Drugs In Alice In Wonderland

There has been much controversy over the use of drugs in the story Alice in wonderland throughout the years. In this paper I will be researching and writing about the representation of drugs in the children’s story and also the drugs that were being used during the Victorian era. Drugs are hinted all throughout Alice in Wonderland. From when Alice eats cakes, mushrooms, and drinks potions to grow and shrink, to the obvious part of the story where the Caterpillar is described as smoking out of a Hookah when he meets Alice. Many have argued over what the blue caterpillar was smoking in Lewis Carroll’s novel, some say it could have been tobacco which was widely popular in the 1860’s which it was very rare for a man to not smoke tobacco during this time. Other researchers say marijuana could have been in the hookah which was just starting to be discovered in England but not very popular at the …show more content…
These drugs were so easy to come by that anyone could walk into a market or store and buy cocaine or opium strait off the shelf without showing a prescription or proof of age. Also during this time these drugs were being used for not only medical reasons but many people discovered their recreations purposes as a result creating the opium dens in east England. During the Victorian era opium was believed to cure nearly any symptoms you suffered from, headaches, diarrhea, or even a cold. Opium was also used by mothers to keep their children quiet by mixing the opium with water and treacle and letting the child drink the mixture, but the potion was said to have caused many infant deaths during the time. Many poets during the Victorian era were said to have had association with opium in their poetic careers, and may have been on the drug while creating their