The Caucus-Race and the Mouse's Tale

Alice's first social encounter in Wonderland leads to a nonsensical race and a poignant tale that reveals the Mouse's deep-seated hatred of cats and dogs.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Gathering of Drenched Creatures

A Wet and Cross Assembly The Queer-Looking Party Alice swims to the shore of the pool of tears, followed by a Duck, a Dodo, a Lory, an Eaglet, and several other curious creatures. All are dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable. They gather on the bank, and Alice finds herself talking familiarly with them, as if she had known them all her life. She argues with the Lory about age, and the Mouse, who seems to be a person of authority, calls them to order. The Mouse's Dry History The Mouse proposes to dry them with a recitation of the driest thing it knows—a history lesson about William the Conqueror. It begins with the Norman conquest, but the Lory and the Duck interrupt with literal-minded questions. The Mouse grows cross, and the Dodo suggests a more energetic remedy: a Caucus-race.

The Caucus-Race

A Race Without Rules Running in Circles The Dodo marks out a race-course in a sort of circle, and the party places themselves along it. They begin running when they like and leave off when they like, so it is not easy to know when the race is over. After half an hour, they are quite dry, and the Dodo calls out "The race is over!" Everyone crowds around, asking who has won. The Dodo sits for a long time with one finger on its forehead, then declares, "Everybody has won, and all must have prizes." The Distribution of Prizes Alice is appointed to give the prizes. She pulls out a box of comfits from her pocket and hands them out, one to each creature. The Mouse insists that Alice must have a prize herself, so the Dodo solemnly presents her with a thimble from her own pocket. Alice finds the whole thing absurd, but the creatures look so grave that she dares not laugh. She bows and takes the thimble, looking as solemn as she can.

The Mouse's Tale

A Long and Sad Tale The Mouse's Promised Story After the comfits are eaten, the party sits down in a ring, and Alice reminds the Mouse of its promise to tell its history and why it hates cats and dogs. The Mouse sighs and begins, "Mine is a long and a sad tale!" Alice, looking down, sees the Mouse's tail and misinterprets the word "tale" as "tail," thinking the Mouse's story is literally shaped like a tail. She tries to follow the Mouse's words, but the story is presented as a poem in the shape of a tail. The Tale of Fury and the Mouse The poem, "The Mouse's Tale," is a legal dispute between a dog named Fury and a mouse. Fury proposes a trial with no jury or judge, offering to be both, and sentences the mouse to death. As the Mouse recites, Alice's attention wanders, and she misses the point. The Mouse stops, accusing Alice of not attending. She humbly apologizes but then offers to "undo a knot," mistaking "knot" for "not." The Mouse, offended, stalks off, and the other animals also leave when Alice mentions Dinah's prowess as a mouser.

Alone with Loneliness

Deserted and Desolate The Consequences of Dinah Alice is left alone on the shore, feeling very lonely and low-spirited. She regrets mentioning Dinah, for the creatures, fearing cats, have all fled. She muses on her pet's virtues, but the solitude weighs on her. She begins to cry again, longing for the comfort of the Mouse's continued story or any companion. The silence of the shore amplifies her homesickness. A Faint Hope Suddenly, Alice hears a pattering of footsteps in the distance and looks up eagerly, half hoping the Mouse has changed its mind. Instead, it is the White Rabbit, trotting back and looking for something. Alice's mood shifts from despair to cautious curiosity, setting the stage for her next adventure.

after the pool of tears, on the shore

after the drying attempt, on the shore

after the race, on the shore

after the animals depart, on the shore