E.Scheckel 2-1-01

Connector Role
1. The first connection that I would make is that the way Pippi behaves in school is a lot like the way that Ramona behaves in school. I feel that they both misbehave and cause their teacher some grief. However, Pippi causes a little bit more trouble than Ramona does. The ironic thing about their situations is that neither one of the girls were out to cause trouble. Neither Ramona nor Pippi was out to cause anyone grief, but they always somehow ended up doing it. It is funny because as they both tend to cause trouble, they never seem to realize they are.
2. Another interesting connection would be comparing Pippi to Max in "Where the Wild Things Are". Max seems to not want to live under authority figures, and wishes to live without them. Pippi as well does not feel the need to live with any adults, as then there is no one there to tell her what to do. However, in the end Max seems to want to go back to the way things were, where things are not out of control and in his hands. We never see Pippi go back to that stage, however. She never wishes to have things back the way they were, and is happy with the way things are.
3. I found a third connection between Pippi with Mrs. Settergren and Ramona with Miss Binney. We see that the only time Pippi cries throughout the story is when she is scolded by Mrs. Settergren. It appears that she really feels badly about the way she behaves even though she didn't really realize she did something wrong; her feelings really appear to be hurt. I see the same reaction when Ramona gets in trouble by Miss Binney. Her feelings are hurt and she feels badly as well that she had misbehaved even though she had not really meant to cause trouble.
4. A final connection I saw was between Pippi and I. When I was younger, I got really tired of listening to adults and having to do what I was told to do. I wanted to be able to make some decisions on my own, and be independent. When I read Pippi, she became my hero! She did not do anything she didn't want to do. She made her own decisions, and told herself what to do. This life that Pippi lives is the life that many children wish to have.

Theme:
Pippi overall lives the life that she wants to live. She has no limitations and no adults in her life telling her what to do. Pippi does what she wants to do. She is living the life that most kids (for example Ramona, Max and me) want to live. All children struggle with being told what
to do. Just like Max, myself, and Ramona, it is hard to not have the freedom to make your own choices. That is why I believe Pippi is a hero for children. Her life seems to be just perfect, and she never has to answer to anyone. This is a wonderful book for children to read to fantasize about life without rules.