Easter is upon us, so it would only be fitting to describe the prolific Easter Bunny himself! Well, at least, the top three greatest bunny characters in literature, as the Easter Bunny is simply a personification of what Easter is. With Easter eggs being a staple image for the celebration of Easter, how did a rabbit end up delivering chocolate eggs to children around the world?
Rabbits were first thought to be associated with the Easter holiday due to their symbolism of new life and rebirth during Spring. They are associated with the Teutonic deity Eostra, a Pagan Goddess who serves as a namesake of the Easter festival. Her partnership with the event of Easter died out with the emergence of Christian beliefs of Jesus’ resurrection, which is now the most common reasoning behind celebrating Easter.
Let’s look at the top three (Easter) bunnies in literature!
From Lewis Carroll’s vivid imagination, the White Rabbit leads Alice down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland. Slightly scatty and famously ‘late’, he is described as having brilliantly white fur and sporting a waistcoat along with a pocket watch, which he constantly checks, only seeming to remind himself of his lateness. "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" is his catchphrase, which intrigues Alice and leads her to follow him. He has many different portrayals in the re-imaginings of Alice’s story, and seems to go from simpering to his ‘betters’ (the biggest of which being the King and Queen of Hearts), to being superior and lordly over the subjects of the Kingdom. He is one of the most well-known rabbits in literature, and he is iconic in both his appearance and his famous phrase.
Some may call him grouchy, old and obnoxious, but Rabbit is a kind fellow. He is a character which A. A. Milne imagined as a friend of Winnie the Pooh. A. A. Milne’s son was the inspiration for the human character of Christopher Robin, who owned a band of stuffed animals which were the basis for Pooh, Rabbit and the rest of the gang who live in the Hundred Acre Wood. Rabbit sees himself as a practical being and a natural leader, so when Pooh and the rest of the group are having an adventure, he is usually the character to appoint himself as the one to give advice, even when it is sometimes not welcomed! Rabbit has been present in all versions of the Winnie the Pooh stories over the years, and due to his stubborn nature and prominent character, it doesn’t look like he will be left out anytime soon!
Beatrix Potter’s 1902 classic tale of a mischievous bunny rabbit named Peter is one which is touching as it is saddening at times. Peter is Mrs Josephine Rabbit’s only son, and he has three sisters named Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail. Peter Rabbit was named after a pet rabbit Beatrix Potter had as a child called Peter Piper, and her affectionate writing of him has prompted a children’s TV show based on the adventures of this rabbit, and also a film called Miss Potter; a biopic of Beatrix herself with actress Renee Zellweger in the title role. Peter is famous for causing havoc with Mr McGregor, a local man who grows an extremely attractive vegetable garden, which is where Peter breaks into in order to eat as much vegetables as he could. Peter appears in other spin-off tales, such as The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (who happens to be Peter’s cousin), The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies and The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.
Have we missed any of the best rabbit characters from any of your favourite books? Let us know, and have a great Easter!