Keeping Up Appearances: Dorothy and Alice

We have often discussed the differences between the world of Oz and the dream worlds of Alice and most of all what sets the two main girls apart. A few weeks ago I finished this drawing I did of the two. It's hard to tell the girls' ages here, but I went for between 6 and 12 here.

As you can guess, I went straight to the book and did not go for the film versions (you have more freedom following the original book than copyright material), also choosing to give Dorothy farm shoes rather than Silver or nicer ones.

Now as Jared said years ago, Dorothy is American on a poor farm just barely getting by; while Alice is British, in a household who has a nursemaid and kittens and therefore fine living. Now I admit I have never taken classes that teach etiquette or such manners, but I have seen the different ways in which things are demonstrated and you can pick up a few things if you pay attention...

Both girls know manners and how to address people, but in similar actions they show differences.

STANDING 

Dorothy, being poor, wouldn't think too highly of herself, so she would probably have her hands out in front, sometimes holding them together. She wouldn't quite be in the right time or character to put her hands in her pockets, maybe she would but not constantly or by means of being difficult. Also, being a bit easier of mood, Dorothy would feel at ease with her legs a bit apart. As those who have read "Through the Looking Glass", will remember the Red Queen instructing Alice to

"Look up, speak nicely and don't twiddle your fingers all the time . . . open your mouth a little wider when you speak and always say 'your Majesty' . . . turn out your toes as you walk -"

And Alice would have been instructed to hold her hands behind her back when reciting lessons in class.

SITTING 

I could be wrong, but farm people—despite all the hard work—still manage a free and easy attitude and one of the ways of expressing that lifestyle is the way you sit. Slouching is not recommended or good for health, but it can show eagerness or a more interested way of viewing things. Sometimes you can even have a foot sticking out or swaying about, as Dorothy shows. Notice how I gave Dorothy's arms more than one position, so that you can choose to see her either holding her hands together in her lap or by her sides.

Alice, however, is not brought up to sit likewise. Straight backs, hands tidy and neatly placed on the lap, knees and feet together, all in a chair. Now there's more than one way to sit: up (on a chair or something firm) and down (on the ground). Dorothy is cross-legged and Alice brings her feet out to the one side. Drawing this bit of the girls sitting on the ground was a little tricky, but their characters showed through after some thought.

CURTSEYING 

In one episode of The Nanny where company is expected, Gracie and Maggie Sheffield curtsey, when their father instructs them "No, no. Straight backs." (To which his son says "I'm getting the disturbing feeling he's done that before.") Since Mr Sheffield is British, this simple rule would appropriately be suited to Alice. Now while far from royal, Dorothy does have manners and bows to Royalty (even if its Oz-related). The difference in their bowing can also apply to their hands: Dorothy grasps her dress almost completely in her hands, while Alice uses only a few of her fingers (and may or may not hold out her pinky finger).

CRYING 

Now, shedding tears is natural for girls (and guys can do it too, whether we deny it or not, some of us just look cool trying not to show our tears). I'm no expert in the difference of how girls cry, but it's not that hard to figure out if you know the characters well enough. Dorothy is allowed to express her emotions and Alice is brought up to be tidy and proper, but I'm sure both girls would at least have a handkerchief ready in their pockets when needed. In trying to show the differences between these two crying, my guess is that Dorothy would hide her face in her hands, or cross her arms around her folded-up knees Alice would not be allowed to make such a mess and therefore be expected to cry into a handkerchief (or apron as you can see), or most likely have one handy to wipe away her tears.

It should also be noted that the emotions of British are usually more subdued than American or other countries, they would cry but just not necessarily think it a big deal (and at times find it a bit much, but I'm merely going by how I've seen it portrayed in comedies).

Now as I said before, I've gone back to the books version. Meaning I have avoided the film treatments. Nothing is wrong with them, but it can get tiring. Whenever something, show or book, includes both Alice and Oz, they always seem to follow either the book or Disney cartoon of Alice and with Dorothy they go for . . . you guessed it, MGM. Have a look at these scans from "the Jolly Pocket Postman" . . .

You can see the strong resemblance to the original John Tenniel illustrated scene in the above image (except for her lack of stockings) and while Dorothy is not an exact replica of Judy Garland, the white jumper with particularly-warm-blue gown, the sparkly red shoes and brown-haired dog is unfortunately a very recognisable one. On the other hand, look at how more like the book Alice and the Oz Trio are in this picture: a four-legged walking Lion, a more slightly robotic-like Tin woodman and a blue-suited Scarecrow with a carrot-like nose (that last one of which is not as apparent here).

The blue that you see on Alice is the type of Blue that I prefer with Dorothy. So here we have another example that shows the difference of Doorthy and Alice's characters, in their appearance and similar actions, not to mention the way in which most people—studios or publishers—tend to portray these characters. One is always by the book or by an animated film, while the other other is always by the musical more than the book.

