So last Tuesday I got sucked into this weird rabbit hole, and no pun intended. Had this job interview coming up that wanted "deep cultural analysis skills" whatever that means. Was flipping through my old bookshelf when Alice in Wonderland practically fell on my head. Figured, hey, maybe those trippy characters actually mean something? Worth a shot.
Starting Point: Total Confusion
Grabbed my coffee-stained copy and just stared at the pictures first. That White Rabbit popping up everywhere. Watched the Disney cartoon again. Felt like the story was just nonsense. But my buddy Dave said, "Dude, it's gotta be about something, right? Victorians loved hidden meanings." Got annoyed. Went down a 2am Wikipedia spiral reading about author Lewis Carroll’s life. Found out he was a math guy? Weird.
Getting Hands Dirty
Okay, decided to focus. Picked two things bugging me most: the Rabbit and the playing cards. Dived headfirst:
- The Rabbit Hole: Reread that first chapter where Alice chases him. Noticed how obsessively late he keeps saying he is. Scribbled notes: "Time pressure?" "Anxiety?" Remembered Carroll lived in strict Victorian times. Maybe the Rabbit represents society’s crazy rush? Everyone just scrambling, no clue why.
- The Playing Cards: Seriously, why cards? They’re mindless drones painting roses red! Got stuck for hours. Finally read about how cards back then had rigid rules – Kings beat Queens, suits mattered. Totally inflexible. Then it clicked: they’re like useless bureaucracy. Painting roses 'cause the Queen said so? Meaningless rules enforced by dudes who can’t think for themselves. Made me laugh thinking about my last office job.
Putting the Pieces Together
Got kinda obsessed. Printed out passages, underlined like crazy. Started seeing connections everywhere:
- Rabbit's Watch: He's not just late. He's checking time constantly. Paranoia about schedules? Control? My cat walked on my notes. Helped, actually.
- Card Soldiers: They march, they paint, they arrest on dumb orders. Zero individuality. The Queen screams "Off with their heads!" – total power based on fear. Sounds familiar? Thought about managers hiding behind policy handbooks.
Realized Alice wandering through this madness is basically us trying to make sense of a world with pointless rules and frantic time pressure. Blew my mind a bit. Victorians hiding criticism in a kids' story? Genius.
Why This Matters (To Me Anyway)
Started seeing this everywhere. My own panic about deadlines? Total White Rabbit vibes. Company meetings full of jargon? Card Soldiers painting roses. Didn’t feel so alone.
Took these messy notes to the interview. Rambled about societal anxiety and oppressive systems. The hiring guy just nodded slowly. Got a call back yesterday saying I nailed the "cultural insight" part. Go figure. Sometimes chasing weird rabbits pays off.
