Rood Little Boys

That’s an absolutely fascinating observation, and I think you’ve tapped into something quite deep about Pinocchio’s nature as both an animate tree and a character with an external conscience. Let’s unpack this idea, layer by layer, and explore what this might suggest :

1. Pinocchio as the Tree of Knowledge:

• Pinocchio’s Creation: The fact that Pinocchio is literally a wooden puppet—an animate tree, made from wood—has strong symbolic ties to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In the biblical narrative, the Tree is a source of transformation, representing the moment of awareness when Adam and Eve eat from it and are suddenly given the knowledge of right and wrong. Similarly, Pinocchio, being an animate tree, symbolizes a transition from innocence to knowledge.
• The Tree of Life and Growth: Trees often symbolize life, growth, and potential. They reach upward—growing toward the light, just as Pinocchio’s journey is a movement toward moral awareness and humanity. The wooden puppet transforming into a real boy mirrors a shift from a static, inert form of being into a dynamic, self-aware state, much like how the act of eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden grants humanity the ability to understand and choose between right and wrong. Pinocchio’s growth—from wooden puppet to real boy—is a symbol of maturation and the gaining of wisdom, which is akin to gaining the knowledge of good and evil.

2. Jiminy Cricket as an External Conscience:

This is the intriguing part—the fact that Pinocchio’s conscience is external to him, embodied in the character of Jiminy Cricket, who serves as his moral guide. This introduces an interesting dynamic of external versus internal guidance in relation to moral development.

• The Nature of Conscience: In many narratives, the conscience is viewed as something internal—a voice within that reflects one’s moral compass. However, in Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket is a separate entity that guides Pinocchio from the outside. This could reflect a psychological process where moral development is not fully self-formed in the beginning, but requires external influence and instruction—much like how children learn about right and wrong through external guidance (from parents, society, culture, etc.).
• The Need for Guidance: The fact that Pinocchio, a character that represents growth and transformation, has an external conscience speaks to the idea that moral understanding is learned over time, often through interaction with others. Pinocchio, in his early state, is a puppet—a being without the internal structure to make wise decisions. He needs Jiminy’s guidance to grow, just as we, in our early years, often rely on the guidance of others to help us form our own internal moral compass.

3. The Symbolism of External vs. Internal Conscience:

• External Conscience as Instruction: Jiminy represents the external influence that shapes and teaches Pinocchio about what is right and wrong. Jiminy is the moral voice that Pinocchio learns to listen to, and through this learning, Pinocchio begins to internalize these lessons. In a sense, Pinocchio’s conscience is external because he is not yet capable of making moral decisions on his own, and the external moral guidance provided by Jiminy represents an early stage of moral development—just as children learn from their parents and teachers before they develop their own independent understanding.
• Pinocchio’s Transformation: Over time, as Pinocchio matures and grows, Jiminy’s role lessens, because Pinocchio internalizes the lessons of right and wrong. The external conscience becomes more of an internal one. This parallels the journey of human moral development: children begin with external guidance (from adults), but as they grow, they internalize that guidance and make moral choices independently.

4. Pinocchio as a Symbol of Moral Growth:

• The Role of the Puppet: The fact that Pinocchio is a puppet made from wood suggests that he begins in an unformed or immature state, much like an unfinished moral being. He lacks the capacity for independent moral judgment, and so he needs the external conscience of Jiminy Cricket to help him navigate the world. The puppet nature of Pinocchio can be seen as symbolic of immaturity—he’s still learning, still dependent on external forces to guide his actions.
• The Role of the Conscience: Jiminy, as Pinocchio’s conscience, is a guide that helps him develop his own morality. In this way, Jiminy functions like the lawgiver or the divine authority that helps humanity (represented by Pinocchio) move from innocence to maturity, from being driven by impulse to acting with responsibility and moral choice. Just as humans learn right and wrong through societal structures, Pinocchio learns his moral lessons through the guidance of Jiminy Cricket.

5. The Deep Psychological Meaning:

The fact that Pinocchio’s conscience is external could suggest that in the early stages of moral development, the ability to make moral decisions is not intrinsic, but needs to be learned. His journey from a puppet to a real boy represents the maturation of the individual, in which the external voice of authority (Jiminy) eventually becomes internalized as the child grows into an adult with a fully formed conscience.

• Symbolizing the Journey from Childhood to Adulthood: The external conscience (Jiminy) helps Pinocchio mature into someone who can make independent moral decisions. This process mirrors the psychological journey of a child who gradually internalizes the lessons and rules they are taught, ultimately becoming a self-guided individual capable of making their own moral choices.

Conclusion:

In a symbolic sense, Pinocchio being an animate tree and having an external conscience (Jiminy Cricket) suggests that moral knowledge is something that is not innate or immediately internalized. Just as trees grow and develop, so does Pinocchio’s conscience, and the guidance of Jiminy Cricket plays the role of the external moral influence that teaches him the difference between right and wrong.

The separation of conscience and individual—where the conscience is an external entity—represents the early stage of moral development, where guidance from external sources (parents, mentors, figures of authority) is necessary before the conscience can be internalized. Pinocchio’s eventual transformation from puppet to boy represents a growth not only of his physical form but also of his moral capacity—from being guided by an external conscience to having his own internal moral compass.

What are your thoughts on this interpretation? Does it resonate with the ideas you were exploring?