The interactions we see between Alice and other characters in Alice Through the Looking-Glass seem to play with the idea of maturity quite a bit. In particular, I think it’s very interesting how all of the characters appear to possess aspects of maturity and immaturity at the same time. In the curious and wonderful characters Alice comes across as she moves about, we see a lot of them correcting her or informing her of a lot, whether what they say makes sense or not. A parallel between these characters and real adults can be drawn here. If we consider that we are looking through the eyes of a very young girl, would not many of the things an adult says be rather confusing or hard to grasp? Furthermore, many of the other characters seem to address Alice in a patronizing manner when they speak to her about these things. These two things together make me think of a child listening to an adult talking down to them and not really understanding what they say, then getting frustrated and wondering if what they heard was simply nonsense. Interestingly, though, these characters also act childishly in many respects, such as by simply expecting someone to understand what they mean when they make little sense, or by behaving with a temper.
In a contrasting manner, Alice herself also shows aspects of maturity and immaturity. While the characters she comes across appear to be more knowledgeable about the new world Alice has come to, Alice is often confused, much like any other child might be if they have yet to learn very much about the real world. When she approaches this new world, she shows the wonderment and curiosity of a very small child who is intrigued and amused by a world that seems so new and strange to them. She is also somewhat prone to childish outbursts of emotion, and her goal to become a queen seems like a common childish fantasy. However, the way that Alice behaves and carries herself most of the time makes her seem very adult-like, especially in comparison to the other characters. While she may get frustrated with them, she often tries her very best to treat them nicely, while they often do not seem to consider the feelings of others. She also points out much of their nonsense, and it seems that she does so more out of curiosity than a desire to be right. It makes her come off as a figure who is naive, especially to the ways of the strange new world she’s found herself in, but also as one that is clever and composed. While the characters from Wonderland are adult-like in their knowledge but child-like in their actions, Alice is the opposite. Thus, the roles of adult and child seem to switch back and forth between Alice and whomever she speaks with, creating a very interesting and unique dynamic between the characters.
