|
Rating:  -
"Peter Pan," or by its original title, "Peter and Wendy," when considered in its entirety is a grand read for an adult. The key to its enjoyment is the realization that all spoken and written words are metaphor. For even when words sit closely to reality they are not, and cannot be, the actual things they represent. They are signs! And sometimes they are signs of things not readily apparent and requiring work. Imagination is needed. And that is why all written words are fiction regardless of category, for even as they reach toward reality they are not themselves the same reality. It is a very interesting philosophical concept. The answer is found in Tolstoy's definition of art.
J.M. Barrie uses his story to attack certain English pretensions and inane formalities at the beginning of the twentieth century, life by rote being one, but "Peter Pan" is primarily about the mind and world of a child. The adults in the story are childhood concepts, as are the animals, water, earth, weather and sky. Childhood has no chronological border even though concentrated at the beginning of our lives, for it is perfectly capable of coming back now and again. Mine does. I hope yours does too, for if childhood never comes back the result might be insanity. And if it never leaves that too might bring madness.
I think that the most important lesson of "Peter Pan" is the final description of Captain Hook near the end of the story, not of his physicality, but of his character. It might very well be a reading child's first realization that we are good and we are bad, at the same time, every damn one of us, and that our sharing of such disparate qualities is cause for love and compassion.
"James Hook, thou not wholly unheroic figure, farewell."
That night Peter cries in his sleep. Is he crying for Hook? I say yes, I hope so.
Perhaps the book's second most important lesson is found in the last chapter's picture of time rolling on and on, children replacing adults replacing children, over and over, again and again. As Barrie writes it, "When Margaret grows up she will have a daughter, who is to be Peter's mother in turn; and so it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless."
Yes, "heartless," for that's just as much a part of being a child as the other two adjectives. "Peter Pan" is sprinkled with truths that are downplayed these days by too many adults trying like hell to avoid conflict. But children are too innocent for such tactics, for truth comes natural to them. Children are perfectly capable of creating their own self-esteem at the drop of a hat, or the tinkle of a faerie bell.
-----Joseph A. Psarto, Westlake, Ohio
Rating: -
I love this book, but I have to admit that I watched the newest 'Peter Pan' movie, starring Jeremy Sumpter, before I actually read the classic. Although the movie including many exact or related lines right from the novel and most of the same major scenes, I found that, in the movie, there was that 'puppy-love glow' between Peter and Wendy that just made the storyline so much more interesting and sweet. The novel does show some sense of that, but not as much as the movie. The whole idea that Peter tries to hide his feelings for Wendy yet act completely irrisistable at the same time...or at the end when Peter and Hook are fighting and Hook makes him realize that he is incomplete and so on. How the movie focuses on 'feelings' in the individual stages of childhood, youth, and adulthood are most interesting and are well demonstrating in the movie. Now, I love this book very much, but I suppose I was a little disappointed when it did not include such things.
Rating:  -
It doesn't surprise me particularly that the book "Peter Pan" (or, as it was originally titled, "Peter Pan and Wendy") is not read very often by children. Today kids have their Peter Pan animated movies, live action movies, television shows (of which the less said the better), musicals, stage plays, and what have you. There are a million different versions of the story out there, so it's no wonder the children feel that they don't need to read the original tale. I myself read it for the first time just now at the ancient age of 26, though I had been warned away from it many times. I knew about its more peculiar aspects (for example, that whole business involving Mrs. Darling's "kiss") so these didn't always shock or surprise me. They just weirded me out from time to time. What really did catch me unawares though was the wit in the book. This tale has its peculiarities, no question. But it also has amazing snatches of excellent writing. I just wish it had more of the latter and less of the former.
As every good schoolchild knows (or is liable to learn from Disney) Peter Pan is the boy who does not age. Living in Neverland, a kind of ageless fantasy-burg for kids, he is attended by the silly Tinkerbell, a fairy prone to continually shouting, "You silly ass". When Peter looses his shadow in the home of the Darling family, he meets Wendy for the first time. Wendy is entranced by Peter and with the promise of stories he agrees to take her and her brothers Michael and John with him to Neverland. While there, the kids encounter mermaids, pirates, Indians, and great swashbuckling adventures. They meet the Lost Boys and come face to face with the dreaded Captain Hook. But in the end everyone must grow up. Everyone, that is, but Peter Pan.
