Sooooo, now that we have a better understanding of psychoanalysis, let's psychoanalyze a fun Disney character that we all love-
Alice.
Lewis Carroll uses imaginary worlds to explore the creative mind. In the story
Alice in Wonderland, Alice is bored with the day-to-day routines, 'average' people, and average conversations. I often have to escape from the real world, because I get bored too. Sometimes the only way to escape from the dullness is to let your mind take you on an adventure, and go to your own little magical wonderland- just as Alice does. It's much like reading a book, or watching a movie, but your creative mind is writing and directing it.
Carroll uses metaphors and analogies as she alters the protagonist and alters their worlds. Alice’s tasks are to build her ego, to expand her consciousness, and to realize and understand herself. Alice in the underworld temporarily has her own identity crisis. Like Jack in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, she wants to know who she really is. Because she’s changed size so incredibly, she wonders: “But if I’m not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” Alice ponders and questions, and spirals into her own alternative world that addresses several different psychological topics and allows for a good analysis of her volatile moods. Psychologist Erik Erikson coined the term "identity crisis." The question 'who am I?' is a question that everyone asks themselves.
The loss of control
Alice has in her thinking is interesting and fun.
Alice's mind seems to be her best friend in a way; her mind is her friend whom she can carry on endless conversations with, and whom can provide her with a source of laughter or analytic thought that rescues her from sorrow or pain. Her need for spontaneity and her passion to experience and imagine is what takes her into Wonderland. Alice sees the white rabbit scurry by, and, without any hesitation, she jumps down the rabbit hole with alacrity. Her mind is racing and thinking at a million miles an hour. “Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so
Alice soon began talking again.” I think this is
Alice in a mildly manic mood. Suddenly her mind is more creative, and she can’t stop thinking or talking.
However, after feeling such extreme excitement and curiosity, it’s only normal that she falls into her own pool of tears-
‘what goes up must come down’. She is now confused and scared, and feelings of anxiety began to control her thoughts. “Who am I?” she continues to ask. She feels trapped and alone. She is overwhelmed with confusion; she doesn’t know who she is or where she belongs. Her rapid shrinking size shows how anxiety can controlling and frightening anxiety can be. (For example, anxiety can cause a very extroverted, self-confident person to temporarily become introverted and weak). Not being sure of who you are, can be a very scaring feeling. This varying and unstable self, portrays how a person diagnosed with a mood disorder may feel regularly. When one lives with a mood disorder, it is often difficult for them to know the difference between their ’normal’ and ‘abnormal’ self. A common question is the one
Alice keeps asking, “Who is the real me?” She worries that she may be drowning in her own pool of tears, because she can’t get out of this painful, emotional, and agitated feeling. But the good thing about living with changing moods, is knowing that they always change, and you won’t feel that way forever.
In Chapter III:
In A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale, Alice finds the shore, and finds the power to control the anxiety and depression. Here, she meets a group of animals who feel the same way that she does, and they provide support for each other. (These are her best friends in her mind). Carroll writes, “They were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the bank- the birds with their fur clinging close to them, and all dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable.” The animals, and
Alice, began to have a consultation and discuss how to get dry/ how to feel normal again.
Alice feels very lonely, hopeless, and lost.
In the next chapter, her moods and her size changes again.
Alice gets sick of being so tiny, and not being able to control her physical changes and volatile moods. She is literally stuck in a room, and she sees no way out. It’s similar to describing a panic attack. Alice doesn't know where she fits. She is tense, uncomfortable, scared, worried, can’t relax, and can’t think like herself.
After feeling so trapped, Alice meets the wise (possibly stoned) caterpillar. Her encounter with him is very much like psychotherapy session; he addresses what is causing her anxiety, and helps her understand and manage her fears and worries. The first question that he asks her is simply "who are you?" One would think that a simple question like that would be easy to answer.... but right now
Alice is in a state where that is probably the most difficult question anyone could ever ask.
Alice responds saying, "I hardly no sir, just at present- at least. I know who I 'was' when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.... I can't explain 'myself,' I'm afraid, sir because I'm not myself, you see." This conversation with the caterpillar was very insightful for
Alice, she left feeling a bit more okay with the idea of changing. She began to understand emotions and human behaviors, and she learned what it truly feels like to feel pain and darkness, as well as excitement, joy, and love.
Alice wanted to escape from the dull listless boring world, so she drank the bottle labeled “drink me” and she ate the cake labeled “eat me”; this altered her and her world, and made things a little more interesting. “
Alice had gotten so much into the way of experiencing nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the common way.” Alice was ready for something and just wanted to go 'somewhere'. The animals and characters that she met along the way, explain the different aspects and moods within her personality. The first character that we meet, the white rabbit, represents anxiety and a fear of imperfection. The white hare is always in a hurry, never relaxes, and puts an extreme amount of pressure on him self. When Alice met the Cheshire Cat, she immediately felt comfortable with him. She looked up to him as her smart/more rational subconscious voice. He sent her in the direction of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, and she arrived as a guest at the Mad Tea-Party. Everything was nonsense and silly, but carefree and peaceful at the same time. At this tea party, time is not an element, and riddles are asked that have no answer. This Tea-Party is a growing experience for
Alice. Here she learns to chill out, stop stressing, and just play. Sometimes in life, no matter how old we are, we must take time to remember to play. The characters here that
Alice has dreamed up represent her silly, witty, and fun self.
Alice lives in a very structured home setting, and this escape and the characters in it allow her to act a different way- which may be seen by others as 'mad' or 'insane.' The Queen's temper also represents a characteristic of Alice herself. This behavior may represent how she feels, or longs to feel, in control and powerful. She is so young, and no one listens to her. However, I think what she is longing to control are her moods.
As
Alice awakes from this dream, and returns from Wonderland. She has seen a great deal and learned a lot. This dream will be an experience that
Alice will always remember. She now has a better understanding for the world as a whole.
I think that music can be innate in our personality, but I also think that experiences with music throughout life play a huge role on our personality as well. I love music. The first prominent memory that I have when I really fell in love with music was when I got the Beatles 1 album for Christmas. I was about 11 years old, and "Hey Jude" was my favorite song. This was before song lyrics were easily accessible online, and I would play the c.d. and pause it after every sentence in order to write down all the lyrics. This was when I first started analyzing lyrics and dancing to rock-and-roll.
