The Quest for the Beautiful Garden

Alice's persistent desire to enter the lovely garden drives her through encounters with the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and the Mad Tea-Party, as she struggles to control her size.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Encounter with the Caterpillar

The Caterpillar's Interrogation A Puzzling Conversation Alice, wandering in the wood after escaping the Rabbit's house, comes upon a large mushroom with a blue Caterpillar sitting on top, smoking a hookah. The Caterpillar asks, "Who are you?" Alice cannot answer, as she has changed so often that day. Their conversation is a series of short, contradictory remarks, with the Caterpillar challenging Alice's sense of identity and her recitation of "You are old, Father William." The Caterpillar's curtness frustrates Alice, but she learns that eating one side of the mushroom will make her grow taller, the other side shorter. The Gift of the Mushroom Before crawling away, the Caterpillar offers cryptic advice: "One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter." Alice breaks off two pieces and begins to experiment. She nibbles the right-hand bit and shrinks alarmingly, her chin striking her foot. She quickly eats the other bit and grows to an immense height, her neck stretching into the trees. A Pigeon mistakes her for a serpent, accusing her of seeking eggs. Alice manages to nibble both pieces alternately until she returns to her normal height, then shrinks to nine inches to approach a small house.

The Duchess's Kitchen and the Pig-Baby

A Chaotic Kitchen Pepper and Violence Alice enters a small house and finds the Duchess's kitchen full of smoke and pepper, making everyone sneeze. The Duchess sits nursing a baby while the Cook stirs a cauldron and throws dishes at them. The Duchess sings a violent lullaby and tosses the baby to Alice. Alice takes the baby outside, but it soon turns into a pig. She sets it down, and it trots away into the wood. Alice reflects that the ugly baby would make a handsome pig, and considers that she knows other children who might benefit from such a transformation. The Cheshire Cat's Appearance As Alice contemplates the pig, the Cheshire Cat appears on a tree branch, grinning. It offers Alice directions to the March Hare's house and the Hatter's house, warning that both are mad. The Cat explains that everyone in Wonderland is mad, including Alice, which she finds unsettling. The Cat vanishes and reappears, answering Alice's question about the baby's fate, then disappears slowly, leaving only its grin. Alice, fascinated and confused, decides to visit the March Hare.

The Mad Tea-Party

A Never-Ending Tea Riddles and Rudeness Alice arrives at the March Hare's house, where a large table is set under a tree. The March Hare, the Hatter, and a sleeping Dormouse are crowded at one end, shouting "No room!" Alice sits down indignantly, and they offer her wine that doesn't exist. The Hatter asks a riddle with no answer—"Why is a raven like a writing-desk?"—and reveals that Time is a person, frozen at six o'clock because the Hatter offended him at a concert. The party is a chaotic mix of absurd questions, shifting seats, and the Dormouse's nonsensical story about three sisters living in a treacle-well. Alice's Departure Alice grows increasingly frustrated by the rudeness and illogic. She stands up and walks off, leaving the Hatter and March Hare trying to put the Dormouse into the teapot. As she wanders through the wood, she discovers a door in a tree that leads back to the long hall with the glass table. She retrieves the golden key, nibbles the mushroom to shrink to a foot high, and finally enters the beautiful garden she has sought since the beginning.

The Queen's Croquet-Ground

A Garden of Cards Painting the Roses Red Alice enters the garden and finds three gardeners—Two, Five, and Seven—painting white roses red. They explain that the Queen of Hearts orders beheading for any mistake, and they mistakenly planted a white rose-tree. The Queen arrives with a grand procession of cards, and Alice boldly defies the Queen's command to behead the gardeners by hiding them in a flowerpot. The Queen invites Alice to play croquet, a game using flamingo mallets and hedgehog balls, with soldiers bent into arches. The game is chaotic, with everyone playing at once. The Cheshire Cat's Intervention The Cheshire Cat appears, its head floating in the air, and Alice discusses the unfairness of the game. The King of Hearts tries to remove the Cat, but the executioner argues that you cannot behead a head without a body. The Queen orders the Duchess brought from prison, but the Cat vanishes completely before the Duchess arrives. The Duchess, now friendly, walks with Alice and finds a moral in everything, until the Queen threatens to behead the Duchess, who hastily flees. Alice continues the game, but the Queen's constant executions reduce the field until only Alice, the King, and the Queen remain.

The Mock Turtle and the Gryphon

A Sorrowful Story The Mock Turtle's Lament The Queen takes Alice to meet the Mock Turtle, who is sobbing on a rock. The Gryphon accompanies them. The Mock Turtle tells his history: he was once a real turtle and attended school in the sea, learning subjects like Reeling, Writhing, and the different branches of Arithmetic—Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision. He describes the Lobster Quadrille, a dance performed with lobsters, and sings a song about soup. Alice shares her own adventures, but the Mock Turtle and Gryphon constantly interrupt and demand explanations. The Lobster Quadrille The Mock Turtle and Gryphon demonstrate the Lobster Quadrille, dancing around Alice while singing. Alice recites "'Tis the voice of the Lobster" but mixes up the words, much to the creatures' confusion. They ask her to explain, but she cannot. The Gryphon suggests another figure of the dance, but a cry of "The trial's beginning!" interrupts them. The Gryphon drags Alice away to the court, leaving the Mock Turtle still singing.

Alice's Trial and Awakening

The Courtroom Chaos The Accusation and Witnesses In the court, the King of Hearts presides as judge, with the Queen as prosecutor. The Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing the Queen's tarts. The White Rabbit reads the accusation, and witnesses include the Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse, who give contradictory and nonsensical testimony. The Cook is called but refuses to speak. Alice, growing larger and larger, becomes increasingly bolder. She tips over the jury-box and argues with the King about the meaning of a set of verses written by the Knave. Alice's Defiance and the Dream's End Alice realizes that the court is a farce. When the Queen screams "Sentence first—verdict afterwards," Alice shouts back, "Stuff and nonsense!" The Queen orders her beheading, but Alice defies her, saying, "You're nothing but a pack of cards!" The cards rise up and fly at her, and Alice wakes up on the riverbank, her head in her sister's lap. She recounts her dream, and her sister imagines Alice as a grown woman preserving her childlike wonder. The story ends with the sister's dream of Alice's future, blending memory and imagination.

after leaving the White Rabbit's house, in the wood

after the Caterpillar, at the Duchess's house

after the Cheshire Cat, at the March Hare's house

after entering the garden, at the croquet-ground

after the croquet game, at the sea-shore

near the ending, at the Queen of Hearts' Court