Although there is much controversy about Lewis Carroll's relationships and feelings with little girls, it is a fact that his works “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through Mirror and What Alice Found There" have been widely revered for their comic and imaginative nature. His photography, however, (which is often under his real name, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), while technically and aesthetically masterful, is more criticized and certainly less appreciated than his writing. At first glance, it may seem that Carroll's different means of expression convey dual personalities and goals in him, even in terms of a single muse; Alice's stories are whimsical and playful accounts of the adventures of a young “girl”, while her photographs are often seen as eroticized images depicting a vulnerable child in sometimes even compromising positions, with the aim of serving a perverse male gaze. This misconception cannot be maintained upon closer inspection, because by examining certain scenes and motifs in Alice's texts, it is clear that Alice Liddell's written counterpart is just as eroticized as her photographic form. The scene where Alice's body is stretched out and encounters a pigeon raises the question of whether Alice is a child or a snake, whether she is innocence or temptation, or whether they are "the same thing after all" (Schanoes). Using evidence from his diaries, his poems and especially his texts and photographs of Alice, it can be argued that for Carroll innocence was temptation, and they were after all the same thing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Although it is unclear whether his aim was to sexualize Alice in the photos he took of her, Lewis Carroll does so rather blatantly. In one photograph, Alice can be seen centered among what appears to be shrubs, with an unidentifiable white drapery falling from her shoulder to reveal her left nipple (Carroll 280). Her hand is on her hip as she looks defiantly at the viewer, and leaves the viewer wondering why exactly she is depicted this way (Kincaid 275). In a similar photograph, Alice's body is entirely covered, also dressed in white and, if anything, looks more provocative than the one previously mentioned. Perhaps this difference, despite the difficulty posed by being fully clothed, is due to the even more mischievous and complicit grin than in the other photograph (Carroll 279). Indeed, the knowing smile is likely evidence of “a tantalizing knowledge of her own privacy” that allows her to “evade even her own photographs” (Kincaid 276). Many of these photographs posed by Alice show shyness and reserve, but some others have what appears to be grossly overt sexuality. For example, in another photo, Alice is wearing a similar loose-fitting white dress, which appears to be buttoned all the way up to the collar. She is with her two sisters, wearing identical clothes, and Lorina is feeding her cherries. Alice is standing very upright, with her back slightly arched and her mouth open (Carroll 282). The camera seems to linger on the position of her head and the profile of her face, which looks particularly erotic as her sister swings cherries in the air. Such an image can only hint at seemingly more innocent and chaste images of Alice (such as one in which she is fully clothed, sitting on a bench and wearing a headdress, looking away from the camera and not casting a lingering glance) of satirical or fake innocence, rather than real. However, Alice was very young and was most likely onetypical little girl, and not an erotic deviant, as the photos would have you believe. The provocative nature of these photographs is the direct result of Carroll's keen and skillful eye in posing Alice, directing her movements and expressions, and capturing her in a sexual light; his fantasies came to life through the camera. In later accounts of her memories of Carroll, an adult Alice Liddell recounts watching him develop photographs saying "Also, the darkroom was so mysterious and we felt that any adventure could happen there" (Carroll 278). While it would be presumptuous to read any of Carroll's implications into this circumstance, there is certainly an air of unsettling to what Alice recounts as an adult, which she does not acknowledge. The admission of this recognition demonstrates at least a lack of "tempting knowledge" on his part of "his own reserve" and most likely demonstrates naivety, which contrasts with the erotic nature of his appearance in the photographs. Therefore, it is artfully constructed or specially captured by Carroll. Lending credence to the idea that photographic Alice and textual Alice are not similarly sexualized are the other inherent visual differences in both representations of Alice. The real Alice Liddell, as shown in the photographs, had short brown hair and dark eyes, as well as straight bangs. Hairstyle and color might not initially seem like a big factor, but it's one of the main ways in which Tenniel's Alice drawings stand out, and there's clearly a big difference, in this guise, between the Alices. The Alice portrayed in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass has long, flowing blonde hair, and it is pushed back to reveal her entire forehead. The hairstyles are about as opposite as they could be, and another important physical distinction is in their eyes. Clearly a drawing will be less accurate than a photograph, but Tenniel's depiction of Alice's eyes shows them as large, widely open, and almost considerably larger. curious and less mischievous than those of the real person in the photo. Again, Carroll must have pulled the strings and made exactly what he wanted as the end product of the photographs, but with this in mind, one wonders why the fictional Alice has these physical distinctions if the non-fictional Alice does not. If the image of the real Alice can be manipulated in this way, then the fictional Alice is a clearly Carroll-laden construct, and with much deliberation. Carroll himself has said that he would like his books to