HET212- Childrens Literature Tang |1 Johanna Spyris masterpiece, Heidi (1880) is about an orphan girl who is sent to the

Swiss Alps to live with her grandfather, uncle Alp, and a collection of events on how she moves and touches the life of the people around her. The story of Heidi is widely celebrated by children and adults from all over the world. However, it is often argued that life as presented in Heidi is too naive and simplistic as the conflicts in Heidi are treated with ease and it ends with good characters living happily ever after. I agree to a certain extent that life portrayed in Heidi is too nave and simplistic. With close references to the text, I would like to justify and elaborate further on the topic matter. The pages mentioned in this essay would be according to Penguin Popular Classics version of Johanna Spyris Heidi.

First and foremost, Heidi's home in the Alps is an idyllic place, far from the modern world and its concerns. The people staying in the mountain can support their own living. Their life in the Alps are depicted as simple and their source of food are hard round loaf, goats milk, cheese and sometimes smoked meat. However, the city folks have misconception towards the people living in the Alps and Mayenfiled, for instance, upon returning Heidi to the mountain, Sebastian felt sure it would be very dangerous and the country seems to him only half-civilised. (Spyri, 1880, p. 130) As a child of five to eight years old, Heidi has a deep connection with nature and
exuberance for life. She follows her own ideas of what it means to be a girl, running

freely in the mountains to commune with nature. (Novelguide.com, 1999 - 2010) She loves the scenery on the Alps, the abundant flowers, the broad meadows, the gentle winds, the ancient fir trees, the breathtaking sunrise, the fiery sunset, the shining stars at night, as well as the goats.

HET212- Childrens Literature Tang |2 The childhoods naivety is fully explored by Spyri through the characters of Heidi and Peter, the goatherd. Heidi is upset after she sees the beautiful flowers which she plucked and kept in her apron had faded and looked much like hay. (Spyri, 1880, p. 37) In Frankfurt, she keeps the soft white rolls in her wardrobe for Peters Grannie, promises a boy on the reward for bringing her back home, keeps the kittens in the attic and brings Mr Sesemann fresh water from the fountain. Her naivety has indeed become the humour in the novel. Peter is a simple-minded and easily contented person. He is easily frightened when Heidi threatens him while teaching him alphabet.

Heidi, as the protagonist in the novel, is portrayed as just a little too good, too pious, too religious, and too ideal as a child of eight years old. Spyri highlighted the child as a natural healer to the people around her. The first person who is healed by Heidi is Peters blind grandmother, who says: I hope shell come again; she has done me so much good. . . I have something to look forward to in this world now. (Spyri, 1880, p. 48) Simply by reading and talking to her, Heidi has the power to transfrom Grannie from a sad and sorrowful old lady to a hopeful person. Heidi herself appears to have neither emotional nor material needs. She is willing to spend all the money she received from Mr Sesemann to supply Grannie with soft white rolls. (Spyri, 1880, p. 142) Besides, Heidi changes the gruff grandfather through her charm, curiosity and excitement about life. It is Heidi who leads him back to his religion. When the local pastor attempts this same thing and fails, Heidi succeeds simply by reading the story of the prodigal son, where she learnt from Claras grandmamma during her stay at Frankfurt. Heidi is also too brilliant in her way to answer Uncle Alps doubt on God: Because then God lets him go his own way and then, when everything has gone

HET212- Childrens Literature Tang |3 wrong, no one will feel sorry for him. The line You didnt bother about God, and now God has left you to yourself (Spyri, 1880, p. 143) has indeed left a great impact for her grandfather and led him to reconcile with God. Once a hardened old man, he says at Heidis return, Today I am happy, as I had never thought to be again. Much happier than I deserve. Its good to feel at peace with God and man. It was a good day when God sent you to me. (Spyri, 1880, p. 148)

In this same way, Heidi also succeeds where the teacher has failed. After the once illiterate Peter reads confidently in class, the teacher questions in amazement: Is this a miracle? Now when I practically given you up as hopeless, you suddenly get up and read quite fluently. How has this come to pass? (Spyri, 1880, p. 188) To which Peter replies: It was Heidi. As we can see from the examples above, Spyri has indeed treated the complex issues and problems in the novel as if they were much simpler than they really are. Heidi is able to transform people in the hopeless cases throughout the novelthe blind Grannie, her Grandfather and the illiterate Peter to overcome their shortcomings simply out of her kindred spirit.

