#hweeeeeee here we go

[cosmicaces]

Perhaps one of my favorite things about this current iteration of The Moomins is the characterization we see Snufkin having. He’s still this calm, collected figure that others occasionally rely on for advice in the most stressful of situations. However, this version has shown that he isn’t always like that. As a matter of fact, it seems like it's apart of a persona he’s created to hide how he really can be.

Personal Space and Physical Contact

It’s made clear in the series that Snufkin needs to be alone at times, and that it’s something that’s very important to him. Now, what’s interesting about Moominvalley’s take on this is that they also portray him as needing personal space. This is really evident in Episode 2, where Ti-ti-uu joins him at his campfire.

What’s important to note is his posture. Notice how he’s leaning away from Ti-ti-uu, even after scooching away? He isn’t comfortable with him being there. He wants to be alone, but he also doesn’t want to be rude towards his guest. However, when Ti-ti-uu starts to move closer, he jumps up to his feet and starts backing away.

Once more, his posture and the way he’s responding is important to acknowledge. He’s holding his hands out, he looks unsure, uncomfortable, this isn’t necessarily a situation he wants to be in. It ends up to the point where he’s backed himself into a corner and responds aggressively, saying that perhaps he won’t go to Moominvalley at all this year before shouting that he just wants to be alone.

On the subject of physical contact/affection, it seems that he’s not always comfortable with it, either. In Episode 3, upon reuniting with Moomintroll, he doesn’t return his hug. Then, it seems as though Moomintroll remembers something, commenting “Oh, yeah,” before acknowledging Snufkin by name.

That said, there have been multiple instances where he would hold onto Moomintroll. Speaking from personal experience, this is very familiar to me, being someone who hates it when other people put a hand on my shoulder or hug me, but loving the action when I’m the one who initiates it. Based on this, it seems that Snufkin deals with that too.

Social Anxiety

As pointed out by others, this series has established that Snufkin deals with social anxiety. What really demonstrates it is the party scene we witness in Episode 7, “Snufkin vs. The Park Ranger.”

The first important thing to note is his expression upon being asked. I’ll talk about it’s significance afterwards.

Now, as with Ti-Ti-uu, body language is incredibly important here. His shoulders are tense, he’s leaning away from Moomintroll, and his expression reads as discomfort. His struggle here is that, to put it simply, he’s not enjoying himself at the party. However, he’s there for Moomin, and he knows that if he noticiably shows that he’s not comfortable, there’s a risk of upsetting Moomintroll. However, it gets to that point that, when Moomintroll leaves to refill their drinks...

...he leaves. By coming to the party, he’s put himself in a stressful situation. On one hand, he could stay and risk hurting his mental health (I don’t know about you, but if I stay too long at parties that I’m anxious at, I shut down and it’s difficult getting me to respond to things) or leaving while keeping his sanity intact. No matter what, both situations would upset Moomintroll.

Now, I brought up his earlier expression upon Little My’s question because it’s evident that he feels guilty about this. It seems he was trying to push it into the back of his mind, but he was simply unable too. On top of that, when Snufkin locked himself in jail and Moomintroll decided the punishment, it shows that Snufkin thought back to the party and comments “I suppose it’s all I deserve”. He believed that the reason why Moomintroll came up with the punishment was due to him deserting him at the party.

However, he soon finds out that that wasn’t the reason for the punishment, and that it was simply Moomintroll coming up with a clever solution to get his sentence done faster by utilizing the help of the Woodies.

Loneliness and Similarity to the Groke

Going back a few episodes, after Ti-Ti-uu left Snufkin alone at the campfire, Snufkin becomes upset at seeing he is now alone, commenting that he must be ill due to feeling lonely. Upon waking up in the nightmare, he hears a sound. Considering the fog he breathes and him feeling lonely, we can assume that what he heard was the Groke, due to her connection with loneliness.

(It’s easier to see in motion, but if you look carefully you can see the fog.)

Now, as brought up by a friend, Snufkin is similar to the Groke in a sense. Like the Groke, he’s more active in the night. Additionally, he comments how the Groke reflects one’s own fears and that she’s constantly searching for the light. Now, what was it that helped guide him back to Moominvalley...

...but the light emanating from Moomintroll’s room.

There isn’t exactly much to go off of here, but it’s good to keep in mind.

Fears, Hiding, and Ending Thoughts

As brought up by this wonderful analysis posted by @ snuufsnuuf, Snufkin has a fear of being forgotten and/or replaced. This is important to bring up before this next section.

It was brought up that Snufkin’s discomfort around Moomintroll in the party could be due to him harboring a crush on him. With this in mind, and knowing that Snufkin is alright with physical affection given that he’s the one who initiates it, it’s good to know this:

From experience and as often portrayed in media, holding hands or leaning against something can really be grounding, especially if one is nervous. It lets you know that you aren’t alone, and that someone is there for you.

Keeping this in mind, there is a possibility that Snufkin wanted to hold onto Moomintroll to help him feel less anxious. However, he’s created this persona of himself, where others view him as calm, collected, able to keep a level-head even in the most stressful of situations, and as someone who isn’t usually too fond of physical contact. Now, if he were to reach out to Moomintroll, the thing is...they’re at a party. It’s in a public area, everyone can see what happens.

One of the first things that came to mind with this scene was this conversation that occurs in Night in the Woods between Mae and Angus:

(As a quick side note: one of the common themes of being closeted in media is feeling safe in the darkness. Knowing that Snufkin is more active/seemingly has more energy at night and appears to be more comfortable in the dark, well)

Now, with all of this brought up (and hopefully still in your mind), I want you to consider this. As much as we love Moomin and Snufkin’s relationship, it’s flawed, namely due to their severe lack of communication.

Moomintroll can be selfish, and he often thinks that he knows what’s best for everyone, or that x will enjoy y (ex. Wanting Snorkmaiden to believe that he’s brave due to “chasing off” the ghost, bringing Ninny back to her Aunt’s house). Going back to the party, it doesn’t even seem that he noticed Snufkin’s body language that revealed his discomfort in the situation.

As for Snufkin, he hides a lot to try and keep Moomintroll happy. He did his best to hide his discomfort at the party, he gave away his beloved hat due to it having the dragon sleeping within and not wanting to further upset Moomintroll and then proceeds to lie to keep him happy. Now, the main reason I brought up his fear of being forgotten is...well, one of the things of coming with that fear is sacrificing and hiding a lot in order to keep someone happy as well as putting yourself in stressful situations. With that fear comes the paranoia that if they find out that you aren’t exactly who you’ve made yourself out to be, they’ll leave you, and then you’re left all alone again.

To end it off, at the end of Episode 12, Too Ticky said this:

“There’s lots of lost souls out there that need to be heard.”

Afterwards, “I’m Ready Now” begins to play, and we receive a scene of Moominvalley as it begins to snow. When we hear the lyrics “But I didn’t know how so we took it in turns, to my surprise, we found my words”, we see Snufkin as he leaves Moominvalley.

And then it cuts out, and we’re left with the credits.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

Additional Credits:

neon @ neonjays on twitter

gabby @ 384hen on twitter