Kanga (Winnie-the-Pooh)
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| Kanga | |
|---|---|
| Winnie-the-Pooh character | |
.png) Illustration by Ernest Howard Shepard from Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) | |
| First appearance | Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) |
| Created by | A. A. Milne |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Kangaroo joey |
| Gender | Female |
| Family | Roo (son) |
Kanga is a character in Alan Milne's books Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). A female kangaroo and the mother of Roo, she is the only female character in Milne's Pooh books.[1] Kanga and Roo are the only pair of animals of the same species in the books, and their close relationship is emphasized by the combination of their names ("Kanga-Roo"). The maternal instinct, in addition to Kanga's desire to always keep Roo close to her, in her pouch, is also evident in Kanga's willingness to adopt the newly arrived Tigger.[2]
Roots
Like many other characters in the Winnie-the-Pooh books, Kanga is associated with a stuffed toy that was a present to Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne, in early childhood. Milne himself notes that after his son acquired a bear (the future Winnie-the-Pooh), a donkey (Eeyore), and a piglet (Piglet), gifted to him at different times by different people, the tiger (Tigger) and kangaroo were acquired "not just for the delight they might give to their new owner, but also for their literary possibilities".[3]
Profile
Motherly role of Kanga is evident in her behavior towards other characters. Kanga plays the role of a mother: unlike the wise Owl's, her concerns are purely practical, for example, she chastises Owl for the mess he made in his house. In her complete devotion to family affairs (a trait quite foreign to Rabbit), she often goes too far, using the only punishments in the books: she bathes Roo in cold water and warns him not to become "small and weak like Piglet". No wonder Christopher Robin considers her one of the "Fiercer Animals". Piglet seconds, "if One of the Fiercer Animal is Deprived of Its Young, it becomes as fierce as Two of the Fiercer Animals".[4]
References
- ^ Connolly 1995, p. 86.
- ^ Connolly 1995, p. 87.
- ^ Connolly 1995, pp. 77–78.
- ^ Connolly 1995, pp. 86–87.
Sources
- Connolly, Paula T. (1995). Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. New York, NY: Macmillan Reference USA. ISBN 978-0-8057-8810-5.
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