Modern critics tend to believe that one theme in Alice in Wonderland is the changes and awkardness of a child going through puberty. As Alice went through Wonderland and grew and shrank, she had to deal with feeling out of place. It also had to do with a loss of innocence as Carroll admired the purity of youth. As she went through Wonderland she had experiences that cause her to physically grow, but also be face to physical and moral perils that mirror the challenges we face on the road to adulthood.