Should I Follow Alice Into the Rabbit Hole?

Several months ago, while re-exploring some favorite stories from my childhood, I re-read Alice in Wonderland and Alice and the Looking Glass.

At the time, I had no idea that I would be living with the story for much of the winter. My twins’ elementary school is getting ready to perform Wonderland. My boys, Thing 1 and Thing 2, make spectacular Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum! They practice their musical number of The Walrus and the Carpenter ‘round the clock! (It’s adorable – but I’m biased.)

Over the weekend, I went to see Tim Burton’s new Alice In Wonderland movie in IMAX 3-D. I absolutely LOVED it! And I went in with a negative attitude because I HATE wearing those silly glasses [wink}.

I’m not tired of the tale – contrarywise. It might be recurring again and again – stuck in my head, even. But I’m looking for themes, comparing interpretations, and thinking about crafting a story where the show within the show might symbolize a coming of age. In this plot, what happens in between to propel the main character through obstacles and what the main character’s goals will be are still under development. However, these three Alice’s spark an idea for a structure or a symbol of the passage of time.

Perhaps, a bedtime story could mark the naïve beginning of the protagonist’s childhood. As a teen, the protagonist could prepare to perform a starring role in a school play of the same story. Perhaps, as a symbolic ending to the story, the protagonist watches a film interpretation of the childhood favorite.

Just pondering and brainstorming… Who knows what I’ll make of it!?

Best to you,

Lisa Lipkind Leibow

Author of Smart Women’s Fiction

www.LLLeibow.com

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