Heidi

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1881

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-13

Chapters 14-19

Chapters 20-23

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

The Romanticism of Nature and Its Power to Heal and Restore

Romanticism is a literary, artistic, and cultural movement of the 19th century that came as a response to the Industrial Revolution and the ensuing movement of people from the country to the cities. Romantic art and literature emphasize the importance of the individual and elevate nature as a source of comfort, inspiration, and spiritual renewal, proposing that the natural world provides a place for humans to return to the innocence of childhood.

In her novel Heidi, Johanna Spyri creates a strong sense of place with vivid descriptions of the majestic mountains, verdant green pastures, and towering trees that mark the sylvan Alpine landscape. The vistas inspire awe and reverence in Heidi from the moment she arrives, and she comes to call the mountains, trees, and pastures home, just as much as the hut she shares with Grandfather. Through Heidi’s mystical connection to her pastoral home and its healing powers on all who experience it, Spyri draws a sharp contrast in city life and asserts the vitalness of living in close connection to nature for both physical and spiritual health.

Grandfather’s life moves with the rhythms of the natural world. His day begins by tending to the goats and gathering their milk, which serves as their primary source of food. His carpentry work also keeps him close to nature, as he harvests wood from the trees nearby to fashion into furniture and other usable items. Heidi easily assimilates to his simple, yet deeply fulfilling agrarian lifestyle and looks forward to her daily cups of goat’s milk and toasted cheese sandwiches, and even treasures her rustic bed made from hay. She also enjoys watching Grandfather care for the goats and marvels at his carpentry skills.

Beyond the bounty nature offers in food and provision, Heidi develops a profound spiritual connection with the landscape of her new home. She falls so deeply in love with the wildflowers that she wants to bring them home: “She quite forgot Peter and the goats, and kept stopping to gather flowers and put them in her apron. She wanted to take them home to stick among the hay in her bedroom, to make it look like a meadow” (29). The green pastures, sharp mountain ranges, and fiery sunsets become her nurturers and teachers, and Heidi thrives in the bower of nature’s comfort, suspended in the perpetual peace of childhood.

However, when Dete rips her away from her home and thrusts her into the bustle of city life, Heidi withers physically and emotionally like the flowers in her apron. Heidi becomes disoriented and anxious, as “[s]he could not understand what living in a town meant, nor that the train had carried her so far away from the mountains and pastures” (87). City life is a maze of confusion for Heidi, as she does not understand the class structure or social cues. Moreover, there are no trees or mountains within her eyesight, and each day she is separated from the natural world, Heidi’s condition worsens. Through Heidi’s sojourn in Frankfurt, the author highlights the pitfalls of urban living and the deleterious effects it has on people.

Upon her miraculous homecoming, Heidi weeps not only over her reunion with Grandfather and Grannie but also over her beloved trees and mountains. Fortified by the fresh air, goat’s milk, and her family’s love, Heidi recovers quickly. Once Dr. Classen visits her, he realizes he also needs his “prescription” and finds his time in the mountains therapeutic and restorative. After experiencing the effects of the countryside for himself, he exclaims, “This is certainly a wonderful place for sick minds and well as bodies. Life seems really worth living again!” (208).

The healing power of nature proves most powerful in Clara, as she not only regains some ability to use her legs but also experiences the freedom of nature for the first time. Even before she takes her first steps, watching the stars from her bed, cuddling the goats, and being outside all day works like a tonic to her weary soul. Through her characters’ experiences in the natural world, Spyri portrays nature as a heaven on earth and upholds the Romantic belief that Mother Nature provides healing for humanity.

The Beauty of Found Family

Abraham Maslow asserts in his hierarchy of needs that beyond the primal necessities of hydration, sustenance, and shelter, humans need to feel safe, loved, and valued before they can move to higher levels of thinking and performance. Johanna Spyri’s novel Heidi illustrates the crucial role family and community play in the development of a child, and how finding a family, though not always through blood, can heal a person physically and emotionally.

When Heidi arrives at Grandfather’s, she is an orphan and is in desperate need not only of a caregiver but of love and acceptance. Though Dete is her aunt, she doesn’t see Heidi as a beloved family member or even her responsibility. Grandfather is Heidi’s blood relation but a stranger to her, yet she trusts him fully from their first day together. His gruff exterior hides a soft, sensitive man who immediately adopts Heidi into his household and quickly into his heart. Though Grandfather doesn’t speak to Heidi’s impact, his carpentry communicates for him, as their dwelling is described as “less bare now than when she first arrived, for Grandfather had made one bench which was fixed to the wall and other seats big enough for two people” (45). Heidi’s addition to Grandfather’s home not only causes him to expand his dining space but allows him to open his heart and invite others into his family. He attends to her physical needs yet is also concerned about her anxiety over being in a new place. Grandfather builds her a chair, monitors her nutrition, and guards her safety as her surrogate father.

