The Child in Lewis Carroll
The early stages in life are often the most curious; childhood is about growing up and finding the personality that best fits. Childhood is a stage in life every individual experiences, however not every individual such as Lewis Carroll cherishes the experience. Carroll is a man who defines the expression 'inside every adult there is a child.' However, Carroll is only half of his name and personality. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, Carroll's real name, grew up with seven sisters and three brothers. As a child, Carroll was well known for entertaining other children with puzzles and games. Anita Silvey explains, "He avidly read fairytales and nonsense rhymes and even as a boy had entertained other children with games, stories, puzzles, plays, and drawings. Carroll recognized the child's inner fears, wishes, intelligence, and imaginations and invited them to laugh" (Silvey 123-124). Carroll grew up with stuttering problems, lacking self confidence, and struggled socializing with older individuals his own age.
English: original illustration (1865) by John Tenn...
Portrait of Lewis Carroll: This was first publishe...
English: Alice Liddell as a beggar-maid (from the ...As a result, Anita Silvey states, "More likely, Carroll retained his playful and childlike perspectives as a result of a happy childhood. Apparently he was more comfortable with children because with them he did not stammer, as he did when in company of adults" (Silvey 123). As an adult, Carroll entertained little girls with stories and toys. Carroll cherished his childhood and taught children how to cherish theirs as well. In the Adventure's of Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll uses personification to entertain and teach readers of all ages the values of youth.
Leaving the child world brought Charles Lutwidge Dodgson into a world full of worries and responsibilities. As Dodgson kept a hold of his inner child, it was like having two personalities where he named one, Lewis Carroll. Phyliss Greenacre further explains,
His outer life...