Pippi Longstocking

Content Warning: This section contains references to racial stereotypes contained within the novel.

Pippi Longstocking is nine years old and the protagonist of the story. She is defined by her Strength of Body and Mind that is evident in her optimism, strong will, and inability to let anything get her down for long. Despite having no parents, Pippi imagines the best for them and goes on living her life as best as she can. Pippi’s appearance is particularly striking and part of the initial reason that Annika and Tommy are drawn to her. She has bright orange hair in braids that stick straight out, shoes that are much too large, and mismatched stockings. She also usually has her pet monkey, Mr. Nilsson, on her shoulder. Pippi is a fiercely loyal friend with all sorts of ideas for adventures that she wants to share with Tommy and Annika: “I know I can’t lie around and be lazy. I’m a Thing-Finder, and when you’re a Thing-Finder, you don’t have a minute to spare” (26). Her most remarkable trait is her unparalleled physical strength; she is stronger than the world’s strongest man and can lift almost anything. Pippi believes in Living Every Day as a New Adventure, and when she waves goodbye to her friends at the end of her birthday party, it is only the beginning of her story. The light of her house in the night is a symbol of all that is wonderful about childhood: friendship, adventure, and celebration. When she puts on the billowing shirt of her father’s and brandishes the sword, she signals both to Tommy and Annika as well as to the reader that they too can be fearless in their dreams.

Pippi’s heroism and generosity are endless and effortless. She frequently gives her friends rare and precious gifts, helps those in need (such as the boy who was being bullied, Tommy when the bull chases him, and the children in the burning building), and treats everyone with exactly as much kindness as they deserve. Even the men who try to rob her are eventually given some money and sent on their way, as if they never tried to commit a crime at all. She fears nothing and takes every challenge head on. Pippi also uses her Imagination and Ingenuity to cook herself meals, prepare picnics, and host a birthday party. Pippi hopes to be an explorer like her father and sail the world looking for treasure and new places. She makes up stories about the places she has already been, and she never seems to tell any real ones; at the same time, it is clear she has traveled, as she has a great deal of gold and treasures from all corners of the world. Pippi is also clever and witty. She enjoys making puns and toying with others for the sake of humor, such as when she outperforms the performers at the circus or tells the class at school about a time when she wrestled a snake. Despite her intelligence, Pippi dislikes school and finds the entire concept pointless. She would much rather learn by doing and experiencing, and that is exactly what she does. Pippi’s clashes with the world around her bring her confusion and conflict, but she always surmounts her challenges by being authentically herself.