He's dreaming now,' said Tweedledee: 'and what do you think he's dreaming about?'Alice said 'Nobody can guess that.''Why, about YOU!' Tweedledee exclaimed, clapping his hands triumphantly. 'And if he left off dreaming about you, where do you suppose you'd be?''Where I am now, of course,' said Alice.'Not you!' Tweedledee retorted contemptuously. 'You'd be nowhere. Why, you're only a sort of thing in his dream!''If that there King was to wake,' added Tweedledum, 'you'd go out-bang!-just like a candle!
In this excerpt from Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass," Tweedledee suggests that Alice is merely a figment of someone's dream, specifically the King’s dream. Tweedledee becomes excited, claiming the King is dreaming about Alice and implying that if the King wakes up, she would cease to exist. Tweedledum joins in, further emphasizing the idea that Alice's existence depends solely on the dreamer's subconscious.
This dialogue explores themes of reality and illusion, highlighting how perceptions of existence can be fragile and dependent on external factors. Alice's responses reflect her skepticism, but the Tweedles' assertions introduce a playful, surreal veneer of the dream world where real-world consequences are often fluid and fantastical.