Mom, What's Opium? Questions the New 'Alice' Movie Could Inspire

by Brett Singer (Subscribe to Brett Singer's posts) Mar 5th 2010 3:30PM

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"No, honey, I don't know if Lewis Carroll was a toasted almond when he wrote 'Alice in Wonderland.'" Credit: AP

Tim Burton's new version of "Alice in Wonderland" opens today. Whenever a film based on a classic novel hits theaters, the hope is that it will inspire kids to go back and read the original work, and perhaps find out more about the author. We at ParentDish are wondering what sort of questions the film might inspire among older kids.

To illustrate, let us imagine the following scenario. Follow me, through the looking glass ...

Scene: A curious girl in her early teens was given an assignment by her teacher. "Choose an author whose work you enjoy and write about him or her." The girl and her mother go to see Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" at their local house of cinema. They enjoy it very much.

The young teen decides she will do her report on Mister Lewis Carroll, the author of the book upon which the film was based. She opens her computing device, launches an Internet Web browser, and types the words "lewis carroll" into a popular search engine. The search engine offers some suggestions. One of them is "lewis carroll drugs."

Being the diligent researcher, she clicks this suggestion, only to discover that a great many people believe Carroll was on drugs while he wrote "Alice in Wonderland."

"My goodness!" the child thinks to herself as she continues to click her way through a byzantine boulevard of Web-based blurbs. Then she sees something else. Something quite curious, indeed. Carroll liked to take photographs of young girls ... in the nude? That seems odd. After a few minutes of research and reading, the child turns to her mother to express her curiosity.

Child: Mother?
Parent: Yes, child?
Child: Was Lewis Carroll on LSD when he wrote "Alice in Wonderland?"
Parent: Oh no, child. LSD wasn't even invented yet.
Child: Oh. OK. [Child thinks, biting her lip in a pensive and curious manner.] Well, was he smoking opium?
Parent: Hmm? What did you say?
Child: Was Lewis Carroll smoking opium when he wrote "Alice in Wonderland?" It is, after all, a rather strange tale, don't you think, mother?
Parent: What? Oh. Yes. Very strange ...
Child: And I read something else that I found rather fascinating. Did you know that he frequently took photographs of little girls in the nude? And that some scholars think he was a pedophile? What is a pedophile, anyway?
Parent: Hey! Who wants ice cream?
Child: How do you know when LSD was invented?
Parent: Ice cream with ... chocolate fudge sauce???

And scene. Fade out.

So is all of that stuff about Carroll true? Let's examine the facts.

Before we get accused of perpetuating a falsehood, let me state quite clearly that my own research has not turned up any compelling evidence that the author used what modern society would consider recreational drugs while he wrote his now-classic stories.

Carroll, whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was an Englishman born in 1832. During that time, substances such as cocaine and opium were used medicinally; even some of his biggest fans acknowledge the possibility that perhaps he did at times find himself in an altered state. However, as Lenny de Rooy, founder of the fan site alice-in-wonderland.net puts it, "No evidence has ever been found that linked Carroll to drug use."

But whether or not Carroll was high when he was writing "Alice" doesn't matter. What matters for the parent of a curious child is that this information is all over the Internet, and a simple Google search could send you and your kids down a rabbit hole of your very own.

There are numerous references online to Lewis Carroll, "Alice in Wonderland" and drugs. Admittedly, that isn't a huge leap to make. The story does feature a caterpillar smoking a hookah pipe while he sits on a mushroom, the eating of which can make one larger or smaller depending on which side one decides to have for a snack.

"Opium is also widely believed to have provided inspiration for Lewis Carroll's hallucinatory images in his popular book Alice's Adventures In Wonderland," a page on the University of Texas Web site says.

An article posted on the book site Biblio.com states "there is no factual evidence for the allegation that Carroll took psychoactive drugs," but adds that, "Carroll was a fairly heavy cannabis smoker" and "regularly bought hash oil." The site says this information is "according to one source," but does not name the source.

As for the alleged pedophilia, that one is slightly more disturbing, although it does not appear Carroll acted on any troubling urges, if he had them at all. Many of his photographic subjects were young girls and he often shot them in the nude. For years, these photographs were presumed to have been destroyed; they were later discovered and some are posted online at The Photography of Lewis Carroll.

That site quotes Vladimir Nabokov, author of "Lolita," as saying, "I always call him Lewis Carroll Carroll, because he was the first Humbert Humbert. Have you seen those photographs of him with little girls?"

When the author of a seminal novel about an old guy who falls in love with a 12-year-old girl calls you creepy ...

Of course, Carroll wasn't the only creative type with habits some folks may find objectionable. Like Woody Allen movies? He married his stepdaughter. How about the great musicians from the Woodstock era? Yeah, most of those people were high.

