Winnie The Pooh Character Analysis
Winnie-the-Pooh, the anthropomorphic bear from the Hundred Acre Wood, was a teddy bear owned by his son. In the first chapter of Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A Milne offers an explanation of why Winnie-the-Pooh is often called simply “Pooh.” “But his arms were so stiff…they stayed up straight in the air for more than a week, and whenever a fly came and settled on his nose he had to blow it off. And I think – but I am not sure - that that is why he is always called Pooh.” For his personality, Pooh is naïve and slow-witted, but he is also very friendly, thoughtful, and steadfast. Although he is classified as the “bear with no brain,” he has a heart of gold, and that makes up for it. Pooh also has the ability to be highly innovative, inventing a game called
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Poohsticks that was in House at Pooh Corner which can be playing on any bridge over running water; each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge and the one whose stick first appears on the downstream is the winner. “They had dropped their stick in when Rabbit said “Go!” and then they had hurried across to the other side of the bridge, and now they were all leaning over the edge, waiting to see whose stick would come out first” (The House at Pooh Corner, 94-95). Pooh also likes to hum a lot and invent songs through the use of those hums. “Because Pooh had once invented a song which went: Tra-la-la, tra-la-la, Tra-la-la, tra-la-la, Rum-tum-tum-tiddle-um” (The House at Pooh Corner, 52). Pooh’s personality could positively influence a child to develop their own inventions, and learn how to be happy in the times of despair. Children could also learn the value of friendship, and learn how to be kind-hearted. His personality also has a very positive influence on the books as well. Christopher Robin was based upon the author A.A Milne’s own son Christopher Robin Milne. He is one of Winnie-the-Pooh’s best friends and is also the closest one to him, as Christopher Robin Milne was closest to his real stuffed bear. He is classified as a young boy who is friendly, and is usually the one the other animals go to when help is needed. He is also very intelligent, and is very adventurous, constantly going on adventures with Pooh and the others. They also constantly solve problems when they are amiss. He’s also like the “father” or “leader” of the group of animals. His brightness and ability to promote better attitudes and focused efforts are like an actual organization or team-building exercise for children. He could also be classified as a good leader to his team of animals due to the fact that he puts most of his time and energy into helping the others, like when Eeyore loses his tail in chapter 4 of Winnie the Pooh, and becomes depressed. Christopher and Pooh help him find it. The character of Christopher Robin was apparently not to be confused with the “real” Christopher Robin. “A.A Milne asserted that character of Christopher Robin was a fictional composite and never meant to be a faithful rendering of his son. In an attempt to clarify the confusion, he described the character that first appeared in When We Were Young” (Connolly, 73). While Christopher Robin of the stories is a symbol of authority, the real Christopher was a timid boy. He is transformed from a dependent child to a more independent person. To the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood, Christopher is their protector and the ultimate representation of authority and wisdom. It is he who is also described as “the only one in the forest who could spell” (Winnie-The-Pooh, 48). He is also praising his friends of the Woods. No matter how much Pooh does stuff without thinking, Christopher is always loving, forgiving, assuring and never chastising. He also implements the use of school and education within the Hundred Acre Wood. He teaches them the concept of learning. “Christopher Robin said it was an A, and an A it is – until somebody treads on me” (The House At Pooh Corner, 88-89). “What does Christopher Robin do in the mornings? He learns. He becomes educated. He instigorates – I think that is the word he mentioned, but I may be referring to something else – he instigorates knowledge” (The House at Pooh Corner, 90). Every morning, Christopher goes to school, and the animals know this when they see, “Gone out, Back Soon, C.R” on his door. The personality of Christopher Robin the character in the books shows the proof of child development and growth by him using his imagination of the Hundred Acre Wood. He learns that children have to grow up someday and he can’t be a kid forever. The personality of Piglet within the books goes through a change. His sense as a very small animal leaves him with feeling very timid and self-conscious. His size becomes one of his biggest assets. He learns how to write, from accompanying Christopher Robin to school and fitting in his pocket. When he is surrounding by water, he writes a message, “IT’S ME PIGLET, HELP HELP” (Winnie-the-Pooh, 133). Another instance of this is when Owl’s house goes down, and Pooh makes a plan with Piglet because of his size. He plans to Piglet up to Owl’s letter-box where he can climb through and get help. While he is fearful, he would never turn away from his friends who needed his help to rescue them. Piglet had said that “it was a Very Clever pup-pup-pup…Plan” (The House at Pooh Corner, 143).
