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Pippi Longstocking Gender Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

"As soon as my papa has built himself a boat he will come and get me, and I'll be a cannibal princess. Heigh-ho, won't that be exciting?" (1.4)

Okay, so lots of girls fantasize about being princesses, otherwise there would be no Disney princesses and no Princess Diaries. But a cannibal princess? This hints right away that Pippi isn't exactly a typical girl.

Quote #2

Annika never fussed when she didn't get her own way, and she always looked pretty in her little well-ironed cotton dresses; she took the greatest care not to get them dirty. (1.10)

Right after we hear that Pippi wants to be a cannibal princess and that her "family" consists of a monkey and a horse, we get this quote about Annika. You know, just in case we forgot how girls are supposed to act.

Quote #3

Bengt turned around and saw a little girl he had never seen before […] "Boys," he said, "boys, let Willie alone and take a look at this girl. What a babe!" […] "Have you ever seen hair like hers? Red as fire! And such shoes […]" (2.54-56)

Big mistake, Bengt—big mistake. Bengt the bully, like so many others, assumes Pippi—being a "babe" and all—will be an easy target for ridicule. Bengt needs to adjust his attitude about women.