Be Accepting of Differences
Every character is different and it is their differences that define them. Piglet is a model of social anxiety while Owl is very definitely suffering from narcissism. Rabbit wants to be in charge like a father while Kanga is maternally protective. In addition, each of the character is endowed with certain abilities and talents that inspire envy in some cases and that come to the rescue of friends in other cases. One of the primary lessons being taught throughout the collection of stories is to place value on what makes someone different from you.
Friendship and Cooperation
In the real world, many of the animals represented here would be predator or prey, but they are presented through the prism of being stuffed toys. As a result, though Pooh is a bear, he doesn’t try to eat Piglet. And though donkeys and kangaroos rarely interact with each other in the real world, in the Hundred Acre Wood they work together. The residents of the Wood are dependent upon one another and reveal a new law of the wild: cooperation works better than competition.
Childhood and Imagination
The adventures of Pooh and his assorted friends are the fantasy world of a child playing with stuffed animals. Milne never really attempts to portray these characters are actual animals; Eeyore’s lost tail and Pooh’s bizarre nomenclature attest to the fact that this is an imaginary creation. In this sense, Christopher Robin is really the central figure, thematically speaking. These are his friends by virtue of being his creations and when he leaves it is a symbolic exit into maturity. Thus, the book features a more adult understanding of the need to put away imagination in order to enter the world of maturity and adulthood than is often given credit.