Although Piglet wants to feel useful by overcoming his timidity, he lacks the confidence that his friend Pooh and the others have to do that task.
Piglet is concerned about appearing to be very cowardly, so he often tries to mask his fear. Throughout both books Pooh and Piglet have a special friendship. They spend time together visiting, going for walks, talking and share many interests. They share the same sense of leisure and restfulness and offer each other encouragement and support. Their relationship becomes a model of friendship and at the end of The House at Pooh Corner when Pooh invites Piglet to live with him and Piglet says yes. Piglet goes from timid to brave and noble hero. His dream of being brave becomes a reality, when he is no longer ashamed or insecure of himself, and can accept himself and admit his failings. Through a child’s perspective, Piglet’s personality can be related to them because some children are shy and timid growing up, and through the use of A.A Milne’s books, they can see that if Piglet can overcome his fear and self-consciousness and replace it with being brave. From learning about Piglet, children learn that someone with timid tendencies could be extremely kind-hearted, and not turn away from their friends if they need help. Piglet’s personality also says to accept one’s self as who they
are. Eeyore can be classified as the one who always expects the worst to happen. Even when things go well for the gang, Eeyore thinks that even though one day could go well, the next day could be horrible. He is classified as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed animal that refers to himself in the third person, and thinks that the world is against him, especially when he loses his tail and assumes that, “Somebody must have taken it. …How Like Them” (Winnie-The-Pooh, 47). Eeyore also has a tendency to be sarcastic, which is one of the traits of a pessimistic person. His negativity could also be from things not really going his way. While being associated with depression, there are times in the book that he is generally happy. When his tail is returned, he was waving his placed tail very happily. Eeyore, the cynical outsider, becomes the one who speaks up for others. The reason that his personality is important is because those children could learn that even though Eeyore’s personality is negative, at the ending, he is more outspoken and develops more. Tigger was introduced in The House at Pooh Corner. He has a very eccentric personality with high energy. Tigger is like a child who does not know his limitations until he tries to go past them. He also loves to bounce all over the place, like Kanga’s son Roo. Tigger also lives with Kanga and Roo, kind of being like an “older brother” to him because he gets treated like how Roo gets treated with by his mom. Unlike Eeyore, Tigger is very sociable and impulsive, wanting to be the center of attention, again, like a young child. This blend of distinct personality is also closely related to a very hyperactive person. The lack of being orderly and disorganized bothers Rabbit, who is the opposite of Tigger. Rabbit is a very orderly person, and also thinking that Owl and he are the smart animals, saying, “You and I have brains. The others have fluff. If there is any thinking to be done in this Forest…you and I do it” (The House at Pooh Corner, 78). Rabbit is an organizing guru, always making lists, plots, and plans. To maintain the orderliness and authority, Rabbit sets up a clear hierarchy, by aligning himself with important characters, speaking for Christopher Rob, and distancing himself from others. The other characters are important to him because he wants to order them about or assume an “air of superiority with them.” He repeatedly uses others for his own purposes (Connolly, 80).
He also gets under-minded by Tigger because of his child-like personality, and he doesn’t really like it. It is important for children to learn how to be organized early on because it would help for the future. Organization would lead to better time management and less stress because of not being able to look for an item that was misplaced. For example, if a child misplaced their homework due to disorganization, then they would feel bad about themselves, so it is important to learn about being orderly. Rabbit’s personality could help children with this factor. Owl can be related to a person who expresses his great wisdom. He is always happy to offer his opinion or advice on a topic, like the personality of a great teacher. Kanga is the mother of Roo, and is classified as a typical motherly figure to her son. The only female in the Hundred Acre Wood, she is very overprotective to Roo. Kanga wants her child protected and close at all times. Mothers are important for their children because the nurture and care for them so they grow up and have good health. It’s also important for children to learn how to behave well, when Roo starts bouncing all over the place and learns about punishment. Roo has the personality that Tigger has, which is the child one, since he is the youngest one of the animals. He goes well with Tigger, since they are equally playful, and have a sense of adventure, like young children. The other characters each have other personalities that they develop throughout both stories are what make them do great things. A.A Milne succeeded in creating characters which can be relished by adult and child alike and even more extraordinary, his humor appeals to both (Thwaite, 132) . The reason writing the books was to preserve the memory of A.A Milne’s son Christopher as a little boy. In conclusion, A.A. Milne’s stories, which have a wide array of characters with personalities, use those traits to solve their own problems. Using his child’s favorite toys, he was able to make the stuffed animals that his son loved, and turning that into great novels that have appeal. He was able to use his imagination and commitment to making children’s books to positively influence children to reading them. The theme of personalities within both of the hit novels was enough for children to learn about development and growth.
