Ethics and Leadership in Alice

Upon starting this DB, I had my doubts about what I could find in Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass that had to do with leadership and ethics. How could a children’s book have so much to do with applicable life aspects such as these? However, when I think about it, so many books and movies have bigger pictures in mind. For example, think about Pinocchio (which I hated as a child!). I don’t think many children knew what asses were at that age, but now as an older individual, I realize that Pinocchio and his friends turned into donkeys because they were behaving like asses! The pun is much more clear now that I am older and can understand it. Aladdin also portrays life lessons that make much more sense to older children than at the age that I started watching the movie. Aladdin shows that if a person can accept themselves for who they really are and not who they pretend to be, then they are more likely to be accepted by others. Also, Aladdin defies the desire to be greedy by freeing the genie at the end of the movie instead of keeping him prisoner so he can have one more wish.

Aladdin remains true his word and is rewarded for his selfless actions. These movies have proven to me that children’s stories can have much deeper meanings than perhaps they are intended to have and thus I felt much more confident in finder the proof of leadership and ethics in Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
As a leader, I could see how Alice displayed some of the aspects I’ve thought a leader should possess before. For example, Alice shows many signs of compassion and understanding of others in Alice in Wonderland. First of all, when she is talking to the mouse, she mentions her cat, Dinah, but then suddenly cuts herself off because she is afraid of offending the mouse. By relating with the mouse, Alice is displaying excellent leadership skills that could come in handy. Alice displays her compassionate side once again when she encounters the puppy. Although Alice was “terribly frightened” (Carroll 45) because of the puppy’s abnormal size, she is still kind to it and tries to play with it.

In doing these kind actions instead of recoiling in fear, Alice is gaining more friends than she would have otherwise, which is a key aspect to leadership.
Another aspect of leadership that I thought stood out was Alice’s sense of reason and logic. She comes across many strange and confusing experiences and she keeps a level head for the most part, except for when she cries (but that’s understandable as she is very young and very frustrated). To begin with, as Alice is falling down the rabbit hole, she begins to worry about Dinah. She expresses the hope that someone will “remember her saucer of milk at tea-time,” (Carroll 14) instead of worrying about what most people would worry about: what lies at the end of the fall. By keeping a calm countenance in a desperate situation, Alice shows excellent leadership skills. A leader who loses their head in a crisis cannot hope to help others, as they are supposed to. Also, Alice’s behavior toward the Queen is both logical and brave. The Queen is constantly commanding the execution of those around her and instead of giving in to fear and the fact that she might be killed. When the Queen shouts at Alice “’off with her head!’” Alice replies “’nonsense,” (Carroll 82) which shuts the Queen up immediately. By displaying both bravery and level-headedness, Alice is leaving me in no doubt of her sense of leadership.
The two books also gave me an idea of how ethics could be applied from encounter that Alice had to real life. In the trial, I noticed one aspect of Wonderland that Alice did not share with the other inhabitants of Wonderland. All the citizens such as the Mouse, the White Rabbit, and the Turtle show how they were all wrapped up in their own busy lives and could not give much attention to Alice although she was a very polite and sincere girl. For example, Alice is rather frightened and confused upon first arriving to Wonderland and the White Rabbit “’took [her] for his housemaid’” (Carroll 38) busily brushing past her and carrying on about his business with the Duchess. Their behavior correlates with people’s behavior these days. I have noticed that when in need of help, many people are too busy to give it. They don’t have that much consideration for others when they are wrapped up in their own lives. Also, when Alice is talking with Tweedledee and Tweedledum, she wants to find “’the best way out of this wood’” (Carroll 181) and asks very politely how to leave. However, Tweedledee and Tweedledum only care about reciting a poem to her and they do not help her. They are so wrapped up in their own lives and actions that they appear to be too busy to even help a lost little girl.
The behavior of the Queen and that of the other croquet players reflects this pattern as well. During the croquet match, the Queen displays a certain amount of rudeness and cares only about condemning others to death, constantly shouting “off with her [or his] head!” (Carroll 82). Not only is this talk preposterous, but it doesn’t help to get the game done with. Also, the “players all played at once, without waiting for turns, quarrelling all the while, and fighting for the hedgehogs” (Carroll 85).

Clearly, the actions of the Queen and the other players are ridiculous. However, it shows that without a certain degree of respect and civility, nothing will get done. Alice is simply coming along to play a game of croquet, but it goes terribly and the game is never completed because of the inconsiderate actions of the other players. In order to accomplish things, people must work together respectfully and efficiently.