Tao Of Pooh Character Analysis

In today’s society, people pick themselves apart each and every day due to insecurities created by the world around them. Confidence use to be a trait that was common in most people, but today it’s a rare quality amongst the public. Characters across each one of these novels centered around this essay, display the consequences of having low self-esteem and or lacking inner tranquility. Society’s unfair expectations are displayed across different time periods and environments, showing how this wave of low confidence has been able to sweep across entire generations. In the four pieces of work Invisible Man, The Tao of Pooh, Malala, and Siddhartha, the authors all depict the struggles that follow with not being able to reach inner tranquility;

depicting the mental and physical punishment that often sets in when one is not able to accept who they truly are on the inside.
Prior to being secure, a person has to accept themselves for who they truly are; and what their history may or may not represent. In the non-fiction piece “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison, “I am not ashamed of my grandparents for having been slaves. I am only ashamed of myself for having at one time been ashamed… They stayed in their place, worked hard, and brought up my father to do the same.”. Early in the Invisible Man’s story, he often noted the fact that he was ashamed of where he came from. He saw the history of African Americans, and was ashamed by the idea of how they endured life. He had the hopes of changing his family’s path in history, so that they could find the same type of succes white people had reached in America’s history. The protagonist in this piece, was focused on changing who he was. There was such a level of embarrassment within him, that he was unable to ever feel confident in his own skin. This created such a mental toll on the Invisible Man, that he began to lose his insanity. His mind would constantly run wild as he worried about how others thought of him. This led the Invisible Man down many different roads, while creating several external and internal conflicts that caused him numerous opportunities. The inability to have the slightest amount of self-esteem, became the origin for so many different issues this character experienced. His growth was stunted so many different times throughout his journey, because he was unable to put himself in the right position to succeed. Insecurities and the lack of inner tranquility are just obstacles each person faces in life, that people are forced to overcome if they hope to ever reach the pinnacle of success in their own life.
Each person has issues and baggage they are forced to carry throughout their journey of life, but it is how you deal with them that creates a sense of empowerment and strength. Malala was a girl raised in Pakistan, and from an early age she was targeted by the Taliban because of her stance on females getting an education. Malala consistently spoke on her thoughts, and even acted on them, by traveling constantly to ensure she was able to collect the education she rightfully deserved. In this process, she was shot in the head and collected numerous injuries that left her with some terrible scars, balance issues, and a loss of feeling in the left side of her face. At certain points, it even looked like the young Malala might lose her life due to the lingering effects of her injuries. But she battled through these conflicts, and emerged as a global figure that demanded the attention of terrorist organizations in each crevice of the world. Her confidence was obvious in any situation, and it created a positive effect on everyone that followed her story.
As a teenager, Malala was forced to deal with another issue besides the Taliban. She was now forced to overcome numerous insecurities. In a world where a person’s looks are often the first thing you are judged upon, it’s not easy to deal with medical issues everyone can see. In the movie He Named Me Malala, Malala explains “ It is also important that we should say no to wrong. And if there is something going wrong we must have the confidence to say that this thing is going wrong, and we must raise our voice”. After being almost killed, constantly disrespected by others, and called a fraud; you’d think most people would just fall back and avoid anymore direct conflict. To stand up to terrorist groups known for killing thousands of people, it takes an immense amount of belief in one’s self. But like any teenager, Malala has her issues with confidence. But she has worked extremely hard over the years to ensure she believed in herself. It’s a constant work in progress, but she is on the path of being a Pooh like figure. Each day she becomes slightly more wise and experienced, strengthening the foundation of confidence she created, and her parents helped develop from an early age. There is a level of peace within Malala, that allows her to see things around her clearly. She accepts the World and her environment for what it is, but she does not fall victim to it. This exact trait, is the reason the Invisible Man struggled so much on his journey; while Malala was able to collect an extraordinary amount of success before she was even legally an adult.
Establishing a distinct mindset from the start of one’s life can help develop a certain way of thinking for a person.

In the novel The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, he writes “ There are things about ourselves that we need to get rid of; there are things we need to change. But at the same time, we do not need to be too desperate… Along the way to usefulness and happiness, many of those things will change themselves, and the others can be worked on as we go. The first thing we need to do is recognize and trust our own Inner Nature, and not lose sight of it.” Pooh was able to enjoy each facet of life, thanks to the simplicity in which he viewed different situations. He never stressed out over a problem he was forced to battle, or allowed anxiety to take control over what he hoped to accomplish. There was a level of confidence and calmness, that made it so no situation seemed like too much to handle. Whenever Pooh was negatively talked about by Owl or Rabbit, it did not even affect. It was because Pooh knew who he was and what he represented; no other person was going to have the ability to change his perspective on himself and what he tried to represent through his actions. Being able to be comfortable on the inside and outside, is a feeling every person should try to accomplish as they endure the struggles of everyday

life.
Each person works to find that level of inner-tranquility at a different pace. Certain people from a very young age just find that rare level of comfortability and run with it, while others work for years to just try and get an idea of what it may feel like. It goes to show how one’s environment and the way you are raised, play a big part in how you see yourself later in life. People are shaped by the things around them. Friends, trends, and many different components of life will always end up impacting you in some type of way. Finding a way to combat those different struggles though, while staying true to yourself is tough, but possible when a person can be secure within their skin. Being like Pooh or Malala in terms of confidence and peace, always comes down to what you actually think of yourself deep down. It is a mental game that is up to you to win, if you are willing to put in the time to find out who you really are.
A person’s problems never go away, running away from them creates larger problems that will disrupt one’s headspace until the issue is put to rest. In the piece Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, he explains “Siddhartha learned a great deal from the Samanas; he learned many ways of losing the Self. He traveled along the path of self-denial through pain, through voluntary suffering and conquering of pain, through hunger, thirst and fatigue. He traveled the way of self-denial through meditation, through the emptying of the mind through all images… He lost his Self a thousand times and for days on end he dwelt in non-being. But although the paths took him away from Self, in the end they always led back to it”. Siddhartha for so long was working to find his place in both religion and the rest of the world. There was always an underlying uncomfortable feeling that was apparent throughout the different phases of his life. He had many issues, but continued to try and move farther and farther away from them. But like any major problem, it will not disappear until it is handled. In many ways the environment Siddhartha was often placed in, caused him to deal with many issues the Invisible Man was forced to encounter. Both scenarios did not allow for much personal growth, and left the protagonists in each story in tough ruts. Goes to show how each person’s road to internal peace differs across the board, but may start in a similar place.
Peace is something in today’s world that is not common, but highly coveted by many. Each character mentioned in these novels, battles with the concept of inner-tranquility consistently as their story is told. Some progressively shine when it comes to being comfortable and finding peace, while others torture themselves consistently as they try to grasp the concept. Society over the years has created many demons within society, that have left people with numerous problems involving confidence and self-esteem. It takes heroes like Malala who attempt to break the mold, along with characters like Pooh that teach both children and adults the beauty of simplicity in life. It then takes characters like the Invisible Man and Siddhartha that help create a reflection of how many people are currently struggling to find themselves around us. Finding that inner-peace is what gives a person the freedom to do what they feel and want in society without the anxiety, fear, and frustration that follows. In order to succeed, it is essential to be comfortable with who you are, what you represent, and the history that came before you.