The Looking Glass Wars

“‘It’s all in your head,’ the queen sighed. ‘Remember that, love. Whatever happens, it’s all in your head.’”

These words are important to how Alyss thinks about her world and how she understands her personal power. The words are first spoken by Queen Genevieve to remind Alyss of her immense responsibility for the great power she has been given; later in England, the statement becomes an ironic sentiment as everyone around Alyss does believe that it’s really “all in [her] head.” This quote shows an individual’s power to construct their own reality, and it foreshadows Alyss’s arc in learning how to control her personal power and embrace her reality.

“So what if she’d [Redd] been a ‘bad girl?’ So what if she’d experimented with artificial crystal and imagination stimulants? So what if she’d never cared for justice, love, duty to the people, blah blah blah? She was her own person. Why couldn’t her parents have respected that and left her alone instead of trying to turn her into the princess she could never be? Why couldn’t they have loved her for who she was?”

This quote provides deeper insight into Redd’s character and her motivations. Due to what she feels was her family’s rejection of her true self, Redd developed resentment and anger towards her family, leading her to construe Genevieve’s coronation (and Redd’s loss of the crown) as betrayal. This results in the civil war. The quote also sets up Redd as a foil to Alyss: like Alyss, Redd harbors insecurity from others’ lack of belief in her, but, unlike Alyss, Redd turns to destructive impulses and a need for power.