44 pages • 1-hour read
Lewis CarrollA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Alice is a curious, bold, and opinionated seven-year-old girl from a wealthy middle-class English family. She often tries to apply her rote school lessons to the nonsensical situations she encounters, though her attempts frequently fail. Despite experiencing constant, disorienting changes in her physical size, she maintains a defiant and common-sensical attitude when confronted by rude or irrational creatures.
Younger Sister of Alice's Sister
Follower of The White Rabbit
Target of The Queen of Hearts
Owner of Dinah
Pupil of The Caterpillar
Advisee of Cheshire Cat
Guest of The Hatter
Acquaintance of The Duchess
Guest of The March Hare
Acquaintance of The Dormouse
The White Rabbit is a nervous, worried, and imperious creature who acts as an administrator in the royal court. He is splendidly dressed and constantly frets about being late for his mysterious appointments. He serves as the catalyst for Alice's adventure and repeatedly crosses her path, mistaking her for his servant and later acting as a herald at the royal trial.
Cheshire Cat is a mischievous, good-natured but sharp-clawed feline who can appear and disappear at will. It acts as a guide to Alice, explaining the irrational rules and inherent absurdity of Wonderland. It often leaves behind only its floating, wide smile to unsettle the other characters.
The Hatter is a frantic, sharply dressed man with a large top hat bearing a price tag of ten shillings and sixpence. Stuck in a permanent time loop where it is always six o'clock teatime, he speaks in non sequiturs, riddles, and puns. He is highly argumentative and frequently excludes Alice from conversations through abstract linguistic games.
The Queen of Hearts is the tyrannical ruler of Wonderland, represented as a playing card from a standard deck. She wears a constant look of displeasure and demands immediate beheadings for even the slightest infractions. She represents the irrationality of sudden anger, ruling her subjects through absolute fear rather than reason.
Enemy of Alice
Wife of The King of Hearts
Accuser of The Knave of Hearts
Ruler of The White Rabbit
Ruler of Three Gardeners
The Caterpillar is a large, blue, aloof sage who communicates with a contemptuous and lazy attitude. He challenges Alice's beliefs about her identity, frustrating her with his constant demands that she explain herself. He possesses the knowledge Alice needs to control her size and eventually shares it with her.
Instructor to Alice
The Duchess is a short, older woman with a large head who wears a medieval double-horned headdress. She is abrasive in her own home but later acts affectionately toward Alice. She demonstrates a fondness for finding nonsensical moral lessons in every statement she hears.
Acquaintance of Alice
Mother of The Baby
Employer of The Cook
Subject of The Queen of Hearts
Owner of Cheshire Cat
Alice's Sister is a calm, mature presence who anchors Alice to the real world. She watches over Alice while she naps on the riverbank reading a book. She reflects on the dream, imagining how Alice will eventually grow into an adult while maintaining the loving, pure heart of her childhood.
Older Sister of Alice
The March Hare lives in a large cottage shaped like a hare and spends all his time locked in a perpetual tea party with the Hatter. He is deeply uncivil, offering Alice wine when there is none. He enjoys arguing over the grammatical structure of her sentences.
The Dormouse is a small, chronically sleepy creature who uses the tea table as a resting place. When briefly awoken, he tells a confusing story about three sisters living in a treacle well. He is constantly interrupted by his companions and easily offended by Alice.
The Mock Turtle is a mournful creature who constantly cries over the fact that he used to be a real turtle. He speaks primarily in heavy puns regarding his underwater education, substituting standard school subjects with nonsense words. He teaches Alice the steps to the Lobster Quadrille.
Friend of The Gryphon
Acquaintance of Alice
The Gryphon is a mythological creature with the body and tail of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. He serves the Queen of Hearts but dismisses her execution orders as empty threats. He speaks with a gruff, informal accent and enjoys dancing and reminiscing about his school days.
The King of Hearts is the co-ruler of Wonderland. He is generally quieter than his wife and secretly pardons many of the subjects she condemns to death. During the trial of the stolen tarts, he acts as the presiding judge, though he is easily confused by the nonsensical evidence presented.
The Knave of Hearts is a courtier who faces trial for allegedly stealing the Queen's tarts. He denies writing a highly ambiguous letter that the King attempts to use as evidence against him. He carries the King's crown on a crimson velvet cushion during processions.
Subject of The Queen of Hearts
Subject of The King of Hearts
Bill is a lizard who works as a farmhand for the White Rabbit. He is forced to go down the chimney of the Rabbit's house to investigate the giant Alice, resulting in him being kicked out of the flue. He later serves as a confused juror at the royal trial.
Employee of The White Rabbit
Victim of Alice
The Cook is an irate and violent servant who creates a thick cloud of pepper in the kitchen. She hurls pots, pans, and plates at the Duchess and the baby. She later appears as an uncooperative witness at the trial of the stolen tarts.
Employee of The Duchess
Witness for The King of Hearts
The Mouse is a sensitive and easily offended animal who falls into the pool of tears. He attempts to dry everyone off by reciting a painfully boring history lesson about William the Conqueror. He is deeply insulted by Alice's constant mentions of cats and dogs.
Acquaintance of Alice
Companion of The Dodo
The Dodo is an authoritative bird who organizes a chaotic caucus race to help the soaked animals dry off. He declares that everyone has won the race. He demands that Alice provide prizes for all participants from her pockets.
Acquaintance of Alice
Companion of The Mouse
Three Gardeners are playing cards in the service of the royal court. They accidentally plant a white rose bush and frantically attempt to paint it red before the Queen arrives. They fear being beheaded for their botanical mistake.
Subordinates of The Queen of Hearts
Protected by Alice
The Baby is an infant who suffers under the Duchess's rough lullabies and the Cook's flying dishware. When Alice takes the child outside to rescue it, she discovers it has transformed into a pig. It eventually trots off into the forest.
Son of The Duchess
Rescued by Alice