The first aspect that surprised me is the sad, depressed undertones of the story. Even though children admire Peter Pan, he is a tragic character. Peter Pan is alone without even memories to accompany him. He has no lasting family or friends. The world passes by him as he stays stuck in childhood. Then, there are the poor Darlings and Nana who are mistreated by the children. I know that the book has the viewpoint of a child who is not overly concerned about such things, but I still feel the pain of the Darlings.
Another aspect that took me off guard is the amount of violence in the book. There are a lot of people arguing that children are exposed to too much violence these days. Have they read fairytales? Do they know some of the Victorian traditions? Trust me, violence has always been an issue. It did not appear only in recent times. Even though I am very aware of this now, it still takes me by surprise sometimes when I come across it in my literary wanderings. The scary part to me is that Peter Pan, with all its blood, fighting, and killing is completely tame compared to some past legends.
The final aspect that shocked me the most was how completely unwhimsical fairies are. Tinkerbell is anything but a delightful fey creature! Fairies have short lives but make up for it with a big attitude and a definite evil streak. Tinkerbell's antics to get rid of Wendy throughout the book are a perfect example of this. Nobody ever warned me that Tinkerbell is guilty of attempted murder! In the case of fairies, I'm glad that Disney worked its magic.
Like other fairy tales and children's stories, Peter Pan has a message to teach its readers. This book left me with several thoughts and impressions. The first and, I believe, most obvious is that everyone must grow up at some time. Peter Pan is determined to not grow up, but he misses so much. Generally, we talk about how much of a hurry we are in as children to grow up and how we wish we could go back. Even as idyllic as childhood is, there are good things about adulthood that are missed when we refuse to grow up.
A line of poetry from William Wordsworth that has always stuck with me for some reason is "The child is father of the man." I firmly believe in the idea of an "inner child." Who we are as children has a direct influence on who we are as adults. Each period of life has its moment, but the influences of the child can be seen in the adult. Therefore, we should be more focused on experiencing the time we have with childlike joy rather than mourning what has passed. Looking back only creates a tragic and vicious cycle.
Another takeaway from Peter Pan is the importance of imagination. The imaginations of all the children in the story are vivid and fantastical. Each child has a whole world within their imagination that colors the way they see reality. The adults, on the other hand, remember their imaginations but no longer experience them in the same way. I find that a little sad. I understand that adults have to live in reality. But I wonder if holding on to a little of that imagination might change our perceptions of reality positively. Children live in a world with few limitations. I think adults could benefit from fewer self – imposed boundaries.
A final thought I saw demonstrated throughout this book is that there is nothing like a mother's love. Mrs. Darling is completely wrapped up in her children and adores each one. When her children disappear, it breaks her mother's heart as nothing else could. Even though her children left her, she still loves them and longs for their return. The children, too, instinctively know that their mother's love will never let them go. They trust that she will be waiting for them with open arms. Even the pirates admit that a mother is of utmost importance as demonstrated by their horror once they discover that the Lost Boys and Peter Pan have Wendy for a mother. I believe it is important to honor mothers and give them due appreciation for the love they show their children.
There is plenty more I could say about this book, but I think it best to keep my literary analysis reined in. Peter Pan is an entertaining children's book about the boy who never grew up. Childhood is a precious time, but it only lasts for a short phase. Growing up is a part of life and can be beautiful. That doesn't mean that we must lose some of the best elements of childhood such as imagination, pure joy, and deference for our mothers. Besides, I like the idea of a world where fairies are borne from a child’s laugh.
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