Holloway’s rendition of the "Jabberwocky" poem ("'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves...") turned nonsense poetry into a spellbinding nursery rhyme. His soft, purring voice as he says, "If I were looking for a white rabbit, I'd ask the Mad Hatter," is a masterclass in passive-aggressive guidance. For many, Sterling Holloway is the voice of the Cheshire Cat monologue.
Here, the monologue serves as a survival mantra. It encourages the protagonist to face trauma head-on. In this context, the line "We're all mad here" feels less like a joke and more like a support group meeting for the psychologically wounded.
A standard performance version of the monologue reads as follows: Cheshire Cat Monologue
"Ah, Alice. We can't go home again. No surprise, really. Only a very few find the way, and most of them don't recognize it when they do. Delusions, too, die hard with memory."
"In that direction," the Cat said, waving its right paw round, "lives a Hatter: and in that direction," waving the other paw, "lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad." Here, the monologue serves as a survival mantra
"In that direction lives a Hatter; and in that direction lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.
: The gaps between the sentences are where the Cat’s power lies. Let the silence hang, forcing the imagined listener (Alice) to squirm. Physicality and Eye Contact A standard performance version of the monologue reads
This is the most iconic version, often used in stage plays and school auditions. It establishes the Cat's philosophy that everyone in Wonderland—including Alice—is mad.
Long before Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus popularized existentialism, the Cheshire Cat was teaching Alice about the inherent meaninglessness of the universe. When Alice asks which way she ought to go, the Cat responds that it depends on where she wants to get to. When she says she doesn't much care, he replies, "Then it doesn't matter which way you go." This is existential freedom in its purest form: in a world without inherent direction, all paths are equally valid. 3. Acceptance of the Shadow Self
The monologue typically centers on the Cat’s philosophical dismantling of Alice’s logic. It serves as a masterclass in controlled chaos , requiring a performer to balance a playful, "docile" exterior with the underlying threat of "long claws and a great many teeth". Strengths of the Piece
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