The Rabbit (Christina Henry's Alice)

The Rabbit is the overall main antagonist (although he is eclipsed by the Jabberwock, because the Jabberwock had bigger plans than him) of Christina Henry's 2016 horror novel Alice. Based on the White Rabbit from the original Alice in Wonderland novel, this version of the Rabbit is his own master and is not in the service of the Queen or anyone else. This version of the Rabbit is a fearsome, indomitable, brutish thug, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Origin
Several years ago, a young Alice was lured out to the dangerous Old City by her rebellious friend, Dor. Alice and Dor found the Old City to be not as disreputable as their elders had warned; and Dor took Alice to attend a delightful tea party, with a man dressed like a Rabbit, and a second unidentifiable man.

The party was going well at first; because Alice's parents forbade sweets, thus, when the Rabbit told her she could enjoy all the cake at the table, she was delighted, but things went sinister when the Rabbit prevented her from leaving and she was having cake stuffed in her mouth by the Rabbit, who seemed overly interested in her and keen to keep her at the party. The Rabbit tried to get her to stay in his house forever as a slave; but Alice was sick, and witnessed money changing hands (from a small hand to a larger one; to the Rabbit's hand). But Alice became overwhelmingly ill from all the cake, and this made her angry, and in her determination to leave, she pulled a knife from the table, and yanked it into the Rabbit's eye. When the knife came out, she had the eyeball of the evil Rabbit on it. Hands came from bodyguards to stop her, but Alice fled the horrific nightmarish party, and ended up on the bank of the polluted river, into which she threw the blade, which dissolved, still with the Rabbit's eye on it.

Then she remembered she had left her friend Dor behind, and broke down sobbing at the guilt of attacking a man and leaving her friend. As she was found alone, sobbing, and covered in blood, Alice was taken to a mental asylum.

Exacting vengeance
The Rabbit is the overall Big Bad of the novel, given that he fulfils the role of the archenemy and final hurdle Alice must face; thus he is never seen except in terrifying flashbacks.

Alice breaks out of the asylum with an inmate named Hatcher, an alleged murderous axeman who is her only friend in the place, as the asylum burns down one night and the evil Jabberwock is freed. Alice and Hatcher have several run ins with criminal gangs in the City, including the gangs of the Caterpillar, Cheshire and the fearsome Walrus. Out of all of them, Cheshire is the only one predisposed to helping them, somewhat inefficiently, as he gives them a test of character by throwing them in a dangerous other dimension, a Wonderland-like maze full of evil sentient roses and a Siren. However, Alice and Hatcher overcome the obstacles and Cheshire sends them back to the real world.

After breaking the curse of the Caterpillar's dark influence, Alice and Hatcher free the Walrus' prisoners, and defeat the Walrus. Then after finding half the City got slaughtered by the Jabberwock, leaving an empty silence, they free the Walrus' captives and Hatcher retraces his steps home.

Upon arriving, Hatcher gets his memory back, and with this knowledge, he goes to find his old business partner - the Rabbit.

Alice had been expecting a monster, but the Rabbit was somewhat ordinary; he was dressed as an expensive Mafia-esque boss, and to humiliate him, Cheshire had given him his magic potion to give the Rabbit actual rabbit ears and fur. The Rabbit revealed he hates life; and is so full of evil and hate that death would be welcome. Alice sees that when she stabbed him in the back, she broke something, and the Rabbit is suffering.

Dor, Alice's previous friend, is revealed to have betrayed Alice to the Rabbit. Dor asks Alice why she is not angry but Alice has gone beyond feelings. She is just disappointed. The small hand in her memory was Dor's hand giving money to the Rabbit's larger hand. The Rabbit tells Hatcher that his daughter is in the East, far away, and he will never see her again. The Rabbit tells Dor that when he rules the City, she will be rewarded for her suffering (she is in her twenties but has been reduced to looking like an old woman). Dor, infuriated with pain, strangles the Rabbit to death, taking him by surprise in his demise.

Dor lets herself be killed by Hatcher, seemingly to end her suffering.

Afterwards, Alice steps out to face the Jabberwocky.

Nature
The Rabbit was a cruel, sadistic, merciless monster, taking delight in mocking his name as he dressed in a rabbit costume to intimidate/delight/torture his enemies before Cheshire turned him into an actual anthropomorphic rabbit in mockery.

The Rabbit is very similar to Bill from Kill Bill, as he is a wealthy crime lord, who betrays his associates, is murderous and vengeful, yet affably evil, polite when attempting murder, and welcoming to his guests. He also vaguely dresses similar, expensively and with fine taste, yet he cannot hide the monster that lies beneath.

Overall, the Rabbit was a brutal monster, feared by all other gang leaders, and was not someone to cross. However, unlike many other gangsters, the Rabbit did try to stick to the rules, and would do an honourable deal and would never play dirty. But all this changed when Alice injured him by tearing out his eye and stabbing him in the back; then the Rabbit became monstrous, more so than before, and resorted to any old evil trick in the book to get his vengeance. His thirst for vengeance overrode his desire for ruling the City.