Pippi Longstocking Literary Elements

Children's Fiction

Sweden, in 20th Century unspecified era

Third person narrator telling the story predominately from Pippi's point of view

Jolly and happy, adventurous

Popping is the protagonist, and adults are the antagonists

There is conflict between Pippi and most of the adults that she meets. For example a major conflict occurs between Pippi and the people in town who think she should live in a children's home

Pippi sees a building on fire and two children trapped on the top floor so she and Mr Nielsson rescue them making Pippi a hero

Pippi's behavior and the fact she is known to live alone foreshadows the fact that the locals and the authorities are going to want her to live in a children's home

Pippi is said to have extraordinary strength for a little girl but this is actually an understatement as she has extraordinary strength for even a grown woman

Pippi alludes to many well known fictional pirates in her stories and relates this to the fact she wants to be a pirate herself when she grows up

Pippi's house is very colorful because she is the one who paints it and this is described in vivid detail throughout the book. She is also equally colorful and described in a way that makes her match the house

Pippi knows that there is behavior that is expected of here but she is not sure what it is; however she is always able to recognize when she has not managed to behave in this way

There is a parallel drawn between the strongman who thinks that a little girl cannot possibly be stronger physically than him and the burglars who think that a little girl cannot be stronger than them in guile and psychology

The town believes that Pippi should live in a children's home and throughout the book the opinion of the town given, but this actually uses the town to mean the townspeople

Mr Nielsson the monkey is given all of the same qualities and feelings that a human is attributed