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The How of Pooh

 

             He is a simple-minded bear that travels around and has many adventures without becoming smarter, or losing his simple mindedness. As a result, he is the perfect symbol to explain Taoism and the eastern worldview to the average busy Western thinker. In the Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff explains Taoism through the extensive use of symbolism coupled with numerous allusions to the characters and stories written by Alan Milne. As such, the best place to start analyzing the Tao of Pooh is to look at these allusions in depth.
             "P"u the Uncarved Block the idea that all things in their original form have a natural power." (10) Pooh is the absolute symbol of the Uncarved Block. As Hoff points out, he is simple minded, so he is always able to do what needs to be done without too much trouble. Winnie-the-Pooh is used to demonstrate this and the other principals of Taoism, such as taking time to stop and smell the roses because if one doesn't, as Pooh says, "[one will] burn [one's] toast a lot."(99) Pooh helps the "Bisy Backsons" of the world understand what Taoism is all about. He is the perfect symbol and spokesperson for Taoism because of his simple easy to relate to nature. Plus, everyone loves Whinne-the-Pooh.
             If Pooh represents the perfect Taoist, then Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore, and Tigger, represent everything else. Owl represents "the Brain" (25) which is often at odds with the Taoist way of life. The Brain thinks too much and is unwilling to just let things be. Hoff explains that Taoism is about going with the flow and not thinking about things that are irrelevant to life. While Brain is something that Owl has in spades, "if it were Cleverness that counted most, Rabbit would be Number One." (14) Rabbit is clever that is clear to anyone who has read Milne's work. However, Hoff explains that cleverness can be a bad thing if it is overused. Hoff shows this empirically, by chronicling Rabbits journey throughout the Tao of Pooh to find out who has the Uncarved Block.


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