Our Inner Cheshire Cat

I LOVE CANDY. 
       When I was born I was lucky enough to inherit my mother's nose, my grandmother's eyes, my grandfather's skin, and ofcoarse, my father's sweet tooth. From my very first sugary sweet, cavity enticing, little delight, I was hooked. Yet to my surprise, my mom never regulated my candy consumption. I mean, when I was little she would make sure that I wasn't eating drastic amounts, but usually, to the envy of my friends, let me decide how much was enough. 

        The Cheshire cat, from its first appearance, provides a striking contrast to the rest of Wonderland. Unlike his fellow characters, the cheshire cat is able to remain calm and even give Alice rational advice. Historically, the cat has been attributed with both light and dark. The Egyptians believed the cat to be divine and even recongnized it as being holy. Yet, by the Middle Ages people began associating the cat with the devil. Either way the cat has always been an animal that held great power, with its greatest power perhaps being able to stimulate people's imaginations with its vast knowledge and curious physique.
         It is thus not astonishing that Carroll would choose the cat as the all-knowing mentor, yet what is interesting is that he would include a rational character in Wonderland at all. The simple answer is that the Cheshire cat is just a catalyst Carroll uses to move the story along before Alice becomes too far lost within Wonderland. Yet, in the bigger picture, I believe Carroll is telling his readers that no matter how mad life gets, we should always hold onto our voice of reason. If we stay calm we are all capable of making rational decisions, even when life turns into a Wonderland.
          Now that I'm older I realize that my mom chose not to supervise me too much so that I would determine how to supervise myself. Even for something as trivial as candy consumption, I needed to learn how to listen to my inner Cheshire cat.  

--Sapir L.