Peter Pan is a well-known British play by writer James M. Barrie. La work was aimed at children and opened in London in 1904. Before becoming a play, Peter Pan’s character appeared in a Barrie novel; in this first version, Peter lived in London and all the children were half birds, so they could fly.
Barrie has improved his story and added new features to be seen in the room, emphasizing the introduction of magic dust as responsible for the ability to fly, to be included, given accidents in the city by children who thought they could fly.
- Barrie’s inspiration was Kensington Gardens in Hyde Park.
- Where he spent a lot of time with the Llewelyn Davies family.
- Whose children played in the gardens and inspired history.
If we go to London and visit Hyde Park, we will find the statue of Peter Pan in the gardens mentioned above, this statue is not there by chance, being placed there by the author of the work in 1912 as a gift to the children of London, placing it in the place where Peter landed in the first version of the work. In addition, Barrie decided to cede the rights to the play to the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London.
Without a doubt, Peter Pan’s legacy seems infinite and has led to many adaptations in both theatre and film. Today we’ll focus on the perhaps most iconic version, the 1953 Disney adaptation.
Neverland is an isolated island that can be accessed by flying through the sky, so you have to ‘turn on the second star on the right, fly until dawn’, it is a place where there are no laws and where children have no responsibility, they spend most of their time playing and having fun.
This island can be a reminder of the island of Pinocchio, a film that refers to Peter Pan. On both islands, children do not want responsibilities or grow up, they are remote places where adults do not have access and where they can do so. Whatever you want. However, unlike Pinocchio, the boys who live in Neverland are called Lost Boys, those who have not been claimed by anyone.
Fantastic creatures such as mermaids and furies live on the island, but also Indians and pirates. The more time they spend in Neverland, the harder it will be for them to go out, get their lives and their memories back.
We can understand Neverland as an idyllic place where anything is possible, a place full of adventures and fun, but it is also a trap, because children cannot grow up and never reach maturity, so they have fleeting memories.
“The second star on the right, and straight at dawn. “Peter Pan?
Wendy lives with her family in London until one night Peter Pan shows up at her home and takes her and her siblings to Neverland.
At first, Wendy is a girl like any other and, like her siblings, is happy, excited to be able to fly and visit Neverland, so she accepts and begins her journey with Peter.
Peter and the Lost Children will see Wendy as a maternal figure, someone who can take care of them and tell them stories. In Neverland there are no girls and therefore their inhabitants have no protection or maternal figure, so it will be Wendy’s job.
Gradually they will realize the importance of growing up for their own personal development, accepting adaptation. Wendy became a kind of mother to the Lost Children and eventually became convinced that they had to move towards that growth.
Wendy is the female character we know unlike Peter, Wendy is a responsible girl, who cares for her younger siblings and wants to become an adult woman, Wendy is Peter’s rational and complementary part.
“If you knew how wonderful a mother’s love is, you wouldn’t be afraid. Wendy, Peter Pan?
Peter Pan is the protagonist, he is a child who lives in Neverland and does not remember his past, he plays the role of leader of the Lost Boys because, even in this world without rules, it is necessary the figure of a leader, in which case this role belongs to Peter.
Peter is also chosen to save Neverland, always accompanied by the Lost Children and Tinker Bell, a very jealous and possessive little fairy.
In fact, Peter is a child who is afraid to grow up, face problems and reach maturity, looks very brave when he despises and mocks Captain Hook, but is not brave enough to face life in the real world.
You have an unlimited imagination, through which you can fly. He is cheerful and sees no danger; his leadership skills are really amazing and he convinces Wendy and her brothers to visit Neverland.
This persuasive leadership and power is visible when Peter Pan shows kids that his thoughts will make them fly, as long as they believe him, they must believe that it is possible and emit happy thoughts in this way, and with the help of magic dust. , you can fly like Peter.
The power to fly is closely associated with imagination and freedom. Humanity seems to have always longed for the flight of birds, perhaps because it is seen as unattainable and almost divine. When we’re kids, it seems that one of our greatest desires is the ability to fly. Therefore, we see that Peter is a pure and uninterrupted boy from the adult world. It frees your imagination and can fly.
Children’s imagination is really powerful and fascinating, however, due to adult intervention, it is sometimes limited; that’s why Lost Boys and Peter Pan have an unusual imagination, as it hasn’t been affected by any adult in a long time.
Peter Pan has a very charismatic personality, but is also shown as a very carefree and distracted child, even losing his own shadow. The loss of the shadow also shows the loss of one’s identity, a problem of self-acceptance, a kind of unfolding of personality.
Shadow is like a mirror where we recognize ourselves, it is something that is linked to us and belongs to us, but Peter Pan constantly loses it, that is, it is lost, Peter hides from his shadow, does not control it, because it represents what he fears most: to grow.
This work has resulted in multiple interpretations and an infinite number of adaptations, however, it was also used to name the famous Peter Pan syndrome, which affects people who do not want to grow or reach maturity, and Wendy’s syndrome, people obsessed with the satisfaction of others and who, in the background, fear rejection. Without a doubt, Peter Pan is one of the most iconic works in the UK.
“I am young, I am joy; Am I a bird that was just born?Peter Pan?