Who Moved My Cheese? Characters and the Moral Explained
The four characters in Who Moved My Cheese? are two mice, Sniff and Scurry, and two humanlike 'littlepeople', Hem and Haw. Each stands for a different reaction to change. The cheese is what you want in life, and the maze is the place where you look for it.
Spencer Johnson wrote the fable, and Kenneth Blanchard, his co-author on The One Minute Manager, wrote the foreword.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cheese | What you want: a job, a relationship, money, health |
| The maze | Where you look for it: a company, a community, your life |
| Cheese Station C | A comfortable situation you can get too attached to |
| Cheese Station N | The new opportunity beyond the old one |
What do the mice represent?
The mice are simple. Sniff smells change coming, and Scurry acts on it. They do not analyze or complain. When the cheese is gone they put on their running shoes and go looking. The book uses them to show that a quick, uncomplicated response can be effective.
↑ Back to the topWhat does Hem represent?
Hem stands for denial and fear. He feels entitled to the cheese, resists leaving the station and is left behind. The book does not say what becomes of him.
↑ Back to the topWhat does Haw represent?
Haw is the character readers are meant to identify with. He starts out like Hem but finds the courage to move, and learns from the experience. He is the only one who changes during the story, and his notes on the wall carry the book's lessons.
↑ Back to the topHow can you use the moral?
Readers often apply it to work and relationships: notice small signs of change early, avoid building your identity around one situation, and treat a loss as a prompt to look for something new. The book frames its advice in terms of attitude rather than specific tactics, which is both its appeal and the reason some readers find it too simple.
↑ Back to the topMore about Who Moved My Cheese?
This guide covers a short business fable, including how it ends.