"He hates that nickname, which is understandable. Somebody'd get a fat lip if they ever called me Pippi Longstocking on a newspaper placard."
She cast a dark look at Armansky, who swallowed hard. On more than one occasion had he thought of Salander as precisely Pippi Longstocking. (pg. 55)Kalle Blomkvist is a 14 year old boy with a fascination with mysteries and a passion for creating justice. He enjoys laying beneath a pear tree in his small and secure village Littletown, where his imaginary adventures are endless. His alliance consists of neighbor Eva-Lotta Lisander and his friend Anders Bengtson, and together the three are the Knights of the White Rose.
They get together during summer vacation to solve mysteries and compete against the Knights of the Red Rose to obtain a stone, Stenmumriken, the holy grail of their adventures.
The story of Kalle Blomkvist are inspired by an archetypal hero figure, the medieval knight. Their values and morals are tested as they set out on noble quests, defeating injustice and ignorance.
Eva-Lotta's character is a strong female with qualities of a mother and also a princess. She shows both exceptional courage and vulnerability, and is an inspiration to the boys that are secretly crushing on her. Anders Bengtson is abused at home and values the independence he found with his friends. He longs for freedom and dreams of becoming a train driver.
The curious, clever mind of Kalle and the supportive, wise mind of Eva-Lotta work very well together, and need each other to maximize their potential.
Although Lisbeth Salander is the female character in GWTDT, she is the clever mind that is the driving them forward, and Michael Blomkvist is supporting them with his experience and authority. The roles are reversed, but the principle of the binary mind to solve problems is still there.
Lindgren also created Pippi Longstocking among many other Swedish treasures, and is often referred to as a modern hero for her vivid imagination and humble, cultural influence. Her stories were often inspired by her own children and the struggles they faced growing up. She never wrote more than three books about the same topic, thus producing a wide variety of stories.
Many of Lindgrens char acters have become sub-archetypes in themselves that live on through memory and references. Mrs Lindgrens face is also featured on the Swedish currency.