Mrs. Piggle Wiggle

One of the novel’s most pervasive themes is that bad behaviors don’t negate children’s intrinsic goodness. Rather than children being portrayed as either bad or good, they are described as innately good, with their negative behaviors represented as habits or ailments rather than character traits. Both in narration and in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s speech, children’s good qualities are consistently mentioned alongside or in addition to the bad behaviors they are exhibiting. For example, Hubert was “moderately generous about letting other children play with [his toys], but he never put his things away” (24). The passage shows a positive character trait (generosity) alongside a negative behavior (failure to pick up toys). Similarly, every time Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle speaks to a concerned mother, she mentions one of their child’s positive qualities even as she focuses on relaying the cure to the problem at hand. When Dick Thompson’s mother calls, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle tells her that “although he is a dear little boy and the most well-mannered child who comes to visit me, never once forgetting to say Thank you and Please, he is very selfish” (55). Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s focus on children’s good qualities emphasizes that bad behavior doesn’t undo, but operates alongside, a child’s positive personality traits or intrinsic goodness.