For the record, I am not equating drug use and alcoholism with pedophilia, or even pedophilia with marrying your stepdaughter. Although I do feel the latter is quite creepy.

So, how do you discuss the intersection of art and the artist's troubling personal life with your kids?

Children are curious, and older children have easier access to information than at any time in history. The Internet is a great and powerful tool for finding information. But sometimes that information isn't entirely accurate.

I decided many years ago that most of the time I could separate a person's work from his or her personal life. "The Pianist" is a terrific movie, even though I feel Roman Polanski did something reprehensible in his past. Johnny Depp is a terrific actor, even though he defended Polanski. Your standards for separating the two may be different, which is why, as with all child-related issues, the best thing to do is to keep the dialog open. Don't offer ice cream when they ask about pedophilia. Explain that not everything they read online is accurate. Encourage them to dig deeper and give them an understanding of historical context.

And no matter what questions they may ask, "Off with her head!" is never the correct response.

Comments (34)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Karen 3-05-2010 @ 5:03PM

The way you answer these questions is honestly. And if you don't know - say so. You can add your personal belief system is as well, but the main thing is not to be afraid of the discussion.

Greta 3-07-2010 @ 9:05AM

Roman Polanski had nothing to do with the movie "The Piano" - you're thinking of "The Pianist".

lord beard 3-08-2010 @ 6:43AM

sweet zombie jesus in the morning you sensationalist fearmongering bastard, if young teens have the internet and go to public school they will know about opium, hell, they'll probably have heard about it in context to Chinamen in the Old West in History class. Third graders know what a pedophile is, cuz we don't want them getting into vans with strangers. And furthermore, we can't keep people from learning things, we can only help to explain those things so they understand. You want to put blinders on your kid and have them grow up mentally and psychologically malnourished and incapable of even a base understanding of the world around them, I guess that is your prerogative, but as for me, I plan on nurturing the young mind.

Rachel 3-08-2010 @ 9:58AM

I'm with lord beard on this one...my word when I read this article I couldn't help but think that the next thing you were gonna say is that you hoped to see us all at your book burning this weekend. Kids are gonna have questions, ALWAYS. If you're so worried about the questions that might arrise from seeing the movie,you should ask yourself what ones you think you're gonna get when your kid looks up the movie to see why you wouldn't let them see it in the first place.

Marti 3-08-2010 @ 11:41AM

lord beard, Rachel:

Are you sure you two read the article? All of it?

"... as with all child-related issues, the best thing to do is to keep the dialog open. Don't offer ice cream when they ask about pedophilia. Explain that not everything they read online is accurate. Encourage them to dig deeper and give them an understanding of historical context."

Instead of discouraging questions and suggesting we put blinders on our kids, the author is actually encouraging parents to be open and honest with their children -- urging them to teach their children to dig deeper for the truth. If that isn't helping to nurture a young mind, I don't know what is.

Lucy 3-08-2010 @ 7:43AM

Is this article serious? Really!? Edgar Allan Poe was on opium when he wrote his stories but you dont see an article for that? I'm 13 and i know what opium is. It's called health class. Alice in Wonderland is not going to cause a huge problem. People make such big stuff out of nothing. And that scenario above.... are you kidding me? First of all if your already on the internet, wouldnt you just look up opium and pedophile? Really, the person who wrote this obviously has nothing else to write about.

shar 3-08-2010 @ 8:33AM

My guess us that several of the folks posting are on drugs because they are on an entirely different subject! Anyway...back to Alice! There was a very famous song and drugs were mentioned. One line "Go ask Alice" is from the song. Opium and Pot were popular then and Carroll just might have been tripping while he wrote his famous book.

Dennis 3-08-2010 @ 9:49AM

So what if the writer was on certain medications, they were legal back then as they should be today. We can't lock everyone in prison. It's interesting that some of the most creative endevers are indivduals who get high. Look at the 1960's and 70's. Legalize the soft drugs and help those that need help. Oh, I forgot, the DEA would have to lay off a lot of workers, and billions of dollars saved each year. The war on drugs is a myth, wars end!

Marv 3-08-2010 @ 10:05AM

If you are a parent and are incapable of talking to your teenager about drugs, sex, and the dangers of the world, then I fear for your child.

matt715 3-08-2010 @ 10:13AM

Good grief - more bubblewrapping & other hating on a fun movie. Even if this article was satire, it's ridiculous. It still went to #1 on the chart, & no nitpicker can bring it down.

Ken 3-08-2010 @ 10:18AM

This is just downright silly. It's not like Alice in Wonderland (in various books, movies and cartoon adaptations) hasn't been around for a long time.

