Winnie-the-Pooh

Both a character in the stories of the Hundred Acre Wood and the listener of the tales as the narrator tells them, Christopher Robin is a real-world child who is entertained by the stories of a bear and his friends. In the Hundred Acre Wood, Christopher Robin is the person the animals go to when they need help, and he’s always willing to aid however he can, representing Drawing Strength from Friendships as a theme.

The two parts of Christopher Robin symbolize the conflicting parts of childhood. Real-life Christopher represents the child who wishes to play and have fun and, at least subconsciously, remain a child for as long as possible. In contrast, the Christopher Robin of the Hundred Acre Wood is more like an adult, offering wisdom to his friends when they need it and leading them on adventures or away from hardship. In this way, Christopher Robin symbolizes both the innocent simplicity of childhood and the reality that this time of life can’t last forever.

One of Pooh’s best friends, Piglet is a small and timid animal. Piglet is almost always afraid, but he makes a valiant effort to overcome his fears, which he finds easier when his friends are there to help.

Piglet is often Pooh’s sidekick on adventures, such as when they’re tracking the Woozle or attempting to catch a Heffalump. In both cases, Piglet remains at Pooh’s side until he’s too terrified to do so. Piglet is the only character in the books who doesn’t end all his chapters with a happy resolution: At the ends of Chapters 3, 5, and 7, Piglet feels frightened or distraught and needs time to recover from what he’s been through, and he represents the idea that everyone deals with difficulties differently. In addition, his reliance on his friends symbolizes the theme of Drawing Strength from Friendships.

A sad, gray donkey, Eeyore likes to talk about how he’s always forgotten and how no one cares about him. His name is meant to sound like the hee-haw sound donkeys make, which illustrates how the Winnie-the-Pooh stories have a decidedly British lens. Milne’s original audience largely spoke an English dialect in which the letter R isn’t pronounced, which would render Eeyore as ee-yaw. The two times in the book when Eeyore seems happy are when he gets his tail back in Chapter 4 and when he receives birthday presents in Chapter 6. This suggests that Eeyore finds happiness only as a result of external actions, which is a direct foil for Pooh’s default happiness. Like Piglet, Eeyore represents the theme of Drawing Strength from Friendships.

One of the two characters who isn’t based on one of real-life Christopher Robin’s toys, Rabbit is a fast-moving creature who doesn’t like it when things go astray from how he intended. This characteristic is evident in Chapter 2 when he pretends not to be home because a visit from Pooh would disrupt his plans for the day.

Rabbit likes to make elaborate plans, such as the one to trick Kanga, which accounts for all possible deviations, and this directly contrasts with Pooh’s plan to catch a heffalump, which relies on things happening a certain way and has no contingencies.

The second character who isn’t based on one of real-life Christopher Robin’s toys is Owl. Owl acts superior and more intelligent than the other animals in the Hundred Acre Wood, which is really a cover-up for his inability to read and write.

Owl’s greatest contribution to the stories is as a storyteller, but his stories and speeches are often longwinded. In Chapter 9, he even puts Piglet to sleep, causing him to nearly get caught in the flood. Owl represents the idea that someone can mean well but not always do the right things.