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Summary
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Tao of Pooh, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Taoism, Nature, and Happiness
Knowledge vs. Wisdom
Self-Acceptance and Personal Growth
Western Culture and Eastern Wisdom
Summary
Analysis
Pooh asks Benjamin Hoff what he’s writing, and Hoff responds that it’s “The Tao of Pooh.” Pooh smudges Hoff’s writing and asks what it’s about. Hoff pokes Pooh with a pencil and yells that it’s “about how to stay happy and calm under all circumstances!” Pooh questions whether Hoff has read his own book.
Hoff introduces his book’s premise: Taoism is a way “to stay happy and calm under all circumstances,” and Pooh will help guide the reader through the process. Pooh points out that Hoff seems to know all about Taoism but not truly understand or practice it. Hoff uses this humorous exchange to point out that knowing about how to be happy is very different from doing what it takes to be happy. Even if they understand Taoism’s principles, readers must put them in practice if they want to improve their lives. Finally, Pooh is the opposite of Hoff: he manages to be happy without knowing much about happiness. He embodies Taoism’s key principles without knowing the first thing about Taoism. In other words, Pooh is wise, even if he’s not knowledgeable.
Themes
One of Hoff’s friends once insisted that “the Great Masters of Wisdom” were all Eastern, but Hoff disagreed. He read his friend a passage from Winnie-the-Pooh: Pooh says that the first thing he thinks about in the morning is breakfast, while Piglet says he always thinks about whatever exciting adventures he’ll go on that day. “It’s the same thing,” replies Pooh. To Hoff, Pooh is a Western Taoist, but his friend disagrees. He says Pooh is just a bear who goes on pointless adventures, learns nothing, and always stays happy. “Same thing,” replies Hoff.
While Hoff wants to bring Eastern wisdom to the West, he also points out that it’s already there, in the form of unconventional characters like Pooh. This suggests that, on some level, Westerners already recognize the truth and appeal of Taoist principles—even if they don’t yet know how to put them in practice. When Pooh comments that breakfast and great adventures are “the same thing,” he means that breakfast can be a great adventure if people look at it the right way. This is evidence of his wisdom: he knows how to see the beauty and excitement in everyday life. Similarly, Hoff’s comment about Pooh shows that Taoist values are quite different from the ordinary Western values that Hoff’s friend seems to believe in. Hoff goes on to argue that, in Taoism, happiness really is about wandering around and experiencing life, keeping an empty mind, and remaining happy no matter what.
Themes
That conversation inspired Hoff to write this book, which uses Winnie the Pooh to explain Taoism (and vice versa). Scholars thought Hoff was crazy. But Hoff thinks he can do it. After all, Taoists say that “A thousand-mile journey starts with one step.”
By explaining Taoism through Pooh, Hoff strikes back at the scholars who think that Taoism has to be a refined, academic subject. Instead, he wants to bring it down to earth and explain it in simple terms that anyone can understand. “A thousand-mile journey starts with one step” is a common saying, but Hoff’s readers might not associate it with Taoism. Therefore, this saying gives readers a familiar entry point for understanding Taoism. It also emphasizes the important Taoist principle that personal growth is a lengthy path requiring lifelong effort.
Themes
