Humpty Dumpty is Derrida in an Eggshell

Humpty Dumpty assigns whatever meaning he wants to whatever word he wants. This is a somewhat deconstructionist activity while he is having conversations. Alice is told that "There's glory for you" apparently means "there's a nice knock-down argument for you." (ch. 6, Looking Glass) adjectives and verbs and nouns all have different personalities, and he apparently has to pay them at the end of the night/week for their use. "Impenetrability means" "that we've had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you mention what you mean to do next."

Learn more about Derrida's theories.

Other Interesting Deconstructionist Quotes
In that direction lives a March hare, in the other lives the Mad Hatter. Visit either you like: they're both mad.
But I don't want to go among mad people, Alice remarked.
Oh you can't help that, said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"you must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here.
Alice didn't think that proved it at all." (ch. 6, alice's adventures)

"I quite agree with you," said the Duchess; "and the moral of that is-- 'Be what you seem to be'-- or if you'd like it put more simply-- 'Never image yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise." (ch. 9, alice's adventures) also, mustard-mine, and the moral of that is the more there is of mine, the less there is of yours

I say what I mean, and I mean what I say. and then the Gryphon says I mean what I say! Very indignantly. all this chasing of meaning. (ch. 10, alice's adventures)

The gnat is always trying to get Alice to make his jokes for him, and then when he finally does, he gets very sad about it. It may be a commentary on cultural expectations, and gnat may represent women or minorities. "You shouldn't make jokes," Alice said, "if it makes you so unhappy." (ch. 3, Looking Glass)

Hyper-Real: He's an anglo saxon messenger and those are anglo saxon attitudes. "The messenger kept skipping up and down, and wriggling like an eel, as he came along, with his great hands spread out like fans on either side." (ch. 7)

When Alice and Unicorn meet, they both have certain preconceived expectations of what the other is supposed to be like, but they are both wrong. The Unicorn says that he always thought children "were fabulous monsters." And then Alice remarks that she always thought that Unicorns were fabulous monsters also. And the Unicorn says, "Well now that we've seen each other, ...if you believe in me, I'll believe in you. Is that a bargain?" (ch. 7)