od-natured about her ordeal. The voice behind the poem about the sea, however, shows no willingness to adapt or to come to even some kind of a peaceful compromise with the sea he hates, although playfully.
From the beginning of Alice's story and the rabbit who speaks English and carries a watch, she must deal with situations which her mind is not equipped to deal with. But Alice learns that she is stronger than she believes, whatever the reality or danger or curiosity she faces. However, this does not mean she is able to make sense of what happens to her, although she certainly tries to make sense of it. Alice is more or less bewildered for most of her adventures in the two books, but she does eventually assert herself as an individual capable of affecting even such an unreal reality. In Alice, she finally stands up for herself, defies the Queen and the Court and the absurd laws and customs of the world of Wonderland. In doing so, she "awakens" or at least returns to the reality she left behind at the beginning of the story (Carroll Alice 111-112). Despite the many frightening and harrowing experiences she has had in Wonderland, Alice finally has nothing but fond memories of her adventures. She thinks "what a wonderful dream it had been" (Carroll 111).
Some critics, as Kelly writes (71-72), argue that Carroll wrote Alice not for children but for adults. However, in th
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