While playing in the pastures, Peter watches over Heidi like a big brother, and he allows her to share in his companionship with the goats. However, when he invites Heidi into his home and she meets Grannie, Heidi instantly becomes a part of their family. Heidi patiently sits with Grannie each day, listening to her and sharing life as if she were her grandmother. Grannie suffers while Heidi is away in Frankfurt, and even once she returns, the old woman fears the Sesemanns will steal her away again. However, when the wealthy family visits from Frankfurt and meets Grannie, they come to love her just as Heidi does. With great generosity, they send her Heidi’s comfortable bed from Frankfurt and warm clothes for the harsh winter months. The longer Heidi stays on the mountain, the more her circle of family grows, as she endears herself to everyone in a different way, and through her generosity of spirit, she encourages others to also widen their family circle.

Despite Frankfurt being like a prison to Heidi, while staying there, she enthralls Clara with her joyous energy, and the two girls become deeply bonded just as sisters, and Clara’s Grandmamma adopts Heidi as if she were her own, teaching her about God and helping her learn to read. After her return to the mountain, Heidi does not miss Frankfurt, but she does feel as though she left a part of her heart there and longs to see Clara again. Dr. Classen visits Heidi, and in seeing his grief, she looks after him in his sadness and ensures his visit is pleasant and rejuvenating. Much like her effect on Grannie, being near Heidi heals him in a way he cannot fully understand. In the end, Herr Sesemann adopts Heidi as part of their family pledging to provide for her if Grandfather ever cannot, and Dr. Classen decides to bequeath her all his money upon his death, as he would have his daughter. He says to Grandfather, “I believe we think alike about that dear child” (294).

Heidi arrives on the mountain an orphan, wearing her only possessions on her back. Abandoned by her aunt, she is left to fend for herself. Heidi finds comfort and sustenance in the beauty of the nature surrounding her, and she also finds a circle of friends and family who, in response to all the joy she has given them, pledge to love and sustain her forever. Spyri underlines the importance of having the support of the community and highlights the truth that a family circle not only can provide for a person’s physical needs but can also support them emotionally and spiritually.

The Power of Faith and Divine Providence

The town of Dörfli, the setting of the novel, centers around the church, and villagers see participation in the religious community as an essential part of life. However, when Heidi comes to live with Grandfather on the mountain, faith is not an important part of her daily life. As Heidi’s life progresses and she experiences difficult circumstances, she comes to understand and value having convictions and believing in a higher power. In her novel, Spyri asserts the power of personal faith in both individuals and the community.

Spyri first explores the concept of faith and divine providence through the characters of Grandmamma and Grannie. When Heidi becomes deeply homesick and depressed in Frankfurt, Grandmamma encourages her to use prayer to seek guidance for her life. Grandmamma advises Heidi, “[W]hen you are sad, and have no one to turn to for help, can’t you see what a comfort it is to tell God all about it, knowing that He will help?” (126). Though God does not immediately answer Heidi’s prayer to return to the mountain, she finds comfort in pouring out her sadness through prayer, especially since Frau Rottenmeier forbids her to cry in public.

Grannie also maintains a deep faith in God’s providential work in a person’s life, and her faith is more familiar to Heidi. Mrs. Sesemann is a woman who lives in relative comfort and has few worries, but Grannie lives in poverty and physical torment. Though Grannie cannot physically see, she embodies a spiritual vision that gives her a humble and holy perspective on life. Through Grannie’s persistent faith despite her troubles, Heidi learns that faith is not just about asking for things she wants but about trusting that God has a plan for her life, even though it may not work out the way she planned. As Heidi reads the words of Grannie’s favorite hymn, “Sorrow and grief / Are only brief. / True joy we’ll find, / And peace of mind, / In God’s good time” (170), she understands the power of faith to help a person find meaning in their life and a purpose in their struggles.

Though faith in God is a prominent theme, Spyri’s novel also upholds the value of having faith in others. Grandfather invests time and energy in Peter by feeding him and encouraging him to attend school. Even when the boy commits a terrible act of destruction, Grandfather has faith that he will confess his wrongdoing and turn from his malicious anger. Grannie remembers when Grandfather wasn’t so reclusive and speaks highly of him to anyone in the village, believing him to be a good caretaker of Heidi and a moral person.

Aside from Rottenmeier and Dete, each character in the novel works to see the best in people and therefore extends kindness and love to everyone no matter their social class or reputation. However, no one is better than Heidi at seeing the humanity in others and having faith in their abilities. Despite being a young child, she trusts and honors other people in a way that elevates their humanity and spurs them on to be better people. Through her relentless positive energy, she changes the lives of Clara, Dr. Classen, Grannie, Grandfather, and Peter.

Maintaining a personal faith practice and believing in others ultimately brings the characters to understand the importance of believing in themselves. Grandfather learns that he must release his fear of how others view him due to his past, and must have faith that they will accept him as he is now that he is caring for Heidi. When he humbles himself and enters the church, he steps out on faith that the pastor will forgive him and that the community will welcome him back into the fold. Once he feels the relief of their acceptance, he experiences a profound sense of peace.

Grandmamma teaches Heidi that she must have faith in herself to learn to read, and in turn, she passes on that principle of self-love to Peter. When he claims reading is impossible, Heidi states, “I don’t believe that any more […] Clara’s Grandmamma told me it wasn’t so and she was right” (223). By pushing him to believe in his ability to learn, Heidi helps Peter overcome his difficulties. Whether it be belief in a divine force at work in the cosmos or through the simple act of faith in humanity’s goodness, Spyri highlights the beauty of a fervent faith that produces contentment for the present and hope for a better future.