WARNING: For those of you who haven't read Peter Pan, this post contains spoilers. I grew up with Walt Disney's animated classic Peter Pan (in fact, I grew up with practically ALL the Disney classics, and love them still today). Little me would swoon over Peter's swashbuckling antics, admire Wendy's nightdress and English accent but begrudge her place in Peter's heart, try to be a Lost Boy with John and Michael and fail horribly, fume at Captain Hook and wish I could take him on myself, and love the ever-clueless Smee. Tinker Bell I sort of ignored until the end, when she was immortalized in my young heart as the only other "person" who would sacrifice herself for someone she loved besides Jesus. Don't worry--I now know of several better examples XD
The movie remains one of my very favorites, which is why I was reluctant to read the actual book when it was offered to me. What if it ruined my beloved view of the characters already ingrained in my mind by the film? What if I didn't like it? What if Neverland wasn't the same?Well, I can truthfully say that it wasn't.
It was much, much better.
I read Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie this afternoon while I waited out the hurricane in this area. The first thing that drew me in and the thing I feel that the movie missed out on was the writing style. J.M. Barrie was writing a children's book, yes, but he wasn't afraid to tackle grown-up themes, and at the same time he wasn't afraid to think like a child. Peter Pan is full of truths like growing up, death, love, loss, and fear, and these truths are often written in very blunt and surprising but never inappropriate ways--ways that sort of made me wonder if I was still reading a children's book.
The characters in the book were much different than they were portrayed in the movie, but I had expected that....
Peter seemed a bit more clueless concerning the "real world", although it made him no less lovable to me. He was very skillfully portrayed in his pride and his self-centeredness, something one would expect from a little boy who had been the only authority in his life for--well, his entire life! He was a more tragic figure in the book--barred, as Barrie put it in the sixteenth chapter, from what all other children had even though he had Neverland. He was forgetful and distracted, sort of like a little ghost drifting from one adventure to the next and forgetting about all the others except the one he was in. He was brave in each adventure, however, and in the end proved himself a fitting and lovable hero.
The Darling children were the characters who surprised me the most. Their entire story was so different from the one I am used to. They stayed in Neverland for many weeks instead of only the odd day-or-two depicted in the movie. Their parents were much less endearing though not totally unlikable. Wendy was a pleasant surprise--she was such a classic little girl, one who was methodical and driven in her quest to be a good mother but never quite losing her longing for her own. The things she said and did in the book were so well written that they could have been said or done by several small girls I know. She was believable, sometimes clueless but never forgetting her duty to her "children." John and Michael were quite the pair. They appeared less often in the book than in the movie, but were just as cute and funny. Michael, my favorite in the book and the movie, was missing only his teddy bear which I'd expected him to fly all over Neverland with--the rest of his character was adorable. John was a logical little chap, though I was quite dismayed when Peter popped out the bottom of his tophat to make a chimney.
The Lost Boys were a disappointment, NOT because of underdevelopment of their characters, but only because they actually grew up. I was so attached to them that I couldn't believe Tootles as a judge or the twins in an office. I also had a bit of trouble believing that the Darling parents adopted six strange boys dressed in bearskins and leaves, but maybe that's just because I didn't want them to do it XD I have to say that I preferred Disney's ending, where the Lost Boys stayed with Peter and keep the perfect picture of seven wild boys I've had all these years. What can I say--I'm biased!
Hook and the Pirates were a real delight to read. Sometimes cruel and viscious, but never overly scary, they were truly convincing characters. Besides that nasty hand incident, I never did get why Hook hated Peter so much--maybe Barrie didn't feel the need to mention it at all. Smee was a joy. Hook's end was satisfying, especially after his entire thought process on "good" and "bad" form, which was one of the most fun parts of the book to read.
Tinker Bell, the fairies, Indians, and wild animals of Neverland were a perfect supporting cast for such amazing characters. Tinker Bell was especially colorful, as was her classic line which was repeated about 15 times and probably means something totally different today. She didn't save Peter from a ticking bomb, but drinking his poisoned medicine was just as heroic.
Neverland itself was simply more real in the book. The description was more colorful, and the dangers more real. The creatures were original and usually had "Never" tacked onto the front of their names, which made for an amusing pattern throughout the book.
I'll always be a fan of Peter Pan, the Disney classic. I don't think anything could replace it in my mind. But the book gave me a whole new perspective on characters I thought I knew so well--made them better. It made them more real, more believable, more loveable. I realized that writing for children is an art, especially when writing chapter books with more of a plot than "Sue loses her shoe." And Peter Pan has whetted my appetite for more classic children's books. I want to read more--I want to rediscover the classic characters I've heard about or watched. And I encourage you to do the same.
Next on my list is Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, both in one big book called The Annoted Alice. I'm looking forward to this journey and don't worry--you'll be hearing all about it =)
~Elisabeth
