Snufkin is one of the most iconic and popular Moomin character. He first appears in the book Comet in Moominland (1946) and if one of the characters who appears in almost all media; comics, animations, additional stories… Snufkin is the child of Joxter and Mymble, which makes him a younger half-brother of both Mymble’s daughter and Little My. Some adaptations remove his relation to the Mymbles, such as comics and 1990s animated series.
Snufkin was created when Tove Jansson was in a relationship with Atos Wirtanen, a left-wing politician, journalist and cultural critic. Snufkin’s wide smile, pipe and hat are modeled after Atos. Snufkin’s independent and bohemian way of living is similar to both Atos and Tove but it’s also apparent that Tove’s little brother Lars was also a model for Snufkin. Lars has been said to have been the family member Tove was closest to right after their mother.
Snufkin values freedom above all else. Tove herself stated that “freedom is the most important thing”. She described Snufkin’s loneliness as “the good kind”. This is in contrast with Fillyjonk’s “wrong kind” of loneliness. Snufkin’s loneliness is something he chooses for himself. Snufkin does not attach himself to places, possessions or people. He can throw his tent away and is happy just looking at beautiful things rather than taking them with him. Snufkin values his own space where he can concentrate on his melodies. He can sometimes come off as unfriendly because he has a habit of being rather curt with people who invade his peace. For better or for worse, Snufkin is very charismatic and people flock to him to hear his wisdom.
The strongest attachment in Snufkin’s life is Moomintroll. No matter how hard Snufkin tries, Moomintroll and how he misses him will always come to his mind. And Moomintroll will always miss him and wait for him. This is clearly similar to the relationship between Tove and Atos. For Tove, Atos was the center of her world. She was entirely dedicated to their relationship, while Atos was preoccupied with his career and political ideals. Like Moomintroll, Tove was always waiting for Atos to spend time with her.
After Tove’s love for Atos cooled down, they remained good friends until the end. She was able to see his faults in a more critical light but also understood them with humor. Similar friendship after love can be seen between Snufkin and Moomintroll in later stories. It’s still good to remember that Tove Jansson’s style was to write characters and themes inspired by her life rather than actually insert them in her books. Snufkin and his relationship Moomintroll are more likely meant to reflect themes about admiration, dedication and waiting. With some small exceptions, characters in Moomin books are independent and more inspired than based on actual people. This is why Snufkin also is inspired by more than one person.
Snufkin’s character changes a bit as the books go on. This is most likely affected by the stories becoming more mature and Tove’s relationship with Atos changing. In the first books Snufkin is a passionate artist. He tells outlandish stories about himself and is actually happy to meet people. In later publications, this was among the things Tove Jansson fixed. She made Snufkin’s character more consistent and made him more quiet and distant to match his characterization in later books. He is the contrast to Moomintroll’s naivety and has a great effect on Moomintroll’s personal growth.
In Moominvalley In November (1970) Snufkin seems to let go of his aversion to the company of others. His character arc is about realizing that he was always free with the people who loved him because they actually let him do as he pleases. This realization leads him to return to the Moomin’s house even though it’s getting close to winter.
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