The Looking Glass Wars

The Heart Crystal of Wonderland is a massive crystal structure spanning 33 feet in height and is “the power source for all creation” (12). The Heart Crystal comes to represent both the power Alyss must wield and her devotion to a larger cause. The Heart Crystal is somewhat removed from the rest of Wonderland; the caterpillars of the Valley of Mushrooms serve the crystal itself, only making themselves useful to the throne of Wonderland inasmuch as it concerns the Heart Crystal, marking the Crystal as something that extends beyond, or perhaps defines, the ordinary structures of Wonderland. The Heart Crystal possesses the power of influencing reality in other worlds, as anything that passes through the crystal will manifest in the imaginations of people in other worlds; its power is the ultimate source of imagination, and it represents something greater than any individual.

Alyss’s scepter, the prize of the Looking Glass Maze, is an extension of this symbol. The scepter is “topped with a white heart crystal” (305), referring to the Heart Crystal by virtue of its design; the fact that Alyss’s powers strengthen when she is near the Heart Crystal reinforces this relationship. The scepter represents Alyss’s maturity in overcoming the Looking Glass Maze and accepting her role and responsibilities as queen.