Five

Five is one of the three gardeners in Wonderland who are caught painting white roses red to avoid the Queen of Hearts' wrath, and his brief appearance illustrates the arbitrary terror and absurd logic of the Queen's court.

Identity and Introduction

Five is a gardener in the Queen of Hearts' domain, first encountered by Alice as she enters the Queen's Croquet-Ground. He is one of three gardeners—the others being Two and Seven—who are busily painting the white roses of a large rose-tree red. When Alice approaches, she hears Five say to Seven, "Look out now, Five! Don't go splashing paint over me like that!" to which Five replies in a sulky tone, "I couldn't help it... Seven jogged my elbow." Seven then accuses Five of always laying the blame on others, and Five retorts that he heard the Queen say only yesterday that Seven deserved to be beheaded. When Two asks what for, Seven tells him it is none of his business, but Five insists on revealing the reason: Seven had brought the cook tulip-roots instead of onions. This exchange reveals that the gardeners live under constant threat of execution for even minor mistakes.

Key Actions and Objectives

Five's primary action is his participation in the desperate attempt to disguise the white rose-tree as a red one before the Queen arrives. He and his fellow gardeners know that if the Queen discovers the error, "we should all have our heads cut off." When Five anxiously calls out "The Queen! The Queen!" the three gardeners instantly throw themselves flat upon their faces. After the Queen interrogates them and discovers the painted roses, she orders their heads cut off. The soldiers remain behind to execute them, but the gardeners run to Alice for protection, and she hides them in a large flower-pot, declaring "You shan't be beheaded!" The soldiers, after searching briefly, march off and report to the Queen that the heads are gone, which she accepts.

Relationships and Conflict

Five's relationship with Seven is marked by petty bickering and mutual accusation, yet both are united in their shared fear of the Queen. The gardeners' conflict with the Queen is absolute: she is a capricious tyrant who orders beheadings for the slightest offense, and they have no recourse but to obey or hide. Alice becomes an unexpected protector, intervening on their behalf with a courage that surprises even herself.

Change and Ending

Five does not undergo any personal transformation; his role is that of a minor functionary caught in the machinery of the Queen's terror. After Alice hides him and the other gardeners in the flower-pot, he disappears from the narrative. His fate is left uncertain, but the Queen's acceptance of the soldiers' report suggests that the gardeners have escaped execution for the moment.

Thematic Significance

Five embodies the theme of arbitrary power and the absurdity of the Queen's rule. His desperate act of painting roses—a futile attempt to conceal a trivial mistake—mirrors the larger absurdity of Wonderland, where logic is inverted and survival depends on pleasing a tyrant. The gardeners' collective fear and their reliance on Alice's intervention highlight the vulnerability of ordinary beings in a world governed by irrational authority.