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| "The Tumtum Tree," by Ambrose |
“In Lewis Carroll’s book, Through the Looking-Glass, the Cheshire Cat shows up in the fifth chapter called “The Pig and The Pepper.” Alice finds the cat in the Dutchess’ house grinning from ear to ear. Alice questions why it is doing that. The author says that most cheshire cats grin in this world. This means that there is more than one Cheshire Cat. The famous Cheshire Cat that we know follows Alice and is famous. It is the one that speaks to her in that same exact chapter. The Cheshire Cat is just like regular cats in the world of Alice in Wonderland, but the most famous one guides her around.
“A cat is different from culture to culture, so you can’t really say that this cat (or any cat, for that matter) is good or bad. In the Dictionary of Symbols, eight different societies have eight different beliefs on this creature. In some cultures the cat is a sign of good luck, and it is a sin if you actually kill one. To some, though, they have the common belief that if a black cat crosses in front of you, you have 7 years of bad luck. So seeing if a cat is good or not depends upon the culture.”
“How does this relate to the Cheshire Cat in the story?”
“Well, a website says that is just a made up idea by Lewis Carroll.”
The Friend says, “Oh, that is cool. I have a question: while writing Alice in Wonderland, do you think Lewis Carroll was drunk or taking LSD?”
Annabel says, “Historians don’t really know if he was or not. There are some articles that say that he was, some say that he was not...and others say that he was. So, we may never know.”
“Ok, then. So...it has been about four months. Have you done any work with the symbol essay? What have you been doing?” asks The Friend.
“I took a little break from the essay, and I have been working hard to put in portfolios to five colleges. I also got into two.”
“Which ones did you get into?”
“I would like to keep those classified until I pick which one I want to go to officially.”
“Ok. Cool. How was FIT? What does FIT even stand for? Florida Institute of Technology?”
“Oh, my FIT classes were great,” Annabel explains. “I am now done with them. I wish I got more time, though. They were a lot of fun. I got some high school credits from them, too, so I am pretty happy. I made a lot of art and learned a lot. No, FIT does not mean Florida Institute of Technology; that is down south. I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.”
“Is that where you live?”
“No, I live in the suburb outside of the city. Where are you from, Anonymous?”
“I don’t know. I think I am from Algoe, NY.”
“Wait, is that a Paper Towns reference?”
“Yes, because it is fake like me.”
“Ok then...that’s...dark. And...we went on a tendril. Should we talk about the picture on the table?”
The Friend picks up the drawing and Annabel explains, “That drawing is a Tumtum Tree by Ambrose. We both read 'The Jabberwocky,' by Lewis Carroll. We were going into art, and we were wondering what a Vorpal Sword and a Tumtum Tree might look like in real life. So Ambrose made the Tumtum Tree, and I made the Vorpal Sword. I also looked at the meaning behind both. My work is included in a PDF attached to this blog.”
“Isn’t that breaking the fourth wall...and unnecessary?”
“No, it is good to know. Well...anyways...see you later. I gotta get back to looking at this dictionary to help me finish writing my essay.”
Annabel then opens the 1168 page Dictionary of Symbols, and her mind starts to explode "through the words."
You've made a topic I didn't expect to enjoy, very interesting. Great to see your passion for learning!
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