be read “with delicacy and love,” similar to the way they were written (Kincaid 218). Therefore one can easily understand why Carroll created his vision of Alice in this way, because since the child is "artificial", there is no reason why he would not be particularly liked and, according to Kincaid, kindness can be done according order” (Kincaid 219). Since kindness and modesty were characteristics that Carroll particularly valued, he created an Alice with this image; By taking the Alice he so admired and fine-tuning all the qualities that might have undermined her "kindness" or purity, Carroll created an Alice to be adored by the masses. Along with this, his constructed Alice can be considered a blank slate; she is small, young, impressionable, light-skinned, light-haired, has large circular eyes, and is "aesthetically indistinct" (Bruhm and Hurley). These "gentle" and fuzzy qualities serve to further eroticize Alice, although they may seem, to the contrary, to exude innocence. This version of Alice, more than anything else, may be Carroll's form of a psychological construct, of his own desires, or those anticipated desires of the reader. The washed complexion, the hair andthe eyes, which, in contrast to her character, do not convey any expression, are all ways in which Carroll can make Alice erotic, creating emptiness (Bruhm and Hurley). Such bright features are not in themselves more attractive, but rather mean nothing and therefore “[do] not interfere with projections” (Bruhm and Hurley). Equally important, the epitome of an erotic child, who is every reader's model for projecting their own preferences and desires, also tends to be sporadically silly in certain cases and bourgeois in the background. This is precisely why Carroll usually posed Alice all white for his photographs. He clearly couldn't change her physical appearance, and he loved her just the way she was, so he wouldn't want to; to ensure her seductive appearance, while keeping her modest, Carroll captured her almost exclusively in white. Controlling the color of her dress was the best Carroll could do to make her Alice as blank as possible and, therefore, attract as many stares as possible. In creating an image of a child so malleable and so susceptible to external projection, Carroll also created a quite exploitable child. This idea is poked fun at, in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland when Alice finds the bottle marked "DRINK ME" (Carroll 56). Sarcastically, Carroll calls her "wise little Alice" when she searches for a sign marked with poison. While the humor in this scene can be appreciated, there is something very disturbing about it. Although the liquid simply changes its size, the potential danger in drinking from an unfamiliar bottle, especially contrasted with Alice's false sense of security when she does not find the word poison, demonstrates the ease with which Alice could be put in danger and possibly exploited. even sexually. This humor is rather dark, as Alice could be put in imminent danger, but in light of the fact that she is not and that Carroll has direct control over this, the humor is a manifestation of her conflicting feelings of latent adoration, sexual frustration , longing for Alice and a slight resentment at not being able to have her the way he would like. Along with these feelings, and to more fully portray Alice in the light of the "erotic child", Carroll writes Alice as passive, and often in denial about her feelings, such as anger, indignation, hunger, and loneliness (Garland). Carroll liked children to be modest, polite, and not excessive in any way, especially when they were hungry. A well-known quirk of Carroll's is that he was repelled by a voracious appetite, which explains the character of the Duchess, and also the Red Queen, and why both characters were so despicable (Garland). To accommodate their hateful portrayals, Carroll was very fond of little girls, but tended to detest women, and therefore their transition into women. Speaking of the much admired child Alice Liddell, Carroll wrote in a diary entry "Alice seems to have changed much and hardly for the better, probably going through the usual awkward phase of transition" (Carroll 246). As a result, adult women were written as unlikable characters and are linked to gluttony and large appetites (Garland). Therefore, it stands to reason that Alice would compare herself to many of these women. In doing so, Carroll indirectly demonstrates his belief in the sexual superiority and greater desirability of girls over women. Alice has poise, good manners, and is illustrated to look pretty, while the few women in both Alice texts tend to be hideous. It is believed that the way Carroll stifles any ugliness, excess or undesirable feeling in the fictional Alice - and, in doing so, somehow manages toto stifle her voice, to deprive her of agency and to objectify her completely - is a desperate manipulation on Carroll's part, due to his anxieties about Alice's maturation into adolescence (Garland). Another case where Alice completely loses control is when she is very small and talks to the caterpillar. Alice is extremely shrunken in size at this point and is feeling quite vulnerable, as evidenced when the caterpillar asks her who she is and she responds with, "I... don't know, sir, just yet"... "I can't "I don't explain. I'm afraid, sir, because I'm not myself, you see (Carroll 84).” When the caterpillar finally responds how it can get bigger and tells her to take a bite out of one side of the mushroom, she can't hear him and he doesn't specify which side. This leaves Alice as confused as before, if not more so, and she has to do something, because she can't stay that little. This part is particularly interesting because the caterpillar's behavior appears to be intentional. He seems to want to be evasive towards Alice, perhaps to leave her in the lurch, because he seems a little annoyed by her naivety or current insecurity. The caterpillar's responses to Alice can be read as ambivalent. While he seems less foolish