In all of literature, it is difficult to find a more recognizable story than the beloved set of characters found in Winnie- the- Pooh by AA Milne. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the book’s publication.
The pages of the story hold lively wit and profound understanding of human nature. The story is easily grasped by young minds, but it contains wonderfully droll humor and draws out the subtleties of our own human nature.
A group of animals living in an imaginary forest is a classic example of how friends interact. Milne has written them as being fundamentally human. . All of them struggle with pride in some form or another. Eeyore assumes a party is being thrown just for him. Pooh himself is prideful and frequently self-congratulatory composing songs in his own honor.
Piglet, whenever his pride is wounded, suddenly remembers something to do and runs home. Rabbit tries to take charge of every endeavor, and Owl always feels the need to show off his immense learning by stringing together long words which say nothing at all!
However, despite these moments of self-pride, they are supportive of one another and want to see each other’s success. They are persevering in their friendship and overlook moments of selfishness in each other.
While the story and characters are simple enough to be grasped by children, the wordplay, humor, and social commentary are a reflection of our human nature and how we relate to each other with our own human frailties.
Milne himself had seen the horrors of WW1. His great desire was to be a writer of stage plays. He and his wife both had extra marital affairs, but deep in his heart, his recovery from the war led him to create the adventures and misadventures of these forest friends. Christopher Robin was his real son for whom he wrote these stories.
We often see the” beam in the eye” of another, but Christpher Robin assures us that despite our human frailties, friends forgive!
That’s a lesson from the Pooh!
