Original artwork, not a still
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland · 1865
We're all mad here.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The Cat's logic sounds airtight and proves nothing, which is Wonderland in miniature: Alice is judged mad by a creature who argues from a dog growling and wagging its tail. The line has become a joke about offices, families and fandoms alike, usually said with a shrug. It also hands the book its quietly unsettling premise, that madness here is the local norm rather than the exception.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Alice's Adventures in WonderlandShow the scene
The Cheshire Cat says this in Chapter VI, "Pig and Pepper". Alice has asked which way to go, and the Cat points her towards a Hatter in one direction and a March Hare in the other, adding that they are both mad. When Alice protests that she does not want to go among mad people, the Cat tells her she cannot help it, since everyone here is mad. Asked how it knows she is mad, it replies that she must be, or she would not have come here.
Sources (1)
- Project Gutenberg: Alice's Adventures in WonderlandChapter II and Chapter VIReference checked
Context reviewed
