![]() ![]() The story tells of Peter's visit to the nursery of the Darling children –Wendy, Michael, and John –and his seductive invitation to them to escape from home and parents by flying to the magical island of the Neverland, where a colony of lost boys pursue boyish adventures involving fairies and pirates. Barrie offered to the adult public a particular vision of childhood from the Edwardian threshold of the twentieth century: Peter Pan, the child hero who never grows up and therefore must remain radically elusive and inassimilable to the adult world. (James Matthew) Barrie, first presented on the London stage in 1904 and then in the form of a novel in 1911, created a literary character who has potently played upon children's imaginations through the entire twentieth century and into the early twenty-first century. There are far too many to mention in a single post, but the ones I’ve listed above are among the most memorable and interesting of them all.The children's drama Peter Pan, by J. Barrie created Peter Pan, he dreamt up a fascinating cast of characters to live alongside him. Nibs is brave, cheerful, and quick-witted, whereas Slightly and Curly both lack common sense, and need constant supervision to keep themselves out of trouble.Īnd then there’s The Twins, an otherwise nameless pair known simply as First and Second Twin. Tootles is sweet-natured and generous, but somehow, he always ends up drawing the short straw. Six Lost Boys feature in In Barrie’s original Peter Pan tales Tootles, Nibs, Slightly, Curly, and The Twins. The Lost Boys became lost when they fell from their prams as infants, and when their parents didn’t claim them, they were sent far away to Neverland to live with their leader, Peter Pan. But from time to time, his bravado slips, and his vulnerability is exposed. Most of the time, Hook keeps his fears under control, masking them with violence and aggression. The Jolly Roger captain also has another phobia he’s petrified at the sight of his own blood, which is unusually thick and a strange, yellowly color. But luckily, the crock has a loud ticking clock inside his belly, so Hook gets an audible warning whenever he’s nearby. Perhaps understandably, he’s terrified of crocodiles, which is problematic since the one who ate his hand pursues him relentlessly for another bite of his flesh. ![]() Barrie’s original stage production, the character spoke with a polished accent and talked of his time spent at England’s prestigious Eton College.Ĭaptain Hook is the most callous and intimidating character in the whole cast, but he also has a couple of weak spots. And unfortunately for Peter, this ruthless pirate has been plotting his revenge ever since.īut despite Hook’s reputation for skulduggery, he comes from a surprisingly upper-class background. Wendy Moira Angela DarlingĬaptain Hook is a fearsome pirate and the captain of the notorious Jolly Roger.Įveryone on the seven seas is afraid of him, including, according to the author, Long John Silver of Treasure Island fame.īut the fearless and foolhardy Peter Pan once came head-to-head in battle with Hook, cutting off his hand before feeding it to a hungry crocodile. But as he says himself, “To die will be an awfully big adventure.” 2. But unfortunately, he’s prone to recklessness, and his devil-may-care attitude often gets him and the boys into dangerous situations. “In Neverland, Peter Pan is the commanding leader of The Lost Boys. To be able to fly, children needed a combination of fairy dust (often provided by Tinker Bell) and “lovely, wonderful thoughts. All children, Peter included, used to be part-bird, and in Barrie’s original tale, he uses his avian ancestry to fly wherever and whenever he wants to.īut rumor has it that too many young readers were copying Peter and his friends, jumping from their beds only to fall and injure themselves.Īnd so, in the full-length novel that followed, Barrie added a minor detail. That’s right as well as possessing the secret to eternal youth, Peter Pan also has the power of flight. And so, he flaps his wings and flies away out of an open window. Just like Wendy and her brothers, he comes from the human world, but after overhearing a discussion about the perils of adult life waiting ahead, he decides to escape. Peter Pan lives in Neverland, but he wasn’t born on this faraway island. But as the author explains in the story, the only way he can maintain his never-ending youth is to forget the lessons he learns on his adventures so he can stay naive and childlike forever. Still, his real age isn’t that important, as Peter has vowed never to grow up. ![]() While J.M Barrie doesn’t tell us Peter Pan’s age, the author describes him as still having his ‘baby teeth.’ But some readers think his fearless attitude and confident demeanor suggest he’s a little older, perhaps in his early teens. ![]()
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