Ethics in Alice

How do we decide what is ethical and what is not?

Generally, people decide what is ethical based on what they see in the society. So when it comes to animals, it is unethical to abuse animals. While most people agree it is ethical to eat animals, some will argue it is unethical.

I don't care what other people say; I LOVE MEAT.

There are many instances where Alice's ethics is questionable. However, is it really fair to judge her ethics in a place where nothing makes sense? Real world rules do not apply in Alice's Wonderland, so real world's ethics also would not apply in this world. Thus, it is difficult for me to discuss ethical issues presented in this book.

Alice talks to the Mouse about her cat Dinah being a pro at killing rats. For her, it is acceptable that cats kill rats to keep the house clean, but it is not acceptable in this world. Especially, the Mouse is a character with feeling and personality; he is an individual. To respect his hatred for cats and dogs, Alice promises never to talk about her pet: "Mouse dear! Do come back again, and we wo'n't talk about cats, or dogs either; if you don't like them!" (Annotated Alice 27). Only if all rats could speak and interact with humans like the Mouse from Alice's dream, humans would not make cats kill them. This issue only arises because the Mouse is anthropomorphic.

You can't kill them when they are this cute!

Alice does mistreat animals. When she is stuck in the Rabbit's house, she kicks Bill out the chimney. In her defense, she did not want to get busted by the Rabbit. Let's just say that it was self defense. She also abandons the little pig. Well she sets it down in the wood because "it would be quite absurd for her to carry it any further" (Carroll 64). She takes it away from its home and then just watches it as it trots away into the wood. However, we should question her ethics for stealing the "baby" rather than abandoning the pig.

When it comes to eating meat (or food in general), Alice's ethics is greatly questioned. She tries to eat a leg of mutton when the Red Queen introduces her to him. The leg of mutton gets up to bow. At this point, I would lose appetite, but I guess Alice is hungry. She tries to eat the damned thing even after it "[gets] up in the dish and [makes] a little bow to [her]" (Carroll 261). Alice is half amused and half frightened yet not discouraged enough to pass the meal. Next comes the pudding, and she really tries to eat it after the introduction. Eventually, the Pudding gets mad and asks, "I wonder how you'd like it, if I were to cut a slice out of you, you creature!" (Carroll 263). In this world, humans are just another creatures, and the Pudding thinks that it is ridiculous for Alice to eat him. Honestly, if my food could talk and reason like the ones in the Wonderland, I would starve all the time. It just seems so unethical to eat something so human-like.

My leg mutton should be good and stay on the dish and look delicious.

On a different note, is it ethical to kill animals to put it out of misery? Same applies for pulling the plug on people who are in terrible pain, but is it ethical? I say in some cases, it is ethical. First off, death of the animal has to be inevitable. It has to be in tremendous pain that is dragged on for a long time of period. In that case, yes, put it out of its misery. In the story of Jude, the rabbit, even if it escapes, will "die in the fields from the mortification of the limb" (Anthology 322). Jude had to "put it out of its pain" (Anthology 322). Although killing in general is not ethical, in this certain case, Jude made the ethical decision to put the rabbit out of its misery.

I mean some people want to die early and peacefully rather than later and painfully.

On the issue of ethics, there is an overlying definition of ethics. However, this definition changes as time passes and is different for different cases. In the end, you are the judge to decide what is ethical. Let's just hope you are an ethical person by nature.