The Looking Glass Wars

“So what if she’d [Redd] been a ‘bad girl?’ So what if she’d experimented with artificial crystal and imagination stimulants? So what if she’d never cared for justice, love, duty to the people, blah blah blah? She was her own person. Why couldn’t her parents have respected that and left her alone instead of trying to turn her into the princess she could never be? Why couldn’t they have loved her for who she was?”

This quote provides deeper insight into Redd’s character and her motivations. Due to what she feels was her family’s rejection of her true self, Redd developed resentment and anger towards her family, leading her to construe Genevieve’s coronation (and Redd’s loss of the crown) as betrayal. This results in the civil war. The quote also sets up Redd as a foil to Alyss: like Alyss, Redd harbors insecurity from others’ lack of belief in her, but, unlike Alyss, Redd turns to destructive impulses and a need for power.

“Quigly considered her [Alyss] for a moment. Even smudged with dirt and scum, and with tears leaking out of her eyes, there was something about the girl that intrigued him. She seemed brighter than everything around her. It was as if she were lit from within by a lantern that shone faintly through the pores of her skin.”

The light that Quigly sees around Alyss is the imaginative glow of someone with a powerful imagination. This quote shows that although Alyss finds herself in a world where imagination doesn’t seem to exist as it did in Wonderland, she still retains all her inner powers. This foreshadows Alyss’s journey: She represses her imagination and therefore her light, but then she unlocks it from within herself and glows brighter than ever before.

“And now that he had an opportunity to notice, Hatter saw that some people had a glow about them. Supposing them suffused with the luminescence of imagination.”

This quote shows that Earth is not entirely bereft of imagination, since Hatter can still glimpse it in the same way Quigly glimpses it in Alyss. This quote presents the question of what qualities imagination instills in people on Earth: If, in Wonderland, imagination is linked to creation and a strong sense of personal belief and balance, what does it say about the traits of those on Earth who have strong imaginations? Imagination is becomes something personally attainable, even outside magic or royalty from fantastical worlds, reinforcing imagination as a motif of self-actualization and self-empowerment.

“Alyss was learning something that would one day serve her well as queen […] For most of the universe’s inhabitants, life is not all gummy wads and tarty tarts; it is a struggle against hardship, unfairness, corruption, abuse, and adversity in all its guises, where even to survive—let alone survive with dignity—is heroic. To soldier through the days in the wake of failure is the courageous act of many. To rule benevolently, a queen should be able to enter into the feelings of those less fortunate than herself.”

This quote sets up the theme of loyalty to others and to a cause greater than the individual. As a ruler, Alyss cannot think of her power as only for her personal gain; part of her empowerment is in accepting her responsibilities to others and to the greater cause of peace and White Imagination. This quote indicates the first instance in which Alyss begins to realize this; her experiences with Quigly Gaffer and the orphan gang lead her to develop a deeper understanding and sense of duty to others.

“The more time Alyss spent in this wet dreary city, the less she believed in her imagination.”

As Alyss continues to give performances with the singing flower to make money for the orphan gang, she finds her imaginative abilities increasingly inaccessible. As these powers begin to fail, there is a parallel failure of Alyss’s faith in herself. This quote indicates how imagination connects to self-belief; Alyss’s experiences on Earth become marked by a deterioration in self-belief, setting up both the larger thematic arc of imagination as empowerment, and Alyss’s character arc in reconnecting with herself to embrace her full power.

“[Alyss] had failed [Quigly]. She had failed Francine, Margaret, Andrew, Esther, Otis, and Charlie. She had never before failed anyone who was counting on her, and she didn’t like the way it made her feel.”

This quote indicates another important difference between Earth and Wonderland: Earth introduces feelings of inadequacies and guilt, which were foreign to both Alyss (and later, Hatter) in Wonderland. It introduces damage to Alyss’s self-perception; once she views herself through the lens of inadequacy, it further feeds her self-doubt, which in turn affects her ability to manifest imagination. This moment initiates the negative experiences that Alyss must later integrate before she reconnects to her imaginative powers.

“[Alyss] had started to think that maybe it wasn’t worthwhile getting attached to people. All they ever did was betray you. They betrayed you by leaving.”

The trauma of Alyss’s experiences in Wonderland and her experiences on Earth further shatter her faith. She feels abandoned by her parents’ deaths, abandoned by Hatter, and abandoned by Quigly, who did not go back for Alyss when she was caught by the police. This quote shows that Alyss is losing faith not only in herself but in others. It foreshadows her continued emotional decline and the long road to recovery.