and (perhaps) wiser than the rest of Wonderland's mad creatures, he is also undoubtedly argumentative and wishes to leave Alice helpless. However, the helplessness he gives Alice is most likely his singular faith in her maturation. But if so, then it is equally crucial to note that the caterpillar has only a small, perhaps important, but non-recurring role. Most importantly, Alice leaves the caterpillar still relatively vulnerable and helpless, which is how Carroll likes to keep it most of the time in Alice in Wonderland. When there are deviations of any form (as when Alice maintains some control), the reader feels Carroll struggling with his own feelings, coming to terms with Alice's inevitable final “transition” and relinquishing his control. There is a subtle power struggle between the fictional Alice and Carroll, in which Carroll comes out on top, causing Wonderland and the mirror to dream. In a different, more highly sexualized scene, Alice gives up all control and is the victim of her strange circumstance. When Alice falls down the rabbit hole, she can't see in any direction because it's dark, so she can only wonder what will happen. She anticipates, but has no idea what will become of her at the bottom of the fall (Carroll 52). Alice falling through this hole parallels her passage through a birth canal and her rebirth as a woman. Wonderland (though the reader doesn't know it yet, and neither does Alice) is full of heightened awareness and realization for Alice, after long periods of confusion. Therefore, the “fall” takes her into a space of greater wisdom and knowledge; since this fall is part of his dream, it represents his crossing his own body to get to “the other side” or in a different form, with the hole alluding to his sexual awakening. The fact that falling through the hole is characterized above all by lack of control indicates the lack of control he has over his own sexual identity. This lack of control over her sexuality (including her body, her desires, and her assertiveness towards unwanted advances) recurs in a more conventional but disturbing way, later in her adventures in Wonderland. When Alice and the Duchess walk together after croquet, the Duchess curiously keeps putting her chin on Alice's shoulder (Carroll 122). Carroll clearly makes this scene strangely repulsive, even if the sexuality aspect isn't extremely clear-cut. However, the atmosphereof the scene is set up in such a way as to make the reader shudder in disgust and confusion, especially when the Duchess states that Alice must "wonder why [she doesn't] put [her] arm around [Alice's arm." ] life” (Carroll 124). As the note states, the Duchess clearly has the face of a grotesque man and continually invades Alice's space, wanting to carry out an "experiment". Alice, with her good manners intact—which Carroll decides to preserve even in the face of exploitation and extreme hardship—so as not to be too assertive or determined, searches for an excuse and is saved only by the sudden appearance of the Queen (125). Alice's narrow escapes from many undesirable events leave the reader anxious about her potential danger or exploitation, due to her meekness and sexual allure. The book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is full of Carroll's reactions and anxieties about Alice's impending womanhood. Carroll himself manifests himself through the pigeon, when he fearfully accuses Alice of being a snake. First the pigeon is afraid of Alice, who turns into a sort of anger and disbelief towards what she says and her motives. Similarly, Carroll probably asked himself the question, “Is this Alice Liddell a tool for temptation?” In asking, he probably viewed her as a deceptive and elusive force, aware of her powers over him and with the ability to bring him down or hurt him (in this case, emotionally). He is also afraid of his feelings for her, and probably places some of the blame on her, for being "snake-like". Most likely, this is how the allusion arose, which ultimately leads to the bigger question: is Alice a girl or a snake? Is she innocent or cunning (temptation)? This leads the reader to decide that Alice is unconsciously cunning, due to her power over Carroll. This is why he must assert such power over his creation. The reader may or may not blame Carroll for sexualizing Alice, but regardless, one thing is certain; some of Alice's eroticism is written with love and not at all perversely. His character itself is erotic because it keeps the reader on edge; although she acts somewhat passively, she does so in such a way that she is always in sight, but never too close, and this elusiveness invites the male gaze. Carroll's Alice, who is arguably true to real-life Alice, blends a certain amount of passivity and shyness with just the right amount of stubbornness and unpredictability, that her character "demands to be loved" and on her own terms (Kincaid 274). While there are some ways in which Alice remains disempowered, she is powerful and perpetuates this distance between herself and the avid reader. While the failure to bridge this gap may sadden some, a true lover of children like Carroll sees the hidden blessing, that another generation and another generation of Alice and her adventures may live on, while if the gap were filled, it could never be reopened. It is this unexpected, twisted and perhaps perverse relationship, between the little girl who runs (jovially, playfully) and the lover of children whom Carroll chases, figuratively speaking, that generates such a confusing but evidently strong love that Carroll has for Alice. Such displays of this love are often criticized, and often rightly so. Therefore, the reader may side with Alice and detest Carroll's control over her invented character. However, while this is quite valid, it should not be ignored that control is the result of a strange but real love and a huge fear of loss. In Carroll's concluding poem Through the Looking Glass, Carroll shares with the reader his sense of loss once Alice transitions from (white) pawn to queen.