Peter Pan
Sir James (Matthew) Barrie (1860-1937). was a dramatist and novelist from Scotland, and later developed his writing in London, and was the creator of the boy who refused to grow up.
Barrie also brought the supernatural to the stage at a time when it was dominated by social criticism and gave impetus to the Scottish sentimental tradition in fiction of writers who portrayed ordinary cottage life. (cabbage-patch school of fiction). Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with fairies and pirates, and from time to time meeting ordinary children from the world outside.
Barrie was only one of several children to survive childhood.
His brother David died at six years old and it had a grevious effect on his mother. She invented to "ghost child" story that became the Peter of Peter Pan, and Barrie's mother dominated his childhood and retained that dominance after he grew up. She became the heroine of some of his writings. Barrie's relationship with his mother has been described in terms of a relationship based on fantasy, as well as in terms of "mother-worship". his mother being in a bed-ridden condition.
Barrie was married in 1894, to an actress Mary Ansell, but they had no children, had an unhappy marriage, and apparently did not consummate it. Barrie was small, like a boy, only 5 foot tall, and was said to be shy among women. Sylvia and Arthur Llewelyn Davies, were introduced to Barrie in London by their nanny and he became a part of the family, as it were. Their baby Peter, became the subject of the Peter Pan story that his mother apparently started in her desire to keep her child immortal. Peter's everlasting youth is attributed to his exposure to starstuff, apparently synonomous with "fairy dust," according to the author, a magical substance which has fallen to earth.
He entertained the boys with his stories of "Peter" who was created by violently rubbing the five sons of the Davies family together, as Barrie?s story grew. Peter soon was able to fly out the window, took on the name of the "lusty Greek god" of music, Pan, becoming "Peter Pan". Peter Pan took on a friend, Wendy, and the embellished story became a play in 1904, appearing in London. Barrie had already been a successful novelist and playwright. The story was also published in 1911 under the title Peter and Wendy.
As for the play, director of a recent adaptation of the play says, "There are so many themes to explore--mortality, immortality, the transition from childhood to adulthood." The character
of Peter Pan has been traditionally played by a woman in stage productions.
Personality of Peter
Peter is mainly an exaggerated stereotype of a boastful and careless boy. He is quick to point out how great he is, even when such claims are questionable (such as when he congratulates himself for Wendy's successful reattachment of his shadow). Peter has a nonchalant, devil-may-care attitude, and is fearlessly cocky when it comes to putting himself in danger.
Peter adopted a "blissfull unawareness of the tragedy of death," and he says, 'To die will be an awfully big adventure'. Part of that non-chalant attitude towards danger is reflected in his flying out open windows at great heights, which some have questioned, with modern remakes of the film, just what lesson is that teaching children who indulge in that Peter Pan, Supreman supernatural ability.
In some variations of the story and some spin-offs, Peter can also be quite nasty and selfish. He has been described in terms of "parasitic". In the Disney adaptation of the tale, Peter appears very judgmental and pompous (for example, he called the Lost Boys 'blockheads' and when the Darling children say that they should leave for home at once, he gets the wrong message and angrily assumes that they want to grow up).
Personality of Peter Pan: Peter Pan, www.wikipedia.com
Davies' Family Post-Pan Years
However, for the families involved in the play, tragedy after tragedy seemed to follow. The father of Peter, Arthur, died of cancer just two years after the play. The Barries divorced from their unhappy marriage two years later. A few months later Peter's mother Sylvia died of cancer and the five boys came to be under Barrie's care.
The boys were mocked by other children because of the now famous play. Peter referred to it as "that terrible masterpiece." The oldest son, George, for whom the story was originally written died in the battlefields of WWI in France. Peter's other brother died of drowning in England a few years later, in what may have been a suicide. Barrie was disenchanted with adult life, and this was reflected in his works.
Adaptations and Disney
After the play was produced in 1904, there have been a number of adaptations both on the stage and in
films. Disney's version was produced in 1953, and it is said that Disney deliberately upscaled the violence in the movie, as the company was still recovering from the WWII years, when they used up resources, without much compensation, producing war propaganda films from Pearl Harbor day, until the end of the war, leaving the company in deep debt. Despite the success and fame of many of Disney movies, a large number of even his well known productions did not pay off financially, and so needing a box office success, violence was injected with hopes that the cartoon movie would help make the company more solvent.
Sir James (Matthew) Barrie (1860-1937). was a dramatist and novelist from Scotland, and later developed his writing in London, and was the creator of the boy who refused to grow up.
What lifted Disney out of financial ruins, wasn't his movies, but rather, the
television Mickey Mouse Club, which began running in the 1950s. From the profit from the television production, Disney not only payed off the companies debts, but was also able to commence his theme park kingdom, first in California and then in Orlando, Florida. The magic of Peter Pan is alive in Orlando Disney World in a childish attraction there, and a number of films based on the story have been produced up until recently.
The Tinker Bell icon which was the force behind the magic wand of the 1960s Wonderful World of Disney for the duration of its life on network TV, has become a universal child-icon for girls, and Disney's huge success in marketing the magic of the Disney Princesses has launched a similar Tinker Bell campaign even as we speak.
Psychology and Sexuality
Peter Pan Syndrome has become a psychological pseudo-disorder. Neverland became the Michael Jackson fortress- retreat, where not so magical reports and accusations with little boys surfaced and disappeared. Barrie himself, while his fondness for boys may have attracted some suspicions, has been described as being about as non-sexual persons as there could have been, and his raising of the five sons of the deceased Davies, is not treated suspiciously, even as was the case with speculations concerning Lewis Carrol's Alice, which seems to be innocent enough, as far as his relationships with any little girls around whom the story might have revolved.
Tinker Bell has been described in terms of an impish, on the verge of sexy, playful little fairy, who is always on the edge of living up to her potential naughtiness, but who somehow manages to retain her girlish innocence, not unlike the myriads of
Hannah Montana, Cheetah Girls hip hop devotees today.
The tragedy of the Peter Pan story long forgotten, the magic of the 1904 play continues over 100 years later.
In conclusion, "Did Peter Pan ever kiss Wendy in the original books, plays and Disney movie?"
"Ok so in Peter Pan (2003) the movie with the real people how come after wendy kisses peter and peter wins the ship she tells peter oh the cleverness of you...WHAT?! did he like plan for her to kiss him or something? and i don't get why after they dance peter gets all mad when she talks about love?" (Forum, Literature Network, 2007).
"AND did peter like have a plan through out the whole movie or something?!?! i am so confused! PLEASE HELP! Was anybody totaly appalled when wendy kissed peter in the 2003 movie and then he turned PINk and went hurling through the air? Or was it just me? i mean how could they do that and ruin it like that they never kiss in the book and mabey it would have been ok it they just kissed and the end but the pinkshooting star was realy bad." (Forum, Literature Network, 2006).
It seems like the inevitable Disney kiss, which was avoided in the action-adventure 1950s finally surfaced some 99 years later. in the real-person movie in 2003
Bibliography for the Story of Peter Pan:
Barrie, Sir James (Matthew), (1988). Encyclopedia Britannica. Chicago: University of Chicago. Vol 1. p916.
Thomas, B. (1976). Walt Disney: an American Original. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Hallett, V. (10/31/04) The Pain Behind Peter Pan.. U.S. News and World Report.
Peter Pan Study Guide, Book Rags, (2005-2006). Thompson Corporation.
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-peterpan/bio.html
Peter Pan. Wikipedia.com. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Pan. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
The Literature Network Forum. (Feb 4, 2007; Nov 6, 2006). http://www.online-literature.com/barrie/peterpan/
