Peter Pan (INFLUENCES CASE STUDY)

  ‘Peter Pan’ is an outstanding testament to the influence of stage theatre, as well as its apparent influence within modern culture- with the array of adaptation, ranging from the novel written by J. M. Barrie based from Barrie’s commercial stage play success seven years prior, to the ample adaptations fit for screen- especially including that of Walt Disney’s 1953 animated feature making the name of Peter Pan a household classic, and an introduction to new audiences (young and old) into the world of J. M. Barrie. ‘Peter Pan’ is a century old tale with themes of childhood, motherhood, loss, and- most notably present throughout the story- the aspect of growing to be an adult. As previously mentioned, many adaptation have accumulated throughout the lifespan of this cultural phenomenon, truly demonstrating that- despite the flaws of the many adaptations showing the piece of literacy’s age- the message is one that is timeless, showcasing that although J. M. Barrie’s first iterations of his life’s work may face scrutiny for their highly caricatured and offensive character, there is still praise to admire within; in spite of everything that is flawed with this story, it’s impossible to disengage from the ageless, beautiful message imbedded in all the childish and obscene writing.

  Origins of the story of ‘Peter Pan’ predate to 1892, when J. M. Barrie- popular Scottish journalist and novelist- began to add another medium of literature onto his abundant list of skills; the art of becoming a writer for stage- a task that would cement his legacy in the start of the new century, 1902, when the original tale of the Lost Boys and the Darling children, published in a novel entitled ‘A Little White Bird’, would come to fruition- a story that took great happenstance from an array of corners within Barrie’s life: all three short pieces being based on five year old George Llewelyn Davies, a young boy Barrie had a close relationship with, whom Barrie met in Kensington Gardens- much the same as where Peter is known to reside once a week old, along with the rest of the Llewelyn Davies’ boys; notable examples of this inspiration included the original narrator within the script, who creates the image of Peter Pan to fool the audience and the young boy he befriends- David- alike (this is done through the narrator’s apparent talent for deception; he convinces the boy and his family that he, the narrator, had a son who died, in order to garner sympathy and- overall- trust from the boy’s parents, in order to take David firmly for himself). This is perhaps the reasoning behind the heavy the wing surrounding Peter’s origins; he ran from home at just a week old to experience the flowers, birds, and whimsical sights of Kensington Gardens, under the impression that his mother would always let him listen to her bedtime stories at the open window- when he returns, however, he is greeted with a close window and a symbol of his mother’s conditional love, with him seeing his own mother cradling a new baby- this could have been implemented into the story for two vastly different logistic reasonings- one to construe and justify all of Peter’s abrasive and quite malicious nature that is later present within the story, to lessen the ideology that he is fact, a villain, yet rather instead an abandoned boy who knows no better- and the other to make the narrator’s deception even more realistic: the boy he is trying to become closer with is being taught that parental love is conditional, therefore subconsciously planting the seed of him questioning his parents love, and making him more vulnerable to grasp at any cusps of love he can from anybody, so that he isn’t abandoned. These techniques also reflected to Barrie within reality’s once the mother of the Llewelyn Davies’ boys died, they were handed to Barrie’s custody at the age of 50, rather than the boys nanny, like originally stated in the mother’s will- ‘Peter Pan’ is a deeply sinister fantasy that Barrie inserted himself into so greatly that his demented ideologies became a reality. In spite of this, not all the roots of this bustling tree are necessarily tainted; Barrie’s younger brother suddenly died in an abhorrent accident, leaving Barrie grief-stricken: using this grief and his past experiences with younger boys, he created the ideal image of a boy- one who could never grow up, but by choice and want, rather than by cruel circumstance- it is in fact argued that Peter Pan’s notions towards growing to be an adult we’re ripped from the younger brother himself; being theorised that part of Peter Pan wants to move on, and, essentially, grow up, however his childlike stubbornness taints him so hard, that he cannot grow to indulge in the bravery it takes to age, because of his own fears- and since his brain is stuck in a youthful cycle, the constant need for stimulation means his mindset is continuously distracted and repressed- to the point where he cannot distinguish reality from pretend (often times being where the Lost Boys go underfed, as a direct result of Peter giving them pretend food for meals most of the time, and genuinely being bewildered when the boys state they’re still hungry).

  This tale, weaving through each adaptation, shares at least one aspect the same- the time scale and location it was set; the Victorian period through the streets of London, a time that, many of the 1910’s, would consider a simpler, and much better time- with no impending wars nor recessions: it was a prosperous time for the economy, meaning most middle-upper class families (such as the Darlings within the story) could solely focus earning money and living a lavish, almost picturesque life; which creates a strong sense of irony as Peter constantly belittles this life and makes a point to show how mundane the way of traditional Victorian life is, and how it can only get better with a place like Neverland- in which their lives are constantly in imminent danger. Notably, Wendy is victim to the most difficult time whilst at Neverland, yet the only thing that seems to get her through is her emerging womanhood; when Tinker Bell first instructs the Lost Boys to shoot Wendy out of the sky, it is but her ‘hidden kiss’ that catches the arrow- which has a dual meaning; one being she has found her first love, which some theorise is Peter Pan within this instance, and yet another representation is that the ‘hidden kiss’ is a metaphor for her emerging womanhood; Wendy was already maturing before entering Neverland, and, in a cruelly ironic twist, Neverland is the realisation that growing up is the correct path for Wendy- her mothering for all the boys sparks a desperately embedding need inside her that she would have shrugged off for months more if she was kept within the Darlings household. This parallels stunningly to Pan’s notion of eternal youth, and I believe the Darling children was his sign that he was always be divided from every Lost Boy he ever recruits: aging is ordinary, but to most children- it’s extraordinary, with all the promise it brings- yet Peter is extraordinary, but doesn’t have the capacity nor capability to fully envelop himself in the ordinary aspects of adulthood; which means the true tragedy being Peter Pan will never experience the beauty in the mundane routine he fears.