Dorothy in Wonderland; Alice and the Wizard

When The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was released, it was one of a very few examples of fantasy literature of the time. While yes, there had been stories about fantasy worlds before (the earliest examples being in mythology, and one must remember E.T.A. Hoffman's Land of Sweets in The Nutcracker and the King of Mice), the story of Oz was inevitably compared to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Even today, the comparisons continue.

Martin Gardner's The Annotated Alice (we've both read the Definitive Edition) points out that Lewis Carroll put much social and cultural satire into the Alice books. He managed to weave this into a fantasy story for children, and the work has largely been regarded nonsense literature, as the subjects that Carroll was satirizing have been largely forgotten.

On the other hand, we may maintain that L. Frank Baum wrote his first Oz story (and likely the many sequels) with the thought of only pleasing children. Yes, he often threw in some commentary about his day, but he did not go on the same level as Carroll.

Despite the major differences, there are some similarities between the two works. Alice's fall down the rabbit hole was echoed by Dorothy, Zeb, Jim, and Eureka falling through the earth in Dorothy & the Wizard in Oz and later the Hollow Tube that goes straight through the earth in Tik-Tok of Oz.

Alice's eating or drinking-induced growing or shrinking was echoed by Baum in his Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz story "Eliza and the Magic Lozenges," as well as the berries that Trot and Cap'n Bill eat so that the Ork can carry them easily in The Scarecrow of Oz.

A friend pointed out to me that Baum practically responds to Carroll in The Marvelous Land of Oz. In the first Alice story, this little bit is read:

'Really, now you ask me,' said Alice, very much confused, 'I don't think--'
'Then you shouldn't talk,' said the Hatter.

Then in The Marvelous Land of Oz...

"This should be a warning to you never to think," returned the Scarecrow, severely. "For unless one can think wisely it is better to remain a dummy -- which you most certainly are."

One notable change and difference between the two lies in how the girls explore the lands. When Dorothy visits a strange country, she is actually told which land it is, be it Oz, Ev, the Mangaboos . . . whereas with Alice, no one actually says "Wonderland" or "the World of the Looking Glass / Looking-Glass Land", so everyone (the readers and audience of adaptations) therefore take on the title of the worlds from the books, even go far as to believe they are one and the same. And when the girls are in these worlds, their interaction has them meeting royalty and a Lion character and strange creatures that are a combination of more than one.

However, whereas Dorothy comes to know and love the people of Oz, sadly bidding them good-bye and eagerly awaiting a return, Alice does not entirely get along well with the inhabitants of Wonderland or Looking-Glass Land, nor does she have fond memories of them (except for the White Knight). Nor does Alice actually put an end to any tyranny or rude habits of the people.

Most significantly, both girls do have similar beginnings with their adventures: nodding off. Dorothy falls asleep during her ride in the Cyclone as well as riding the coop in the stormy sea and even fainted when falling through an earthquake; Alice gets bored and tired from the summer sun with her sister's pictureless book, and later inside on a comfy armchair while it snows outside.

However, it is actually mentioned that Dorothy falls asleep, while Alice's talking and thinking out loud becomes the dream without even told that she is asleep.

There are also some minor comparisons in the illustrations: both girls commonly wear blue gowns with aprons - though it is Dorothy who is specifically described as wearing blue, Alice's clothing was originally drawn in black-and-white then coloured much later by Peter Newell (When Tenniel's illustrations were first colored, Alice's dress was yellow). And there have been adaptations and other illustrations where they DON'T have blue.

Recently, it came to attention that some accuse Baum of plagiarizing Carroll. It must be remembered that when Baum was growing up, the Alice books were published, so the possibilities that he read them is very high. However, there is a clear cut between plagiarism and inspiration, and basic reading of the Oz books should prove that while Baum may have borrowed a few ideas from Carroll (fairylands that are accessible through various means, talking animals, young female protagonist, quirky characters, mainly matriarchal government, etc.), he made his own complete world.

Comparisons (and this blog) by Jared Davis and Sam Milazzo

Alice VS. Dorothy

Two characters who are often compared but are oh, so different...

Alice of Wonderland and Looking-Glass land and Dorothy Gale of Oz.

Some time back, someone mentioned that a lot of pictures of Dorothy look like they were based on Alice...



Gee, who'da thunk?

Compare the original illustrations of them...


Ah, now without the confusion of adaptation we begin to see some difference.

Really the big difference between the two is simple: Alice is British and Dorothy is American.

Now here's another one, Alice comes from a well-to-do family while Dorothy lives on a farm in Kansas.

Dorothy's origin is simple, but with Alice, I promise I'm not grabbing straws, but honestly, one could claim that Alice's family isn't "well-to-do." I base my claim on the fact that Lewis Carroll based Alice on his child-friends (as he called them), especially Alice Liddell. Seeing as Mr. Liddell was a dean at Christchurch, I'd say my claim that they were "well-to-do" is valid.

