Coming of age does not occur without change, change does not occur without conflict. The books Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass; and Calvino, Invisible Cities are books that focus on the transformation of the individual and the metamorphoses of the collective. This essay will focus specifically on identity and symbolism. Both novels allow us to enter a fantasy world through distortions and alternate worlds. Thus allowing the reader to determine the rational underlining of what is hidden in the text. Fantasy theory relates to the work of Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and Invisible Cities through the themes of liminality, symbolism, and distortion. Liminality can be seen as “the period of transition or rite of passage, during which the participant lacks status or social rank, remains anonymous, and demonstrates obedience and humility” (Dictionary). Both books deal with an individual or collective majority. These coming-of-age tales can also be observed as a rite of passage. “Arnold van Gennep described the rites of passage as a triple process with phases of separation, segregation and integration” (Rites of Passage). The initiate (i.e. the person undergoing the ritual) is first stripped of the social status he possessed before the ritual, introduced into the liminal period of transition, then endowed with his new status and re-assimilated in society. This triple phase of the process will further illustrate Alice's individual and collective rites of passage in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass and Invisible Cities. Alice in Wonderland begins the first stage of the triple separation process. “Either the well was very deep, or... middle of paper... as adults, we desire to obtain more status or materialistic objects. Nevertheless, through change and development, we remember our progress through memory. We contemplate our lives and how we have lived them. We question the hell of his life and the desire for his future. In society, we can either resist or adapt to change. Personal growth and structural growth spiral out of control. The best solution seems to be to move to the next level of your status. Then take the experiences and learn to build on them. , Person, Human." Encyclopedia of death and dying. Internet. March 10. 2011. .