Analysis : Alice, Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne, Alice

        Alice is a song written and performed by the franco-canadian signer and songwriter Avril Lavigne for Almost Alice, the soundtrack to the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton. When released on March the 2nd, the album was immediatly successful. The lead single Alice is played during the end credits of the film and is in fact the only song of the album featured in the film, whereas the other songs were mostly inspired by quotes directly from Lewis Carroll's original novel. It is worth mentioning that writing her song for the movie was Avril Lavigne's own initiative, and that the film-director agreed with her idea.

Although the song was a hit, the reactions of the critics were mixed in their reviews. On the one hand, it was viewed as a self-assertive teenage song and the high-pitched and somewhat shrieky voice of Avril Lavigne during the chorus happened to be criticized. On the other hand, the interpretation of Alice's dilemna and confusion, caught between a nightmare and a dream was considered as a contemporary evocation of life struggles and was highly appreciated.

        The song is a first-person narrative. It is seen from the perspective and point of view of the lead character, Alice, Avril Lavigne herself in the video clip. She is telling her story and experience, and the lyrics focus on the moment when she is falling into a rabbit-hole after having followed a white rabbit who puzzled her in a garden when she was getting bored. Indeed, a lot of words referring to the fall are used, like « tripping out », « spinning around », « underground », « upside down », « crashing down », « I fall », « hit the ground », or « I fell down ». They give the impression that the fall lasts long, which also give an idea of distance, the gap between her former world, the real world, and the new universe she's falling into, that is to say the world of dreams, imagination and fantasy : the inner mind.

        Besides, the numerous repetitions suggest her shock, her short and incisive sentences convey the change brought about by her experience, her discovery of a new world, her successive questions make us understand she's wondering whether it's a dream (« Is it pretend ? ») or reality (« Is this real ? »).

However, in keeping repeating she wants to survive, she wants to insist on the fact that she wants to cling to her dream world and to believe in it, which shows her strong determination. In spite of the difficulties she has to face in finding herself in another environment, she makes the choice to adjust, to fit in, to be accepted and integrated. Even if she spends a little time wondering what is happening to her, she quickly realises she must rely to herslef to remain alive, being alone among strangers. Instead of wishing she could escape, she's keen on discovering her new setting. Even though she is not sure where she is (« So where am I now ? ») and is trying to reassure herself (« I'll get by »), she wants to make her dream come true and is afraid it might not last. Although she is under the shock of her fall, she doesn't want to go back.

        The fact that in the middle of such confusion, Alice is determined to fight for her survival (« I'll survive ») and even enjoys her experience (« Don't you try to stop me ! »), proves she is quite mature for her age. She is only a little girl and has to endure an unfamiliar world all by herslef. What is happening to her and what is in store for her is quite a lot for a lonely little girl, yet she is ready to face enemies and overcome obstacles as if she was a warrier. As a matter of fact, she reveals herself to be a very independant person who knows what she wants and who is ready to make efforts and struggle for her survival and adjustment. She seems old enough to face dangers and be confronted with hostile people in a unfamiliar surrounding.

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