What does Peter do in Heidi?

Peter is a goatherd. Each day he collects the village goats from Dorfli and takes them to the high pasture.

Why does Peter push Clara’s chair?

He is jealous. Clara’s visit takes all of Heidi’s time and he feels left out. In his anger he sends the chair rolling down the mountain.

What happens to Peter at the end of Heidi?

Grandmamma Sesemann forgives him and promises him a penny every week for life. Heidi also coaches him in reading.

From Heidi

Peter

The goatherd boy • Bold and hungry

The young goatherd who takes the village goats up the high mountain slopes.

Who is Peter?

Peter is the young goatherd who leads the village goats up to the high pastures each day, and he becomes Heidi’s first mountain friend. When Clara comes to visit, Peter feels left out and jealous and does something he later regrets. In the end he helps Clara on the mountain and bravely tells the truth about what he did.

Peter is a character in Heidi, the 1881 novel by Johanna Spyri, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.

What is Peter like?

outdoorsy
jealous
honest

Peter’s story

Peter is the goatherd of Dorfli. Every morning he fetches the village goats and takes them up to the high pasture, and every evening he brings them down again. He lives in a small cottage with his mother, Brigitta, and his blind grandmother, and he finds reading very hard.

On the first day Heidi shares her bread and cheese with him, and the two become fast friends. Peter shows her the high pastures and the field of flowers. When Heidi goes away, he is lonely, and when she comes back with a visitor who takes up all her attention, he is jealous.

In a fit of anger, Peter pushes Clara’s chair down the slope. Then he is so frightened of being found out that he runs away from every stranger. When Grandmamma gently asks him, he admits the truth, and she forgives him and gives him a penny every week for life. Heidi also coaches him in reading, in the hope that he can one day read hymns to his grandmother.

“Mountains have not any names”

Peter, when Heidi asks what the glowing peaks are called. From the original 1881 novel by Johanna Spyri.

A moment to remember

Red-faced and sorry, Peter takes Clara’s arm on one side while Heidi holds the other, helping her stand in the meadow.

Heidi: friend he leads up the mountain
Peter’s Grandmother: grandmother
Alm-Uncle: stern neighbor
Clara Sesemann: rival turned helper
Grandmamma Sesemann: kind lady who forgives him

Talk about it

Peter felt jealous and made a mistake, then told the truth. Why does it take courage to say “I did it”?

Questions about Peter

What does Peter do in Heidi?: Peter is a goatherd. Each day he collects the village goats from Dorfli and takes them to the high pasture.
Why does Peter push Clara’s chair?: He is jealous. Clara’s visit takes all of Heidi’s time and he feels left out. In his anger he sends the chair rolling down the mountain.
What happens to Peter at the end of Heidi?: Grandmamma Sesemann forgives him and promises him a penny every week for life. Heidi also coaches him in reading.