The purpose of the anthropomorphic character of the White Rabbit in Alices adventures is never satisfactorily illustrated. His initial appearance at the beginning of the tale, the strange nature of his behaviors and dress, are used as an excuse, the raison d’etre, for our heroines most rash decision to leave the safety of sister and river bank for the unknowns of a waistcoat wearing bunny, the concealed dangers of a dark and mysterious rabbit hole, and eventually the most peculiar happenstances and peoples that likely seem to invest every corner of Wonderland.
Page Rabbit himself is a strange mix of alternates, constantly worrying about punctuality, but insisting on keeping to Oxford time, extremely timid in the company of superiors, but officious when dealing with those he considers his lesser, a spectacular example of all things than might be considered exactly opposing Alice’s inherent natural state. Perhaps a subconscious reflection of all the contradictions she perceives in the adults she is obliged to interact with on a daily basis. Dodgson himself must have appeared most divergent to her, on one hand seeming someone most loving, trustworthy, and open, but unmistakably with an agenda carefully concealed from her view.
No suggestion is made that White Rabbit is sinister in any way, that the reasonings for his sundered actions are in any way conniving or threatening, rather that the circumstance that constantly surround him, the attitudes of the very structured society that is Wonderland, make his divergencies an utter necessity, particularly dealing with an administration that sees decapitation as the singularly solution for deviation in any way, shape, or form. He is an enticer, the hare to Alices greyhound, introducer of all aspects unlikely, illogical, or ridiculous, the provider of the syrup to make us grow, the cake to make us shrink, both the red and the blue pills that intoxicate, confuse, and enlighten simultaneously, a doorway that opens the way direct to dreams and illusions.
The White Rabbit is replaced by a simple looking glass, once imagination reflects quite easily and naturally to sweet Alice.
Daily Abstract Thoughts 