“But Hatter would have felt anything but deserving, for he was wrestling with an unfamiliar emotion: inadequacy. He had failed to keep his promise to Queen Genevieve.”

Like Alyss, Hatter has his first experience with feelings of inadequacy and failure on Earth. This quote reinforces Earth as a world of doubt, failure, and inadequacy, all negative emotions. These experiences have the potential to feed Black Imagination back in Wonderland.

“Alyss sat with pencil poised above her drawing. I shouldn’t care what they think. I don’t. But their mocking laughter had caused a twinge of…what? Embarrassment? Shame? Princesses didn’t like to be made fun of any more than ordinary people.”

This is Alyss’s first experience with shame and embarrassment, emotions related to her self-perception and, consequently, to her ability to form her sense of self. This moment is linked to the first instance in which Alyss begins to question her memories and her identity; it represents the beginning of her acquiescence to the pressures of her Earthly surroundings.

“The change was in subtler things—the tilt of Alyss’s head, the particular sweep of her arms, her careful steps forward. The Liddells were so taken with her appearance that they failed to realize it was the first time she had ever called them by those most intimate of endearments: Mother and Father.”

In this moment, Alyss chooses assimilation into her surroundings over retention of her Wonderland identity; on Earth, her self-doubt wins. This is the beginning of Alyss repressing all her Wonderland memories and transforming into Alice Liddell—her whole body language even changes. The fact that Alyss now refers to Mr. and Mrs. Liddell as “Mother” and “Father” indicates that she has also chosen assimilation into the Liddell family identity. Alyss is, in a sense, split; this quote foreshadows the challenge she will face in integrating these two identities.

“ [Alice] recognized [The Cat], as one suddenly remembers a dream hours after waking, and the recognition brought her a troubling relief, for if this thing was real…”

This quote demonstrates the irony of Alice’s reality and indicates her personal power in constructing it. Although Alice has repressed her memories and become ‘Alice’ to avoid her own inner conflict and the ridicule of her peers, deep down she never really lost that belief; she is relieved, not horrified, to see that it all existed after all. Although she is disconnected from her imagination at this point, Alice is once again the maker of her own reality—she uses the power of her mind to decide what is real and to embrace that reality; later, she will use this same power to integrate her two realities into a cohesive self-understanding.

“[Alyss] had grown to love [the Liddells], perhaps as a kidnapped person grows to love those who hold her captive, but it was love. Alyss knew that now.”

This quote explores the complex meaning of family and demonstrates the beginning of Alyss’s integration of her two selves. By understanding that she has true love for the Liddells, Alyss accepts that Earthly life has touched her as deeply as did her primary Wonderlandian life. This quote sets up Alyss’s later ability to recognize and integrate those experiences and achieve inner balance.

“Alyss nodded. ‘I will always belong partly to that other world now.’”

Alyss demonstrates an understanding of how her experiences on Earth have impacted her; once she returns to Wonderland, she does not discount her time on Earth as a kind of bad dream or non-reality, but neither does she dismiss Wonderland as an impossible phantasm. This quote indicates Alyss’s evolved understanding of the possibility of two realities coexisting, reinforcing the theme of the need for inner balance.

“How can they call themselves Alyssian when I hardly feel Alyssian myself? It’s too much.”

Alyss has only just returned to Wonderland, and she struggles to get her footing, as she is still confused about her reality and feels there are too many expectations placed on her. This quote demonstrates the irony of her situation because the rebel group has adopted her name for their army and crafted an identity around Alyss as a symbol for their revolution; but for Alyss, the name represents a completely other self, another identity with which she struggles to reconnect.

“[Alyss’s] years and experiences in that other world had severed the girl she was from the woman she was supposed to have become. Redd did away with two generations of Heart rulers that horrific afternoon.”

This quote exemplifies both Alyss’s struggle with identity and the impact of her trauma on her sense of self. To Alyss, that younger self is a completely separate person from her, one whom she believes is completely lost to her. This quote foreshadows Alyss’s need to become something new rather than just reverting back to her past identity as though nothing has changed.

“I’m sure it’s too late for whatever Wonderland expected of me. I’d ask you to take me home, but I no longer have any idea where that is.”

Alyss says this to Dodge in an attempt to reconnect with him after noticing his coldness towards her after she returns to Wonderland. This quote signals the alienation Alyss feels from Wonderland and from herself, and the struggle she has in accepting her role in Wonderland. This quote illustrates Alyss’s split sense of identity at this point, and it foreshadows another obstacle she must overcome to unite the different parts of herself.

