Human Insensitivity and Injustice towards Animal World in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Abstract

This research work explores human insensitivity and injustice towards animal world in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by applying ecocritical reading. It attempts to justify how human beings place themselves at the centre and exploit other non-humans by encroaching upon their habitat. In this regard, this research examines analyses and reflects upon the role of the major human character i.e. Alice who gets fascinated towards the animals world and starts her journey in her dream. The major task of her is to find the reason why the Rabbit was in rush. However, during her journey she comes across various other animals such as puppy, cat, caterpillar, pigeon etc. but shows her superior attitude to them. Even though she is just a little girl with less worldly knowledge she acts as if she were an adult human being. Her irresistible curiosity and interference to the non-human world is most debatable act in this entire novel. This research claims that despite being young, Alice is a representative of human beings and holds the basic tenants of the human world consciously or unconsciously. She shows various norms of anthropocentrism such as othering, intstrumentalizing, denying, keeping human at the centre, stereotyping etc. while she goes in her trip. Most importantly, there are also other human characters such as Duchess and King and Queen who even show indifference to animals. As human beings consider themselves rational creature of this earth, they are trying their best to violate natural environment along with non-human world. Thus, this research justifies that despite the young age of Alice who is a representative of human beings possesses the anthropocentric attitude and explores the animals’ world with the sense of superiority complex ignoring the animals' value and emotion.