Poohsticks that was in House at Pooh Corner which can be playing on any bridge over running water; each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge and the one whose stick first appears on the downstream is the winner. “They had dropped their stick in when Rabbit said “Go!” and then they had hurried across to the other side of the bridge, and now they were all leaning over the edge, waiting to see whose stick would come out first” (The House at Pooh Corner, 94-95). Pooh also likes to hum a lot and invent songs through the use of those hums. “Because Pooh had once invented a song which went: Tra-la-la, tra-la-la, Tra-la-la, tra-la-la, Rum-tum-tum-tiddle-um” (The House at Pooh Corner, 52). Pooh’s personality could positively influence a child to develop their own inventions, and learn how to be happy in the times of despair. Children could also learn the value of friendship, and learn how to be kind-hearted. His personality also has a very positive influence on the books as well. Christopher Robin was based upon the author A.A Milne’s own son Christopher Robin Milne. He is one of Winnie-the-Pooh’s best friends and is also the closest one to him, as Christopher Robin Milne was closest to his real stuffed bear. He is classified as a young boy who is friendly, and is usually the one the other animals go to when help is needed. He is also very intelligent, and is very adventurous, constantly going on adventures with Pooh and the others. They also constantly solve problems when they are amiss. He’s also like the “father” or “leader” of the group of animals. His brightness and ability to promote better attitudes and focused efforts are like an actual organization or team-building exercise for children. He could also be classified as a good leader to his team of animals due to the fact that he puts most of his time and energy into helping the others, like when Eeyore loses his tail in chapter 4 of Winnie the Pooh, and becomes depressed. Christopher and Pooh help him find it. The character of Christopher Robin was apparently not to be confused with the “real” Christopher Robin. “A.A Milne asserted that character of Christopher Robin was a fictional composite and never meant to be a faithful rendering of his son. In an attempt to clarify the confusion, he described the character that first appeared in When We Were Young” (Connolly, 73). While Christopher Robin of the stories is a symbol of authority, the real Christopher was a timid boy. He is transformed from a dependent child to a more independent person. To the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood, Christopher is their protector and the ultimate representation of authority and wisdom. It is he who is also described as “the only one in the forest who could spell” (Winnie-The-Pooh, 48). He is also praising his friends of the Woods. No matter how much Pooh does stuff without thinking, Christopher is always loving, forgiving, assuring and never chastising. He also implements the use of school and education within the Hundred Acre Wood. He teaches them the concept of learning. “Christopher Robin said it was an A, and an A it is – until somebody treads on me” (The House At Pooh Corner, 88-89). “What does Christopher Robin do in the mornings? He learns. He becomes educated. He instigorates – I think that is the word he mentioned, but I may be referring to something else – he instigorates knowledge” (The House at Pooh Corner, 90). Every morning, Christopher goes to school, and the animals know this when they see, “Gone out, Back Soon, C.R” on his door. The personality of Christopher Robin the character in the books shows the proof of child development and growth by him using his imagination of the Hundred Acre Wood. He learns that children have to grow up someday and he can’t be a kid forever. The personality of Piglet within the books goes through a change. His sense as a very small animal leaves him with feeling very timid and self-conscious. His size becomes one of his biggest assets. He learns how to write, from accompanying Christopher Robin to school and fitting in his pocket. When he is surrounding by water, he writes a message, “IT’S ME PIGLET, HELP HELP” (Winnie-the-Pooh, 133). Another instance of this is when Owl’s house goes down, and Pooh makes a plan with Piglet because of his size. He plans to Piglet up to Owl’s letter-box where he can climb through and get help. While he is fearful, he would never turn away from his friends who needed his help to rescue them. Piglet had said that “it was a Very Clever pup-pup-pup…Plan” (The House at Pooh Corner, 143).
Although Piglet wants to feel useful by overcoming his timidity, he lacks the confidence that his friend Pooh and the others have to do that task.
