I read the book in childhood and remembered being impressed that the main character wore all of her clothes verses carrying a suitcase to travel. I remember her grandpa was mean and rejecting at first but it suggested in the book and movie that her love and trust in him made him a better man.   He changed for her.

I watched part of the movie today and it made reflect on some things.

1.  Heidi was abandoned by her aunt until she found a way to sale her to gain something from having her around .    When her aunt  found a “buyer,” she kidnapped Heidi back from her grandfather who refused to let Heidi be sold.
2. When her aunt abandons Heidi at her grandfathers home, he rejects her by locking her out of the house.   The child has to seek shelter in the barn.    His next step is     to find another home for her but when another home is available he changes his mind.
3. The character Peter saw Heidi’s grandpa as a father figure and source of money for food for his poor family.    Peter wasn’t Heidi’s friend until she offered to share her lunches with him everyday.     Then he changed his mind when Clara came to visit, and destroyed her wheelchair.    His behavior is concerning.   What if he had opted to push Clara down the hill in her wheelchair verses her chair?
4. His behavior was out of control and Peter should not be trusted to manage Heidi’s farm animals.   What if he became jealous again and hurt her grand father or even Heidi?

5. Clara’s grandmother was the only character who cared about Heidi without a motive.

Clara used her as entertainment and distraction.   It was all about Clara.

Peter wanted Heidi for her food.

Clara’s dad felt guilty about the traveling he did for his job and leaving Clara.   He could forgive himself by buying a human child to be used a companion by his daughter.    Sadly, even his own mother (or mother of her mom) couldn’t talk him out of being selfish.

It took the doctor to convince Clara’s dad that Heidi needed to go back to the mountains for her health.

As a adult I can reflect back that Heidi was a victim of child abandonment, was neglected, rejected, sold, and was used for unpaid labor.

It did bother me when she throws away the pretty shoes that she acquired in her time when she was sold.   I get it though because associated the fancy shoes with not being where she belonged which was the mountains.

It is much like her cutting hair to look more like Peter than a city girl as statement.   She couldn’t control much about her life but she could decide about her hair, opting to learn to read and her own fashion statement.

Peter had a undiagnosed learning disability with reading.    I suspect he made excuses that he didn’t want to learn to read because he wasn’t able to do so.

The end