Robert 3-08-2010 @ 10:23AM

My mother was unable to talk about things to us as kids. My sister learned from someone outside the family what was happeneing to her when she got her first period. My mother couldnt even say the word breast. We turned out alright, I guess it was my grandmother who made her that way. When my parents divorced and my sister and I had to live with my grandmother for a year, I said the word fart, and she made me sit in a corner for an hour saying fart over and over. I never said it again around her. Talk to your kids and answer honestly, they will thank you for it later.

Hank 3-08-2010 @ 10:43AM

Don't lie to children. Do answer their questions openly and honestly and briefly. See awkward questions as a teaching/learning experience. Carroll may have been using what are now illegal drugs. They were certainly known at his time, and it is known that they were used. LSD would not have been known, but opium, cocaine, and cannibis certainly were. Carroll may have been a pedophile. Certainly, the photographs that he took suggest that. However, their is a very real difference between 'may', a possibility, and 'fact', a demonstratable truth. Children tend to see things in black and white. Their introduction to the real world of varying shades of grey takes a while. They also find it frustrating that there are few answers, just more questions. It is also the time to teach that one of the reasons that many drugs are now illegal is because of the effects use of those drugs had on people before the dangers that they embody were known.

cc 3-08-2010 @ 10:50AM

Shar your comment confused me." Alice in Wonderland" was published in 1865 not in 1967 when the Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit" came out. I suppose it just shows how little people had changed in 202 years. Drugs have been around since humans figured out consuming certain plants had mood altering effects.
Back in the 1800's many now illegal drugs were used in ways that aren't considered acceptable today. Then again alcohol was once illegal in this country also. It has always seemed to me that public opinion and government polices have shaped our drug laws. Drugs have fallen in and out of fashion through the ages. There is a very old song from the 1936 " I get a kick out of you", that contains the line, "Some get a kick from cocaine
I'm sure that if
I took even one sniff
That would bore me terrifically, too
Yet, I get a kick out of you." Old Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra has a version of this song from the 50's where the cocaine reference was changed. Apparently in the 1930's cocaine was fine to sing about but not so much in the 1950's.
Drugs can be abused by anyone, no matter if they came from a Dr. or a dealer on the corner. It's better for a parent to talk with their child about drug abuse, so if interest in Lewis Carroll starts the conversation, it's not a bad thing.

kikitamurti 3-08-2010 @ 11:02AM

I actually read somewhere that Carroll got permission from the girls' mothers before photographing them in the nude. Not that it makes it right, but at least he didn't just do it secretively.

Cam 3-08-2010 @ 12:51PM

Do you think it makes it wrong? I love how we all just automatically assume Lewis Carroll was sexually attracted to young girls because he posed them nude. Our media has us all afraid of every little thing, which also relates back to this article. The writer displays so much fear in being honest, it's actually quite said. You can spend your whole life worrying about "what if" scenarios, or you can live each moment as it comes.

anonymous concerned citizen 3-12-2010 @ 10:53AM

I sort of agree with Cam on this one. What about all the famous painters that had nude men, women and children pose for them? It is my understanding as a painter that it takes longer to paint a picture than to take a photo, so Lewis Carrol must not have had to look at his subjects as long as, say, Rembrandt did. I'm not saying it's art to take pictures of nude little girls, but maybe paintings of nude subjects should be considerd porn, too?

readerchick 3-08-2010 @ 11:36AM

This is why students receive instruction from their school librarians. If this students goes to a good school, she would have learned how to effectively navigate various web search engines, online subscription databases(reputable reference and periodical articles in addition to other source types and print sources) e-books and print sources. For this type of assignment hopefully she would have been directed by her school librarian to the databases, e-books, and books as the most credible sources.

Marc 3-08-2010 @ 11:42AM

Brett Singer must have been under some pressure living up to his one thousand word obligation. _ What else could account for such an inane and pointless article? _ I don't believe we are even expected to take this drivel seriously, it is just filler.

il losin 3-08-2010 @ 12:25PM

In exchange for allowing your child to watch "controversial" movies, video's, rock concerts? They agree to sit down with you for a 20-30 minute converstion about the subject matter Be as neutral as your able at that time.

Among other things, ask them to assess the postives and negatives of movie characters actions, speech.....Try to focus on the objectionable aspects. Acknowledge their thoughts, feelings.....but also let them know how and why you feel as you do.....You might agree with them. Ask them the drawbacks of such behavior.

Have the option for EITHER side, to extend the debate if they feel the other party seriously disagrees.. Continue debate a day or two later in a civil manner. This method would help open dialogue up and if it's considered part of the package to get to a movie, I think it might even be looked forward to for both parties.