Winnie-the-Pooh

In all the stories in this collection, honey plays an important role, particularly for Pooh but also for other characters. For Pooh, honey is both a beloved snack and a tragic weakness, ultimately showing that too much of anything isn’t good and can distract from other important things. In most cases, though, Pooh’s relationship with honey is humorous, and all of his honey-related struggles resolve by the end of a given story. Honey features as Pooh’s tragic weakness in Chapter 2, when overeating causes him to become stuck in Rabbit’s door, and in Chapter 5, when Pooh’s desire for honey leads him to get his head stuck in a honeypot and frighten Piglet. Pooh is willing to put himself at risk to obtain honey, such as in Chapter 1 when he aggravates the bees, and while Pooh’s antics are amusing, they also show how an obsession can be harmful.

Pooh’s relationship with honey informs how he relates to his friends, exemplifying the theme of Drawing Strength from Friendships. In Chapter 2, Pooh visits Rabbit both because Rabbit is his friend and because Rabbit will feel obligated to feed Pooh if Pooh is a guest in his home, so honey at least partially motivates Pooh’s visit.