Piglet is concerned about appearing to be very cowardly, so he often tries to mask his fear. Throughout both books Pooh and Piglet have a special friendship. They spend time together visiting, going for walks, talking and share many interests. They share the same sense of leisure and restfulness and offer each other encouragement and support. Their relationship becomes a model of friendship and at the end of The House at Pooh Corner when Pooh invites Piglet to live with him and Piglet says yes. Piglet goes from timid to brave and noble hero. His dream of being brave becomes a reality, when he is no longer ashamed or insecure of himself, and can accept himself and admit his failings. Through a child’s perspective, Piglet’s personality can be related to them because some children are shy and timid growing up, and through the use of A.A Milne’s books, they can see that if Piglet can overcome his fear and self-consciousness and replace it with being brave. From learning about Piglet, children learn that someone with timid tendencies could be extremely kind-hearted, and not turn away from their friends if they need help. Piglet’s personality also says to accept one’s self as who they
are. Eeyore can be classified as the one who always expects the worst to happen. Even when things go well for the gang, Eeyore thinks that even though one day could go well, the next day could be horrible. He is classified as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed animal that refers to himself in the third person, and thinks that the world is against him, especially when he loses his tail and assumes that, “Somebody must have taken it. …How Like Them” (Winnie-The-Pooh, 47). Eeyore also has a tendency to be sarcastic, which is one of the traits of a pessimistic person. His negativity could also be from things not really going his way. While being associated with depression, there are times in the book that he is generally happy. When his tail is returned, he was waving his placed tail very happily. Eeyore, the cynical outsider, becomes the one who speaks up for others. The reason that his personality is important is because those children could learn that even though Eeyore’s personality is negative, at the ending, he is more outspoken and develops more. Tigger was introduced in The House at Pooh Corner. He has a very eccentric personality with high energy. Tigger is like a child who does not know his limitations until he tries to go past them. He also loves to bounce all over the place, like Kanga’s son Roo. Tigger also lives with Kanga and Roo, kind of being like an “older brother” to him because he gets treated like how Roo gets treated with by his mom. Unlike Eeyore, Tigger is very sociable and impulsive, wanting to be the center of attention, again, like a young child. This blend of distinct personality is also closely related to a very hyperactive person. The lack of being orderly and disorganized bothers Rabbit, who is the opposite of Tigger. Rabbit is a very orderly person, and also thinking that Owl and he are the smart animals, saying, “You and I have brains. The others have fluff. If there is any thinking to be done in this Forest…you and I do it” (The House at Pooh Corner, 78). Rabbit is an organizing guru, always making lists, plots, and plans. To maintain the orderliness and authority, Rabbit sets up a clear hierarchy, by aligning himself with important characters, speaking for Christopher Rob, and distancing himself from others. The other characters are important to him because he wants to order them about or assume an “air of superiority with them.” He repeatedly uses others for his own purposes (Connolly, 80).
He also gets under-minded by Tigger because of his child-like personality, and he doesn’t really like it. It is important for children to learn how to be organized early on because it would help for the future. Organization would lead to better time management and less stress because of not being able to look for an item that was misplaced. For example, if a child misplaced their homework due to disorganization, then they would feel bad about themselves, so it is important to learn about being orderly. Rabbit’s personality could help children with this factor. Owl can be related to a person who expresses his great wisdom. He is always happy to offer his opinion or advice on a topic, like the personality of a great teacher. Kanga is the mother of Roo, and is classified as a typical motherly figure to her son. The only female in the Hundred Acre Wood, she is very overprotective to Roo. Kanga wants her child protected and close at all times. Mothers are important for their children because the nurture and care for them so they grow up and have good health. It’s also important for children to learn how to behave well, when Roo starts bouncing all over the place and learns about punishment. Roo has the personality that Tigger has, which is the child one, since he is the youngest one of the animals. He goes well with Tigger, since they are equally playful, and have a sense of adventure, like young children. The other characters each have other personalities that they develop throughout both stories are what make them do great things. A.A Milne succeeded in creating characters which can be relished by adult and child alike and even more extraordinary, his humor appeals to both (Thwaite, 132) . The reason writing the books was to preserve the memory of A.A Milne’s son Christopher as a little boy. In conclusion, A.A. Milne’s stories, which have a wide array of characters with personalities, use those traits to solve their own problems. Using his child’s favorite toys, he was able to make the stuffed animals that his son loved, and turning that into great novels that have appeal. He was able to use his imagination and commitment to making children’s books to positively influence children to reading them. The theme of personalities within both of the hit novels was enough for children to learn about development and growth.