Obedient children don’t go to Wonderland.

Student: Flavia Cruz

Honor your father and your mother is the fourth of the Ten Commandments. Obedience is its main requirement and dishonor means punishment. “Alice in Wonderland” is one of the many American animated features produced by Walt Disney and it is a clear example of this moral imperative. Obedience in the film is shown as an obvious instance of how a child should behave.

Alice is a little girl with huge imagination. She is sophisticated, educated and well mannered. She considers that the world is too boring as it is, so she often thinks in a different and crazy world. However, when Alice falls in a dream, in which the world she imagines comes true, she feels sad and sorry.

“Something terrible can happen to children if they disobey their parents” is the moral of the “The Walrus and the Carpenter” tale. At the beginning of the film, Alice is told a story. The story tells the misfortune of several little oysters. The little oysters, after disobeying their mother, are eaten by a fat walrus showing that the search of new adventures is not a good idea and it can take children to a fatidic end. It is clear that the moral of this tale cannot be another thing that a warning of what can be expected of those children who disobey their parents. The story demonstrates the importance of being obedient.

“I disobeyed and now this is my punishment”, says Alice after having a crazy teatime with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. Alice finds herself lost in the madness of Wonderland and she learns that her lack of obedience is the reason for being there. She sees Wonderland as the consequence and punishment for her rebellious acts. Alice thinks that everything she does is wrong and that the only way to escape from that crazy world is to be firm in the idea of obedience and honor.

“Alice in Wonderland” represents honor and obedience. The film fits in with the fourth of the Ten Commandments. So, Honor your father and your mother because there is always a Wonderland waiting for those children who disobey and go against this command.