Author: J. M. Barrie
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Age: Upper elementary to middle school. (Younger children as well
if read with an adult.)
Topics for discussion: obedience to parents, growing up, violence,
prejudice, selfishness
Summary: Peter Pan takes the Darling children on an adventure to
Neverland, where the boys get to hunt pirates and Indians, and Wendy
gets to play mother to all the boys. When Wendy realizes that
they are all starting to forget their real mother and father, she
decides to go home, but not before Hook tries one last time to lure
Peter to his death. Of course, Peter rescues her and she chooses
to go back home to grow up.
Review: Like many others, I saw the Disney movie long before I
read this book. When I did read it, I was shocked at Peter's
callousness. He is forgetful to the point of putting Wendy and
the boys in danger, he is a perfect little tyrant with his own
followers, and he doesn't really care for anyone but himself. In
this light, it is very easy to see that Wendy's decision to go back
home is motivated primarily by Peter's failure to really care about
her. For Peter, being father is just a game that will last only
as long as it interests him; but Wendy's game is filled with half
serious overtones as she prepares for a role she will one day actually
fill. Wendy's choice is the choice to deny herself the boyish
adventures and childish pretend that Neverland offers in favor of real
love and motherhood. Peter's sense of loss when she leaves is
motivated by his selfishness and only lasts as long as his attention.
Multimedia: Barrie also wrote several other books dealing with
Peter Pan and also wrote the stage play. The musical is still
fairly successful, even though the books have fallen somewhat out of
favor (after all, they are definitely not politically correct and do
not portray the Peter we have come to know). However, there is no
shortage of adaptations and various editions of the story
available. (
Peter and Wendy
is the title of the book that most of us are familiar with.
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens is
a kind of prequel to
Peter and Wendy that
describes how Peter first left his parents. Most books simply
labeled
Peter Pan are
usually a combination of the two complete novels, are some hybrid of
the two, are a version of the stage play, or are an adaptation of
Peter and Wendy.)
There are also several film versions of this book or related to the
Peter Pan stories. Disney, of course, is the one most people are
familiar with, although the recent film directed by J.P. Hogan has been
very successful as well. The movie
Hook takes the story a bit further,
suggesting that eventually Peter Pan chose to grow up and have a family
of his own.
Finding Neverland,
in theaters this fall, tells the story of Barrie's relationship with a
family of young, fatherless boys, who served as inspiration for the
stories of Peter. I have not yet seen the film, but expect that
many of the more sordid elements of his life will be left out.
Christian Perspective: While the book is considered a classic in
children's literature, don't expect any of the characters to set good
examples, and much of the children's behavior would be considered
unacceptable in any era. On the other hand, it is quite obviously
a fantasy and is all in good fun. Although young readers will
enjoy Peter's adventures, it is unlikely that any reader will mistake
them for read. I also find it unlikely that any reader will, in
the end, sympathize with Peter; rather, our sympathies are drawn
towards Wendy who makes the choice to go home.