Pippi does show awareness of society and society's view of her, although in trying to fit into society and norms she is hampered by ignorance. She may try to understand school or circuses, but she can hardly get around the unimportant and important intricacies of these events when she does not understand their basic components (such as the meaning of the word arithmetic or the concept of paying to see a show). Pippi most earnestly tries to fit into society when she is invited to Mrs. Settergren's coffee party.
I think Lindgren effectively and humorously satirizes ideas about society and socialization in this chapter through Pippi's misunderstanding of expectations. Pippi earnestly wants to fit in and behave just as she knows she should, but she simply cannot do it properly. Her "very stylish" appearance mocks style itself and the adolescent's first attempts to dress oneself like an adult. Normal little girls make a big mess of their mother's makeup, but Pippi makes a big mess of red crayon, thus further emphasizing her youth and ignorance. Pippi literally does not have the tools to grow up and look like a grown up is expected too. Instead, like in many other instances in the novel, she uses her resources and seems quite satisfied with the results.
Throughout this episode, Pippi does her best but messes everything up. Even her attempts to behave by shouting orders to herself only point out her lack of understanding of social custom. Despite behavior that would certainly frustrate and appall in real life (throwing sugar on the floor, eating all the cake), Lindgren maintains that Pippi is the sympathetic character just trying to make the most of the situation. Pippi's desire to conform shows us the comedy in our own efforts to fit in.
Hoffeld, Laura. "Pippi Longstocking: The Comedy of the Natural Girl." The Lion and the Unicorn 1977: 1.1 (47-53).
I agree with your point that Pippi is "just trying to make the most of the situation" with her childlike approach to life. She is clearly ignorant of society's expectations, beginning with the amount of money that she has been given. Pippi does not know the value or worth of the several gold coins she carries around like nothing. This is especially evident in the scene where robbers enter her house.
ReplyDeleteGreed is a natural human vice and the beauty of Pippi is that she doesn't seem to possess this trait when it comes to money. She instead freely spends her gold coins on tickets to the circus for both Tommy and Annika. However, had Pippi understood the concept of money, I believe her character would be completely different- we probably wouldn't like her. The great amount of confidence she has in herself along with her strong, aggressive personality is enough... but add the awareness of wealth to that and it would change the entire story.
Good post! I found your last sentence especially interesting, and it made me think about past situations when I felt out of place, and was trying desperately to fit in. I remember girls in middle school and high school who would try so hard to dress or act differently to impress whatever clique they were trying to fit into, and how ridiculous some of them became in the process. What I like about Pippi, is that even though she is trying to fit into the social conventions expected of her, she always goes about it with a certain amount of “style” and general “Pippi-ness,” and she is able to shrug off the opinions of people that don’t approve of her. So, at the end of the day if she fails to conform, she can at least still go home happy to be herself.
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