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Charlie Brown’s ‘The Great Pumpkin’ Remains One of TV’s Great Faith Metaphors

One of the great things about October—or really any holiday season—is that a Peanuts special once again hits primetime and the work of Charles Schulz is back in the cultural awareness. The Charlie Brown special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown returns, and with it, one of Schulz’s great metaphors about faith. Sure, with its birth-of-Jesus monologue, the Christmas special contains the series’ most blatant discussion of faith (and remains a classic), but in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Linus delivers some of his most powerful thoughts about faith, doubt, sincerity and hope.

Of course, the special isn’t really about a great pumpkin—it’s about believing in something even though there’s no physical evidence of it, and even though you are mocked for it. The story isn’t about just superstition; it’s about sincere faith in the face of others’ doubt. At one point, as Linus prepares to wait alone in the pumpkin patch while his friends trick-or-treat, he explains:
"He’ll come here because I have the most sincere pumpkin patch and he respects sincerity."
And later,
"Each year the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch he thinks is the most sincere. ... I don’t see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. You can look all around and there’s not a sign of hypocrisy ... nothing here but sincerity as far as the eye can see."
As “Entire Gospel” notes, Linus understands faith isn’t just about belief—it’s about sincerity. It’s not just about believing in your mind; it’s about believing in your heart. Later, as Linus is abandoned by his friends while waiting in a pumpkin patch for the return of the Great Pumpkin, he yells toward them, begging for them to stay:
"It won’t be long now. If the Great Pumpkin comes, I’ll still put in a good word for you. Good grief! I said, 'if.' I meant 'when' he comes!”

From Relevant Magazine

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