Your Personal Wonderland

Most people have been fascinated by the work of Walt Disney who repeatedly turned the impossible into possible over the years. He not only developed Disneyland and Disneyworld which are clean playgrounds for families but also created many fictional characters in the movies that he produced.

One of my favourites is "Alice in Wonderland". It tells a story of bizarre happenings for a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole. Many of the characters probably resemble some real-life individuals you have met.

 

1. Alice is a rather naïve but polite young person who is curious and eager to chase a furry white rabbit in her quest for adventure. She is, of course, immature and has an imagination that doesn't match reality. Know anyone like this?
2. The white rabbit is famous for his large pocket watch and frantic singing of the tune that begins "I'm late. I'm late. For a very important date". Many people in society are always claiming that they are late and seem to think that they are so busy and important that this is excusable. The rabbit, however, is fraught with high anxiety because of his tardiness and just can't seem to get it together.
3. The Mad Hatter is mad - not angry but thought disordered. He talks and acts in unusual ways that would not be expected. He celebrates the three hundred sixty-four days that are "unbirthdays", fixes a watch by pouring food on it and removing the springs while through it all he sings and dances in what might be termed a manic high.
4. The Cheshire cat is a bit of a philosopher who also does the unexpected by distorting his body. He can remove his head to stand on it, turn his teeth into piano keys and disappear stripe by strip. His sage advice to Alice is that if you don't know where you are going, then it doesn't matter what direction you choose. A bit of a trickster, I think.
5. The Caterpillar is a drug user who blows smoke rings in the shapes of alphabet letters from his hookah. He doesn't seem to have a care in the world as he sings about vowels and answers questions in a chillaxed fashion.
6. The individual cards from the deck are blamers. They point to each other rather than accepting responsibility and then laugh when others are in trouble.
7. The King of Hearts is an affable little man who seems to always be in the shadow of his wife.
8. The Queen of Hearts is an absolute bully who demonstrates traits of narcissism. She has extremely high expectations for others and is totally unforgiving of the slightest deviation from her instructions. When she isn't pleased, she yells "Off with their heads". Who do you know who, like this Queen, throws temper tantrums and uses aggression to get what they want?

One of the reasons that we can watch and enjoy this Disney's movie is that we recognize character traits of people around us even though they are portrayed in exaggerated form.

 

If you were asked which of the Alice in Wonderland characters that you most resemble how would you respond?

Are you the naïve and fantasy-chasing Alice, the rabbit who is known for always being late, the mad hatter or drug-using caterpillar? Perhaps you are a trickster like the Cheshire cat or a card who blames others and then laughs at their misfortune. Are you the likable king who takes a backstage role or the abusive Queen?

Who is in your wonderland?

Just wondering...

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From Dr. Linda Hancock, Registered Psychologist and Registered Social Worker