The Adventures of Pinocchio · Chapter
XXV: Pinocchio Promises the Fairy to Be Good explained
The Fairy reveals herself to Pinocchio, who promises to become a good boy, study, and work in order to become a real boy.
What happens
The Fairy reveals herself to Pinocchio, who promises to become a good boy, study, and work in order to become a real boy.
Themes in this chapter
Education and Labor
The Fairy insists Pinocchio must go to school and choose a trade, emphasizing that sloth leads to ruin.
Transformation and Identity
Pinocchio desires to become a real boy, and the Fairy explains that puppets never grow; change requires moral effort.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Good boys are obedient, and you—”
Good children follow rules, but you do not.
The Fairy contrasts Pinocchio's behavior with that of an ideal child.
“Sloth is a dreadful illness and must be cured at once, in childhood. If not, when we are old it can never be cured.”
Laziness is a serious problem that must be fixed early, or it becomes permanent.
The Fairy warns Pinocchio about the dangers of idleness.