Following their family, next is upbringing.

Dorothy has definitely become a humble child. From having both of her parents dying to living on a farm in Kansas that didn't make enough to pay off the mortages (maybe even living in an orphanage), she doesn't hold her head too high. She even introduces herself to the Wizard as "Dorothy the small and meek."

In "Ozma of Oz," Dorothy does let some importance go to her head, but, subtly, Princess Langwidere brings back Dorothy's humility by locking her in the tower, where she must be rescued by her friends again. (She does get a little snippy towards the Wizard's warnings in one of the "Little Wizard Stories," but the Wizard teaches her that she should listen by pulling a rather extreme trick on her.)

Alice, however, is a snob. In a recent instant message session with Oz fan Nathan DeHoff, he agreed by saying "I remember how, in Alice in Wonderland, she didn't want to be Mabel, because Mabel was poor." We are never given many details on Alice's upbringing. One could argue that of course a seven-year old (as revealed in Through the Looking-Glass) wouldn't look far beyond material possessions when evaluating a person, but as we're comparing ages, many Oz fans place Dorothy around Alice's age.

That is not to say that Alice is not courteous. She does care for others, take for example the Duchess' baby. She tries to tell the Cook and Duchess to treat it better, and finally takes it away because "Wouldn't it be murder to leave it behind?" She can't really be blamed for not wanting to carry a pig.

Another comparison is the lands they visit. Wonderland and Looking-Glass land are both obviously dreams where very little makes sense. Alice, however, isn't really affected by her visits.

Oz (in the book) is a real place. While some natural laws have are a little different, for the most part, Oz does follow normal rules. Dorothy is affected by her journey. She has come to realize how much she needs her aunt and uncle. (I also theorize that they have come to realize how much they needed her, but as that is not directly supported by the book, I can't use it here.)

Dorothy and Alice are alike only in their ages, gender, and that they are both the main character of children's fantasy novels that, for the most part, take place in fantasy worlds. Other than that, we have two very different little girls.

The Alice Effect, Not The Oz Effect

All right, I recently decided to take a look at the work that Oz has been compared to (and paired up with) most often. Lewis Carroll's Alice books.

I know Lewis Carroll was a pen name of the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, but for the sake of simplicity, I shall refer to him by the pseudonym.

It seems that many characters in Wonderland and the land through the looking-glass were actually based on Carroll's friends and people he knew. (Click here for some examples.)

Also, take into consideration that Alice's adventures both end up being dreams. Does this sound familiar at all to a popular adaptation of Oz?

Yes... The MGM movie. It is noted that the 1925 silent comedy version also featured Dorothy's farmhand friends becoming her classic Oz friends. However, this was done in a literal sense. (Well, not quite, as the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion were just the farmhands in costumes.)

It is also noted that when making the MGM Oz movie, that the makeup artists were very careful to make sure that the costumes and makeup did not conceal the stars. Why? Well, back in 1933, Paramount was going under. They put an all-star cast in a lavish fantasy film that ultimately flopped. (The studio was saved by two other films made that year.) The reason? No one recognized the stars in costume. The movie? An adaptation of Alice. So, yes, it does seem that somewhere at MGM, Carroll's tale was kept in mind.

So, is it at all possible that MGM's famous "foreshadowing" and "it was just a dream" story motifs took from the popular British tale? I'd say yes! In fact, later adaptations of Alice extended and altered the period of time before the White Rabbit's appearance with foreshadowing. In 1949, an adaptation on film had a prologue with Lewis Carroll himself at Christchurch, the deans (including Mr. Liddell, the real Alice's father) and their disapproval of him, a visit from the King and Queen, and other characters. To escape, Carroll takes the Liddell sisters boating and tells them the Alice story. The same actors voice the Wonderland characters, who were achieved with puppets. (This device proves ineffective as the voices weren't very distinct.)

The "foreshadowing" was in another Alice film exactly 50 years later in Robert Halmi's adaptation of Carroll's tale. (It was, incidentally, directed by Nick Willing, and he and Halmi later served the same roles in 2007's Tin Man.) In this one, Alice is afraid of performing for a tea party, the guests (as well as some of her toys and books) all appear in Wonderland as characters they strongly resemble.

Very amusing is that several Alice fans criticized the 1999 movie for doing a Wizard of Oz spin on the story. However, it does seem as if the story copied itself.

The only flaw in my whole theory is that the people who Carroll based his characters on do not appear in the story (except for some characters renamed in the introductory poem "A Golden Afternoon"), but it does not seem that it wasn't common knowledge at the time. And who's to say that the writers of the MGM movie were not familiar with Alice?

So, anyways, when a film revolves around a dream or delirium sequence where characters are "foreshadowed," it may be the Alice effect, not the Oz effect.