Lastly, Heidi also succeeds where the doctor fails. The doctor has no hope for Clara to walk again. When she is taken up to the Alp to be with Heidi, another miracle happened. Clara begins to walk after her wheelchair is smashed. It is believed that the healing power of nature and Heidis personalities that cure Claras sickness. With Heidis cheerfulness, the fresh air and goat milk, Clara is able to walk again. This event makes the whole story more wonderful as Clara can be a normal girl and live freely. In Frankfurt, she seems to be caged in her beautiful house as an invalid. This idea is shown from Heidis view when she first arrived: She ran from window to window frantically, trying to open them, like a wild bird in a cage, seeking a way

HET212- Childrens Literature Tang |4 through the bars to freedom (Spyri, 1880, p. 70) Although Frankfurt is associated with modernity, it is actually a dull place. Theres nothing but stony streets. (Spyri, 1880, p. 75) Heidi also cannot see stars or sun from Mr Sesemanns beautiful house.

In real life, we hardly find that good people are rewarded while love and honesty triumph. The ending of the book focuses on one smiling face after another, smothering the reader with its overabundance of happiness. Thus, modern readers may find certain aspects of the book a bit overdone, either it were too simplistic or naive. The characters of Heidis aunt, Detie and the Claras governess, Miss

Rottenmeier are regarded as the antagonists in the novel. However, their endings are remained unknown towards the end of the books, while the good characters are to live happily ever after. Uncle-Alp got the confirmation from Mr Sesemann that Heidi will be well taken care of after he died, Peter can read very well and can get a penny a week for the rest of his life, Clara is recovering and walking quite steadily, the welfare of the poverty-stricken Grannie is taken care of and Heidi even promises Dr Classen that she will be with him in his old age as though she were indeed his daughter.

According to Deborah Lovitky Sheiman, a good children literature must convey clear and vivid messages to the readers, stimulating the imagination, comforting the soul and putting a smile on the sad face. (Nuba, Sheiman, & Searson, 1999, p. 13) Among the listed criteria include developing a sense of affinity and attachment to others, coping with life traumas, being kind to others, and understanding the consequences of ones actions. (Nuba, Sheiman, & Searson, 1999, pp. 17-18) Even though life as presented in Heidi is too nave and simplistic, Johanna Spyri was actually pondered on the universal themes of the story. It helps in a great

HET212- Childrens Literature Tang |5 deal in cultivating values in the readers, especially young children. Heidi emphasizes on kindness, generosity, love, caring, having faith in God, making friends and developing friendships with other people. Not only that, it teaches the readers to understand and to cope with death and separation. The doctor in Frankfurt, Dr. Classen, has lost her daughter and grieves over her death. It is Heidi that comforts him by reciting the hymns in the bible. Heidi also faces separation from her grandfather in the Alps, resulting in sleepwalking. Hence, I may say that life in Heidi shares the
universal themes which are still relevant nowadays.

In addition, Spyri inserted some lessons for moral conduct and conscience in this novel. The most significant event is in Chapter 22, The Unexpected Happens, where Peter pushed Claras wheel chair down the slope and destroyed it due to his outraged jealousy. Later, Peter is guilty of his action and confesses to Claras Grandmamma. Relief from fear, Peter is forgiven and a reward of a penny a week for life. (Spyri, 1880, p. 233) Mrs Sesemann talked on the importance of controlling our anger: Of course his feeling got the better of him and drove him to his foolish act of revenge. We are all foolish when we are all angry. (Spyri, 1880, p. 230)

In conclusion, the portrayal of life in Heidi may sometimes seem too naive and simplistic to today's readers. However, the problems and conflicts in the characters are universal, the book prompts discussion of how today's youth can deal with similar problems for young people, for instances, the necessity of handling disappointment, treating the nature, facing the difficulties in learning, family issues and so on. Heidi was written as a book "for children and those who love children". Thus, it is prominent that the core messages of the book can be delivered to every reader even though it suggest too much of the idealism kind of life in the Alps.