The phrase refers back to the iconic labels hooked up to potions or elixirs featured in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. These labels, most notably bearing the instruction “Drink Me,” play a pivotal function within the narrative, main Alice to eat substances that trigger dramatic alterations in her measurement and notion. These altered states subsequently propel her into the fantastical and absurd experiences that characterize Wonderland.
The importance of those directions lies of their symbolism of curiosity, risk-taking, and the potential penalties of unchecked exploration. Traditionally, such labels, whereas fictional on this context, mirror a broader fascination with potions, elixirs, and the seek for transformative substances. They function a literary machine to instigate plot improvement, character progress (albeit unconventional), and the exploration of themes equivalent to id and the character of actuality.