“It’s unconscious. To will something into being, the willing of it must be so deep down that no self-doubt is possible. The imaginative power itself must be a given, a thing already proven that cannot be disbelieved.”

This is Alyss’s most significant breakthrough in re-learning how to use her imagination. This quote makes explicit states what was previously only implicit: The power of imagination is reliant on the power and balance one feels within themselves. Before this point, this truth could be inferred from Alyss’s struggles on Earth, but this quote directly addresses the concept and signals the theme of self-belief as the key to personal empowerment.

“But you, Alyss Heart, have the strength of generations in your blood.”

The Blue Caterpillar says this to Alyss when they meet in the Valley of Mushrooms, to remind her of the power she possesses in belonging to something larger than herself—as opposed to Redd, who has cut herself off from her family and fights only for herself. This quote conveys the theme of the importance of a larger identity. As Alyss shortly discovers, not only is acceptance and self-empowerment in personal identity important, but service and identification with a communal identity—like a family or the Alyssian cause—is essential for unlocking one’s highest self.

“‘Control and power aren’t everything,’ one of the Hatters said. ‘Allow yourself to be the agent by which a cause greater than any single individual triumphs. Then perhaps you’ll be worthy of the Heart Crystal.’”

This quote illustrates, first, the theme of the importance of a larger identity, and second, the significance of the Heart Crystal as a symbol of duty to that cause. It also indicates an important aspect of the foil between Alyss and Redd: It foreshadows that Alyss will become an effective ruler because she can serve a cause higher than herself, whereas Redd has been nothing but a tyrant and has only had the power of the Heart Crystal by force; she has never been worthy of the Crystal because she serves nothing beyond herself.

“If, by sacrificing herself, [Alyss] could secure for [the Alyssians] the promise of longer lives, didn’t duty demand her sacrifice? They might yet manage to escape; Hatter might find a way. The spirit of White Imagination would live with them. It lived only so long as they did.”

This is the climax of Alyss’s journey through the Looking Glass Maze, and one of the most significant moments in her character arc. She fully realizes and accepts her duty to a cause rather than her own desires. Previously, Alyss failed the Maze because she could not put aside her hatred for Redd and keep the larger goal in mind; here, she has learned to choose the greater good. This act enables her to take the scepter, symbolizing her readiness to take up the mantle of her rule.

“The vaguely luminescent quality [Alyss] had as a child was now unclouded by immaturity, uncertainty, or reluctance. She stood like a sun among them, radiant with newfound strength, and any lingering doubt in the Alyssians’ minds about her ability to lead them vanished at the sight of her.”

This quote comes full circle with the symbol of imagination as radiating light, beginning when Quigly first notices it on Alyss. Here, it indicates Alyss’s maturity; it makes her into an almost superhuman figure, representing a motif common in other traditional hero stories where the hero transcends their darkness and emerges changed, enlightened. Alyss is now set apart from the others through her triumph and ascendance to her responsibilities.

“‘We’re family,’ Alyss said.

Redd snorted. ‘Is that supposed to mean something?’

‘Family,’ Alyss said again, trying to convince herself more than Redd.

‘Don’t talk to me about family! You were never disowned by your parents!’

‘I’d rather have been disowned by them than seen them murdered.’”

This dialogue reveals a key contrast between Redd and Alyss: their familial experiences. Both feel abandoned by their families, but for different reasons—Redd because she felt rejected, and Alyss because her parents were taken from her by Redd. Alyss’s familial identity is important to her, something from which she draws strength and balance; but Redd eschews her familial identity in favor of her individual one. Alyss learned from the Looking Glass Maze that she must commit to cause and to her people over herself, and her loyalty to her family is just one example of this; it signifies, by extension, Alyss’s loyalty to the principles of White Imagination that her family championed. Redd is weaker than Alyss because Redd is entirely self-serving and cannot connect with others through any shared cause.

“Unrealistic to not be angry, to never get angry or upset. It’s a matter of degree. Alyss’s anger informed her, but it didn’t rule her.”

This is the moment of integration between Alyss’s two selves, the moment in which she achieves emotional balance. It is significant not just for Alyss—as it represents a moment of healing and transformation for her—but also thematically. Alyss’s inner balance represents a balance between the black and white morality of Wonderland: Not all negative emotions must be tied to destruction or Black Imagination, as they can be integrated and balanced into forces of good. This quote serves the theme of the importance of emotional balance in wielding creative and destructive forces.