Reading A: Advice from a Caterpillar

The Caterpillar and Alice were sitting alone in silence for some time before the Caterpillar sleepily asked "Who are YOU?", to Alice. Alice was very shy, and was taken back by this question. She was still confused by what had happened to her that day, so she answered with, 'I — I hardly know, sir, just at present — at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.' Obviously, the Caterpillar was very confused by her statement, and demanded she explain herself immediately. Alice, still confused and timid, told the creature she couldn't explain herself because she didn't even understand what was going on. There was SO MUCH confusion between the two of them.

They went back and forth trying to figure out the situation, with Alice explaining she didn't know the answer, and the Caterpillar demanding she somehow explain herself and her motives. Alice was very polite, and the Caterpillar was very rude and demanding. She finally explained her situation in a way the Caterpillar would understand: the change he would one day make into a butterfly. She explained how this change to a new size, and new being would be quite strange, and that is what she had gone though in that day. But, he still did not buy her story.

The Caterpillar still insisted on the question: "Who are YOU?". The conversation went in circles and neither could understand the other, or explain to the other. Alice finally got irritated with the Caterpillar's short and rude remarks, and demanded he explain who HE was. When he asked why she wanted to know, Alice realized she had no reason to know, and she turned away from him.

The Caterpillar begged Alice to come back, saying he had something important to tell her. Alice came back, and the Caterpillar told Alice to "Keep your temper." Alice was angry by that. She waited in case the Caterpillar had something else to say, and swallowed her anger. After a few minutes he asked, "So you think you're changed, do you?" Alice said yes! (she had been trying to get this across to him for the whole conversation). She said she couldn't remember things, and kept changing sizes. After explaining what she had gone though one last time, the Caterpillar was ready to help her.

Advice from a Caterpillar

This story is part of the Alice in Wonderland unit. Story source: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865).

Caterpillar and Alice

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