What is the theme in Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren?

Death is a theme in the book. Though Pippi is only a young, nine-year-old girl, she has experienced death and heartache twice with the loss of her parents. Her mother died when she was just a baby, but Pippi feels in her heart that her mother is always watching her from Heaven. She makes a point to tell her mother, “Don’t you worry about me. I’ll always come out on top.” Her father, a sea captain, was swept overboard off his ship during a storm at sea, but Pippi is convinced he is still alive and taking refuge on an island until he comes home to Villa Villekulla. At her young age, she was too young to understand the death of her mother, but she is certain her father is still alive – her unwillingness to believe he is dead likely gives her hope and optimism in her life to partake in many of the adventures she finds each day.