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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 17again. And yet this is in apology for speaking “very angrily” to him.She overlooks the Hatter’s calling her “stupid,” but this after accusinghim of rudeness and after snapping at him sharply (W, pp. 101,102, 94). Finally she cannot bear their provocations and walks off indisgust, although, interestingly, she somewhat regrets this bold action,as she keeps looking back “half hoping that they would call afterher.” Only when they show no signs of wanting her back does shedenounce them (to herself ) once and for all: “‘At any rate I’ll never gothere again;’ said Alice. . . . ‘It’s the stupidest tea-party I ever was at inall my life!’” (W, pp. 103–104).Alice thus demonstrates some capacity to reject past destinationsof her own accord, though she cannot as yet propose future ones onthe strength of her own will. However, given a purpose, she is persistentin working to achieve it. She does finally get into the gardenwhere the croquet match is being held.At the start of “The Queen’s Croquet-Ground” Alice exhibitsincreased self-confidence and unwillingness to defer to others.Though she is polite to the Queen, she remarks to herself, “‘They’reonly a pack of cards, after all. I needn’t be afraid of them!’” Shedisclaims responsibility for the situation in which she has merelyhappened to become involved, the dilemma of the three spadecardgardeners. And when the Queen attempts to enforce herresponsibility by punishing her, Alice silences the Queen with a“‘Nonsense.’” Apparently she is allowed to get away with this impertinencebecause she is “only a child,” no serious threat to the cardworld (W, pp. 108–109).Alice is on no one’s side now, but only standing up for herself.She is anything but deferential, laughing to hear that the Duchess hasboxed the Queen’s ears, and without pity at learning of the Duchess’sscheduled execution for that act (W, p. 111).The croquet game itself typifies the games of Wonderland. Itfrustrates Alice because of the maddening absence of fixity in rulesor terms: “‘I don’t think they play at all fairly,’ Alice began, in rathera complaining tone, ‘and they all quarrel so dreadfully one can’t hearoneself speak—and they don’t seem to have any rules in particular: atleast, if there are, nobody attends to them—and you’ve no idea howconfusing it is all the things being alive: for instance, there’s the archI’ve got to go through next walking about at the other end of the