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Fun Fact:
Pigs and humans are actually quite similar genetically.

 

 

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An image of a pigThe Baby/Pig

“The baby grunted again, and Alice looked very anxiously into its face to see what was the matter with it. There could be no doubt that it had a very turn-up nose, much more like a snout than a real nose: also its eyes were getting extremely small for a baby: altogether Alice did not like the look of the thing at all.”

 

Introduction

The Baby/Pig, like the rest of the Duchess’ household, was an addition for the printed version of Wonderland.  The character is popular among both both illustrators and film-makers.  Interestingly, many illustrators, such as Mabel Lucie Attwell, and filmmakes, such as Harris (1985), choose to depict Alice as highly mothering in this scene, perhaps choosing to dwell on the idea that she saved the baby from the Duchess’ Kitchen than on the fact that she abandons the pig in the woods. The character is often cited as proof of Carroll’s dislike of little boys (they would be better off as pigs) or as sort of nonsensical reversal of evolution. 

Interestingly, although Alice is alarmed by baby's sudden transformation into a pig, this seems to be another example of the "tolerable" type of nonsense of Wonderland, meaning that though it is not the "usual" way that babies behave, it is not utterly ridiculous or impossible to believe. The Caterpillar's mushroom is another example. Although mushrooms do not usually cause a person to grow or shrink, once Alice gets the hang of the pattern (one side will make you grow taller, the other side will make you grow shorter), she can gain some control over the situation. Proofof the baby's transformation as "tolerable" nonsense lies in the Cheshire Cat's response to Alice's report ("I thought it would") and Alice's own response when she has gotten over the shock ("it would have made a dreadfully ugly child: but it makes rather a handsome pig, I think").

 

Texts

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Chapter 6
Plain Text, Hypertext

 

Image Gallery

Click on one of the illustrators in the right hand column to see how the image of the Baby/Pig has changed over time. Especially noteworthy for their "motherly" Alice are Mabel Lucie Atwell's and Arthur Rackham's.

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Other Media



"Pig and Pepper"
Alice at the Palace
(1981)

 

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