The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
"The Adventures of Pinocchio," written by Carlo Collodi, is a classic children's tale that combines whimsical storytelling with moral lessons. The narrative follows Pinocchio, a wooden puppet brought to life by Geppetto, who quickly displays a mischievous and self-centered personality. As Pinocchio embarks on his adventures, he faces a series of dramatic and often perilous situations, from being nearly burned alive to being turned into a donkey. Despite these challenges, he is guided by characters like the Talking Cricket, who serves as his conscience, and the Blue-Haired Fairy, who comes to his rescue multiple times.
Throughout his escapades, Pinocchio learns valuable lessons about honesty, sacrifice, and the importance of caring for others. His journey ultimately leads him to become a real boy after demonstrating significant personal growth and empathy. The story, first serialized in a children's newspaper in the early 1880s, has since become a vital part of Western culture, inspiring numerous adaptations and interpretations. Its blend of humor, memorable characters, and exploration of fundamental human themes makes "The Adventures of Pinocchio" a timeless work that resonates with readers of all ages.
The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
First published:Le Avventure di Pinocchio: Storia di un burattino, 1881-1882, serial; 1883, book (The Story of a Puppet: Or, The Adventures of Pinocchio, 1892; better known as The Adventures of Pinocchio)
Type of work: Moral tale
Themes: Coming-of-age, family, and friendship
Time of work: The late nineteenth century
Recommended Ages: 13-15
Locale: Italy
Principal Characters:
Pinocchio , a mischievous puppet who runs away from homeGeppetto , a puppet maker, Pinocchio’s loving but sometimes helpless “papa”Blue-Haired Fairy , Pinocchio’s “mama,” who befriends him during his journeyTalking Cricket , a friend who serves as Pinocchio’s conscienceFox , andCat , scoundrels whose advice Pinocchio must reject
The Story
Comic, fantastic, sometimes surrealistic events and characters are among the distinctive qualities of this high-spirited, well-crafted story that seeks both to teach and to entertain the reader. No sooner does Geppetto the puppet maker finish work on Pinocchio’s eyes than the wooden boy begins staring at him with a “wicked” look. No sooner is the puppet given a mouth than he sticks out his tongue and derides him with laughter. No sooner has Geppetto carved the puppet’s hands than they grab his wig. Before long, the creature emerges as a full-fledged puppet-gamin, a self-centered, naive, but likable character who runs away from Geppetto for the bigger world, survives one near-disaster after another, then finally decides that there is no place like home. Along the way, Pinocchio learns the nature of the world, discovers its meaning and pattern, and acquires a philosophy of life.
Although some of the ordeals Pinocchio faces seem excessively severe, Collodi presents violence in a nonthreatening way for both dramatic and thematic purposes. In many of the episodes, for example, the puppet’s misfortunes point to his need for correction. He is abducted by assassins, nearly burned alive, hanged into insensibility, robbed and imprisoned, caught in a metal trap, used as a peasant’s watchdog, turned into a donkey that is beaten and nearly drowned, swallowed by a fish, and twice threatened with being cooked and eaten. Collodi reminds the reader that Pinocchio is a puppet who does not experience pain the same way that real people do, and that he is protected from ultimate catastrophe. All the while, he is forced to contend with a nose that grows conspicuously longer each time he tells a lie.
Pinocchio would never have survived these adventures without the intervention of his friends. Offering some relief to these nightmarish scenes are two likable characters: the Talking Cricket, who acts as Pinocchio’s conscience, and the Blue-Haired Fairy, his “mama,” who rescues Pinocchio on several occasions. The Talking Cricket. warns Pinocchio about the assassins, helps him to realize that he is breaking his father’s heart, and throughout the book serves as the puppet’s reliable counselor. The Fairy patiently forgives Pinocchio and wields her magical powers to help him. When he learns that the Fairy is ill and starving, Pinocchio at last becomes concerned about the well-being of others. This new awareness enables him to save Geppetto from a shark and to work long hours to support him when he is ill. Pinocchio also sacrifices his meager savings to help the Blue-Haired Fairy, who he believes is dying in a hospital. When he wakes up one morning, he is no longer a puppet, but a real boy, living with Geppetto in a happy, contented home. In a corner, with its head to one side, its arms dangling, and its legs crossed and bent, stands the puppet. “How ridiculous I was when I was a puppet!” Pinocchio exclaims. “And how glad I am that I have become a well-behaved little boy!”
Context
Although the values underlying the story may now seem stern and authoritarian, Pinocchio’s story has become part of Western culture through scores of adaptations and abridgments now available. Le Avventure di Pinocchio originated as a story told in monthly installments in a children’s newspaper (1881-1882). Its appearance in book form one year later not only made it an instant best-seller that set a new standard for Italian children’s literature, but also led to two sequels: The Heart of Pinocchio (1894) by Collodi’s brother, Paulo Lorenzini, and Pinocchio in Africa (1895), by Eugenio Cherubini. Neither story attracted the wide readership of Collodi’s original. Its humor, memorable characters, many surprises, vivid imagery, suggestive symbols, and focus on fundamental human concerns appeal to children and adults of any era or locale.
No doubt a major reason for its enduring popularity is that it belongs to a genre in children’s literature that had its origin in religious traditions and folk literature of Western culture. From tenth century miracle plays to the English Punch and Judy show, puppets have been used to entertain and instruct, often carrying both religious and philosophical ideas about death, rebirth, and resurrection. During medieval times,
many biblical and epic stories were acted out with puppets, and Collodi’s story belongs to that tradition. Like the biblical Jonah, for example, Pinocchio survives near-disaster in the belly of a mammoth fish and later is reborn with a new self and a new awareness. His archetypal journey to an underworld and eventual death and rebirth also invite comparisons with the great epic tradition of Odysseus, Aeneas, and Dante, all of whom experienced significant transformations after such descents. That a block of wood could have psychic energy, or even a “soul,” suggests the idea of animism, which teaches that gods dwelled in trees, plants, and even rocks. When Geppetto carves the puppet from a piece of wood, he releases the god from the wood and gives him a new status.