The Literal and Language in Wonderland

The word "literally" is often carelessly thrown around today ("I was literally seeing stars" or "This migrane is so bad, my head is literally going to explode"). The OED defines "literally" to mean "in a literal, exact, or actual sense; not figuratively, allegorically, etc." Confusingly enough, people usually use "literally" when they actually mean something figuratively. The fact that "literally" is constantly used to mean its opposite is something that reveals the flexibility and frailty of the English language. Lewis Carroll repeatedly mocks this aspect all throughout the Alice stories and therefore illustrates a theme of language manipulation.

In Alice in Wonderland, much of Alice's confusion is caused by the discrepancy between intended meaning and actual meaning in language. The majority of the characters that she meets often take what she says literally. In a similar way, the places, characters, and objects Alice interacts with sometimes are literal manifestations of their names.

All of this confusion shows that language can never be concrete. But as time goes on and our language develops, there seems to be no way to stop this trend unless we, as the March Hare says, "say what [we] mean" (55). However, the network of words that we use are themselves made of words, so it may not ever be possible to escape the signifer and only use the signified. Are we, then, trapped in our own version of Wonderland through language? (Figuratively speaking, of course.)

photo credit

"literally, adv.". OED Online. December 2012. Oxford University Press. 7 February 2013 <http://0-www.oed.com.tiger.coloradocollege.edu/view/Entry/109061?redirectedFrom=literally>.