The Cheshire Cat

What is the purpose of the Cheshire Cat in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?

The smiling, disappearing cat was the first one to describe Wonderland as “mad” and tells Alice why he is mad by his dog/cat comparisons. At other times the Cheshire cat simply gives advise to Alice or asks questions about Alice’s experiences as she journeys through Wonderland. The Cheshire cat always wants specifics from Alice, as we can see from the Cheshire Cat asking were she wanted to go to and saying that she can get anywhere if she walked long enough and asking her if she said ‘pig’ or ‘fig’. But overall the Cheshire Cat gives out logical advise to Alice. The Cheshire cat does what Alice asks, since he did disappear slower when she asked and did tell her were the March Hare lived and the Mad Hatter when she asked who lived around the wood.

The Cheshire Cat also made an appearance before Alice in the croquet game. The Cheshire Cat does not talk much talk, but he does say that he would rather not kiss the Kings hand and stayed but did not talk during the conversation between the King and the executioner. Then there is a part in which Alice say’s “A cat may look at a King”, which may show how insecure the King may be about disobedience to him, though he allows the Queen to go off in her rages. The Cheshire Cat may have stayed long enough to hear the argument between the King and the executioner because the argument did fit in my opinion the Cheshire Cats personality. Although the true point of the Cheshire’s Cat’s appearance does not seem to have any importance to me, it may have some other meaning that I have not found yet.

Could the Cheshire cat be in some abstract way be the ‘voice’ of reason and logic in the sea of madness that is Wonderland?

Maybe, but the Cheshire Cat is simply pointing out to Alice that she is being way to vague and unreasonable. The cat also does the same with the King of Hearts, when the King asked for the Cheshire cat to look away and kiss his hand, both of which are pointless.