tory. The maincharacter of Alice was based on Dodgson’s six-year-old friend Alice Liddell. Alice is a curious girl with an untrustworthy memory. She is bright and friendly, although sheoccasionally says the wrong things and angers the touchy creatures in Wonderland. She isusually quite polite, but also has a temper, and she is often upset off by the discourteousnatures of the creatures she meets. The White Rabbit is An easily frightened andperpetually late courtier in the court of the Queen of Hearts. It is he whom Alice followsinto Wonderland itself, although he is not a trustworthy guide. He is the only characterbesides Alice who runs through the entire course of the story. The Caterpillar isencountered by Alice while he is sitting on a mushroom smoking a hookah. Though heoften speaks in riddles, he is quite helpful to Alice. He provides her information aboutthe mushroom, which allows her to change her size at her own will. The Mad Hatter isone member of a perpetual tea party which Alice joins for a time. He is quiteargumentative and provokes Alice throughout the tea party. He is fond of riddles with noanswers. The hatter seems to be a bit of a bully, but when faced by the Queen of Hearts,he is quite frightened. The Cheshire Cat is one of the few characters who are particularlyhelpful to Alice as she wanders through Wonderland. He moves by disappearing into thinair, often tail-first, leaving only his grin behind to linger. Martin Gardner’s TheAnnotated Alice tells us that the phrase "grin like a Cheshire cat" was common whenLewis Carroll was writing. Cheshire is also the county in England that Carroll himselfwas born. Finally, the Queen of Hearts is tyrannical and loud. She expects to be obeyedand is quite free with her orders that individual's heads be cut off. Everyone inWonderland, with the sometime exception of Alice, is quite frightened by the Queen, andfearful of being on her bad side. The fact that she h...
