The Tea Party 

“No room! No room!”
“There’s plenty of room!”
 
Boundaries, “Holding Your Own,” Social Skills, Confidence, Acknowledging Accomplishments, Celebration
Alice takes her place at the head of the table even after being told there’s “No room! No room!” by the Mad Hatter and the March Hare.  It can be hard enough entering a new social situation, not knowing anyone and being in a strange and unfamiliar place, but with the discouraging remarks, it could feel downright hostile.  This doesn’t seem to bother Alice whose self-confidence has developed a good deal (almost as if it had chewed on a bit of that mushroom). Sitting at the head of the tea party could easily be seen as a symbol of her attainment of authority and temerity. She’s really not letting anyone push her around here.
 
As she takes her place, Alice is hopeful for some clever conversation, however the discourses that ensue come to quick dead ends as a result of pot shots and incivilities from her deranged hosts. Alice is not shaken though, and in fact is quite quick with the comebacks herself and displays a strong sense of self-confidence.  She also chooses to draw the line with the supercilious Mad Hatter, which demonstrates strong boundaries:
 

Illustration by Emily Sham - high school artist