“Peter Pan and Wendy” by J.M. Barrie: It is actually that deep

Madie's Margins

4.5 stars

If you’re confused as to why I’m reviewing “Peter Pan and Wendy” by J.M. Barrie, you have not met me. I love classic children’s literature, and I could rant until the sun goes down about how the genre is extremely relevant and interesting beyond “Hey, did you know this children's story you loved is actually really dark?”

There is something special about this book, something that makes me wish it was the first thing I ever read, while also knowing I would never have understood it as more than a fairytale as a child.

“Peter Pan and Wendy,” more commonly known as “Peter Pan,” is a fantastical story through a tangible dreamworld, where a child remains young forever, never having to change or lose his innocence and is ultimately heartless. It’s a coming-of-age story for Wendy, who must ultimately leave Neverland. It is an exploration of arrested development, where Peter Pan can never be anything more than what he is, stubborn and stagnant. It is a showcase of time’s relentless nature, always ticking towards us, like the crocodile of the story. Also, it’s a children’s book.

“It isn’t that deep, Madie,” someone says, to which I reply: “Shut up, sit down and keep reading. We’re getting there.”

“Peter Pan and Wendy” is centered on the nature of children, who are, in his words, “gay and innocent and heartless.” This characterization is concentrated on Peter Pan, an impish, arrogant, yet charming boy, who cannot grow up. He ran away from his parents out of fear of becoming a man. He projects this fear onto the Lost Boys, who come to Neverland when they become lost in London and aren’t claimed. He also tries this projection with the Darling children. However, Wendy believes her parents will always keep the windows open for her and her brothers, which irritates Peter.

Peter Pan cannot really love, and that’s what sets him apart as an immortal child. He can like things, and he is heavily bound to fairness, like many children, but he does not love Wendy or Tinkerbell, despite their unconditional love for him.

Wendy is so much more than a sensible girl on the cusp of maturity. Wendy is caring and motherly from a young age, but she’s also still a child, fascinated by Peter Pan, by Neverland and by adventure. However, even in Neverland, Wendy knows she must grow up, as she has always known. While part of her clings to childhood, she knows she must leave Neverland someday, and when she is a woman with a daughter of her own, knows she can never go back.

Clap if you believe in fairies! It’s time to talk about my favorite character, Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell is a small pixie girl and a companion to Peter Pan. Fairies are so small, they can only feel one thing at a time. When Tinkerbell is happy, that is all that she is, and when she is angry, that is all she is. Her emotions lack nuance, always representing one feeling. This makes it hard to define her as good or bad, but we can determine that she possesses a deep, jealous love for Peter, who is, as mentioned, forgetful and indifferent. Tinkerbell does many things while emotional, like plotting to kill Wendy at least twice.

However, while Tinkerbell is sometimes all bad, she is also sometimes all good, like when she nearly dies saving Peter’s life. While she faces these emotional splits, she constantly loves Peter anyway and always remains the same person-or fairy- and I think that’s such an interesting concept.

Then, there’s the story’s conclusion. After Wendy leaves Neverland, Peter agrees to bring her back once a year for spring cleaning. He takes her back, and while they fly it’s revealed that Peter doesn’t remember Hook or Tinkerbell. He skips a year without noticing, and after that he stops coming.

Wendy feels guilty as she grows and marries, and eventually has a daughter, Jane. Peter finally returns for spring cleaning, not knowing she is grown. Something inside of Wendy begs to be freed from the woman she is now. When Peter realizes, he is afraid and cries. Jane wakes and parallels Wendy’s first meeting with Peter and is taken to do the spring cleaning. When Jane has a daughter, it will be her turn, except for when Peter forgets, and so on, as long as children are children.

The story ends on this open note, Peter never changing or understanding what he has lost.

I would love to end on that note; however, I do need to discuss the harmful racist stereotypes toward Neverland’s Indians. Barrie’s work contains derogatory language and slurs, and the way the characters speak in a mock language, and there are elements of Peter’s superiority. While this is a product of racist attitudes toward Native Americans at the time, it is still important to address how this portrayal is not okay.

It is a wonderful book despite these flaws and still should be enjoyed and analyzed. I would highly encourage everyone to read “Peter Pan and Wendy;” it is truly a work of art.