Peter Pan

Peter Pan is a fictional character created by J. M. Barrie, and the name of a stage play, a children's book, and various adaptations of them. The character is a little boy who refuses to grow up, and spends his time having magical adventures.

Themes

The most apparent thematic thread in the story concerns growing up (or not), with the character of Peter wanting to remain a child forever in order to avoid the responsibilities of adulthood. "Peter Pan syndrome" has become a psychiatric term named by Dr. Dan Kiley to describe an adult who is afraid of commitment and/or refuses to act his age.

Related Topics:
Peter Pan syndrome - Dr. Dan Kiley

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Along with the theme of "growing up" is the theme of death and innocence. Barry's tale is intricately tied to the real Davies boys and the deaths of both mother and father.

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Peter and Wendy form a constrast between childhood and maturity. Peter Pan remains a child in mind because he cannot feel pain because of death affecting him or those around him. Peter has one emotion only: gladness, and occasionally he adds to that childish fury. He forgets anything that is not happy and lighthearted soon after the fact: "I always forget them after I kill them."

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Most of the movie adaptations of Peter Pan add a romantic aspect to the story that is not present in the novel. Wendy's flirtatious (by contemporaneous standards) desire to kiss Peter, his desire for a mother figure, his conflicting feelings for Wendy, Tiger Lily and Tinker Bell (each representing different female archetypes), and the symbolism of his fight with Captain Hook (traditionally played by the same actor as Wendy's father), all could possibly hint at a Freudian interpretation.

Related Topics:
Wendy - Tinker Bell - Captain Hook

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