimsical creatures, including a jury of animals and the King acting as a judge.
The Hatter is the first witness, nervously giving confusing testimony while Alice grows larger again. The chaotic trial continues as the cook refuses to cooperate, causing confusion, and Alice is unexpectedly called as the next witness.
Chapter 12: Alice’s Evidence
The scene is full of absurdity, with the Queen’s frequent demands for beheadings adding to the madness. Alice stands up to the Queen of Hearts, talking back to her by saying “You’re nothing but a pack of cards!” As everyone attacks her, her sister back in the real world wakes Alice up.
The story ends with Alice relating what happened in Wonderland to her sister. Her sister sends Alice home and has her own dream (implied to be a daydream rather than sleep).
She pictures all the creatures Alice described, Alice when she was little, then Alice when she’s older telling children about her adventures in Wonderland.
Plot Analysis of Alice in Wonderland
Now that we’ve summarized the events of the story, let’s compare it to voyage and return and folktale plot structures in Plottr.
Voyage and Return Story Structures in Plottr
Plot templates that may be interesting for studying and reverse-outlining Alice in Wonderland include:
- Propp Folktale Structure – a plot structure that includes struggles, transfigurations, trials and punishments, story beats similar to Alice’s own journey
- The Story Circle – a plot structure that is a simplified version of The Hero’s Journey developed by Dan Harmon
- The Heroine’s Journey – Gail Carriger’s take on the Hero’s Journey. The Heroine’s Journey prioritizes friendship, family and connection over solitary triumphs
Alice in Wonderland: Key Elements of Classic Story Structures
In comparing Alice in Wonderland to plot templates in Plottr, you’ll see some beats that match familiar narrative structures. For example:
Propp Folktale Structure in Alice in Wonderland
The start of Alice in Wonderland has a lot in common with Propp Folktale Structure.
Many folktales begin with what Propp’s translators called “Absentation”: A character leaves their ordinary world and its safety and security.
The start of the story also matches the next few beats of Propp’s folktale structure. These are:
- Interdiction: A character is told not to do something. This is implied, but Alice “shouldn’t” go wandering down rabbit holes as a young Victorian girl (at least, according to societal norms of the time).
- Violation of Interdiction: A character breaks “The Rules.” Alice also muses aloud that she shouldn’t drink unknown substances as she does in the hall of locked doors
From here, Alice in Wonderland departs from Propp’s Folktale Structure (which usually introduces villains around this point).
It’s interesting, though, how closely the opening of the story cleaves to classic folktale structure.
Alice also features many other beats that fit Propp’s Folktale Structure, including:
- Beginning Counteraction. A hero or heroine seeks magical items to resolve issues (e.g., Alice eating the cakes to escape the house)
- Testing. There are tests and trials, such as Alice facing puzzling riddles from the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter, as well as the trial of the Knave of Hearts
- Guidance. There are various points in the story where Alice is guided to pivotal locations. For example, when the Cheshire Cat guides her to the Mad Hatter’s tea party
- Transfiguration: In Propp folktale structure, the hero often gains a new appearance or disguise. There is plenty of transformation in Alice as she changes size several times
Reading Alice in Wonderland through the Story Circle
Many plot templates in Plottr carry a key note: Not every beat in a template will be necessary (or evident in a given story).
This is why some templates, such as three-act-structure or Freytag’s Pyramid, are useful due to their broader generalization. Another is Dan Harmon’s Story Circle. Think of it as a streamlined version of the “Hero’s Journey”. The structure gives just eight beats:
- You: A protagonist is in their zone of comfort.
- Need: Introduces something imperfect in the protagonist’s world. They need something.
- Go: The protagonist enters a new or unfamiliar situation or world, driven by their need.
- Search: The character must seek new solutions for situations that are growing increasingly complicated.
- Find: The protagonist finds what they wanted, experiencing fleeting victory. Yet this passes to a more dangerous situation or conflict.
- Take: The protagonist takes what they wanted but this brings serious consequences and a low point.
- Return: The hero or heroine returns to their world with whatever they found, changed and with a new perspective.
- Change: The protagonist has changed, and uses their new abilities, knowledge or perspective.
Putting Alice into the Story Circle Plot Template
Looking at Alice in Wonderland, through this story structure, it goes something like this:
- You: Alice is in the comfort zone of a river bank outing with her sister, but grows bored.
- Need: Alice’s need is to sate her curiosity. She wants wonder and adventure.
- Go: She falls down the rabbit hole, voyaging into a disorienting yet engaging world of nonsense.
- Search: Alice begins searching for a way back to normality, and wants to make sense of Wonderland.
- Find: She finds help and some direction and guidance. These temporary solutions lead to new states of disorientation and intensifying conflicts.
- Take: Alice takes what she wants, be it food or drink to change her size or the baby she wants to keep out of harm’s way. But it never works out quite as she planned. In fact, she ends up in a trial with the Queen of Hearts screaming for her to lose her head. She takes or claims her own power when she stands up to the queen.
- Return: Alice returns from Wonderland, with a sense of having acquired stories to tell. Her need for wonder has been satisfied.
- Change: Alice’s sister reflects on how Alice is growing to become a woman who will tell children her own adventures.
Insights from Analyzing Alice in Wonderland
Studying Alice in Wonderland through plot templates in Plottr reveals:
- Change is key to “Voyage and Return” stories. Alice returns to remind her sister that she won’t be a kid forever. Change is the inevitable outcome of any true adventure, including coming of age.
- Characters’ needs can be simple. Alice’s need is “wonder,” or you might say “satisfying her curiosity.” Yet that is enough to fill a story with surprising twists and absurd, funny characters and situations.
- Broader plot templates fit diverse story scenarios. Although Propp’s Folktale Structure highlights interesting folktale elements in Alice, the Story Circle makes it easier to see the big picture.
What were your insights or takeaways from reading Alice through these plot structures? Share in the comments section below!
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