INTERESTING FACTS THEY NEVER TELL YOU ABOUT THE BOOK "PETER PAN":
1. Smee is declared to be the only Nonconformist in Hook's crew.
2. The fairies will occasionally stumble, "home from an orgy".
3. Tinker Bell is prone to wearing a negligee.
4. Hook attended private school and is said to bear a resemblance in his manner and dress to Charles II.
5. Peter Pan is an awful bore.
Readers of "Peter Pan" have to face up to several indisputable facts when perusing the tale. First of all, Peter's not that great a guy. I mean, it's a lot of fun to swoop around fighting bad guys and playing around all the time, but Peter's got a nasty streak about him. He's conceited and cruel (laughing when Wendy's brothers plunge out of the sky to their near deaths time and time again). He hates mothers as a rule and even goes so far as to try to trick Wendy into thinking her mother has forgotten her (though he repents at the last minute). He forgets anyone who loves him and is a combination of the worst aspects of all children. This isn't to say that his book doesn't make for interesting reading. I mean, it's not hard to work your way through "Peter Pan" and it has a lot of rewards. Barrie has an odd habit of sometimes getting wrapped up in his own peculiar thoughts for a moment before rushing back to the story in a hurry. The book is thoroughly English, containing such sentences as, "children at play are for ever beaching their coracles". Decipherable, but odd. If it weren't for statements like the ones about Mrs. Darling's kiss (creepy city) it would be an idea book. To my mind, it could stand a thorough editing job. As an author Barrie doesn't really seem sure as to who he's rooting for. One moment he's cruelly mocking Mrs. Darling and the next he's calling the children, "heartless" for leaving her in the first place.
No one familiar with the peculiarities of J.M. Barrie's personal life should be surprised by the book's moral. Mainly, that growing up is bad. This is the kind of moral kids like to hear and grown-ups, who idealize children in unhealthy ways, think is good. J.M. Barrie was perfectly aware of the cruelty of kids, but seemed to think it a good thing. When Wendy, her brothers, and the Lost Boys grow up it's written as a tragedy of epic proportions. For a healthier view of maturity, check out Madeline L'Engle's, "A Wind In the Door". Aside from its moral, however, "Peter Pan" is definitely a classic. It has influenced countless people around the globe for roughly a century. It has become a part of our culture and is vastly adored. I cannot love it wholly because I feel that it is a flawed novel. Nonetheless, I give credit where credit is due and say that it is one of the necessary books to read in the English language. If you have not familiarized yourself with it yet then you are denying yourself access to an important work. Lord, it isn't great, but it's well written and interesting. Few books can say as much.
Rating: -
At its center, the story of Peter Pan is at once enchanting for boys and girls alike. The thought of being able to fly, to never grow up, much less grow old or the ability to thwart parental power by exploring never, never land where there is total freedom for enjoyment as well as the thrill of conquerable challenges by the guardianship of angelic magic in the form of Tinker Bell. But beneath the surface, Peter Pan is ultimately a lesson about growing up and having to take responsibility for one's actions, all the while wishing the opposite. For most children, the transition comes with age, and with good parental guidance; for others, sadly, it comes not at all. For those who are unable to make the transition and prefer to stay in the fantasy world of never, never land, heartache is bound to come, for it not Wendy, another love would be lost, which men are conditioned to accept and ignore, forever foreclosing the opportunity for the emotional intimacy they truly want and need, and the excitement of being able to share the wondrous world with someone who honors their effort and is inspired by their love and commitment. The story of Peter Pan is the definitive analysis of males at the point of transition where love and life intersect, and the choice they must make for themselves. It is a story about male commitment, whether that is possible, and for what reason, the ability to make the intellectual adjustment of self control to capture the joys of adult life, the vision to depart from never, never land to accommodate the transition, and the coping mechanisms they must make to do so. It is the ultimate "cliff walk" for men, hence, the analogy of the prospect of "walking the plank before Captain Hook" and whether or not the Wendy they save might be their own salvation, the one to whom they can commit with trust and safety. It is a story of men falling in love or not and whether they are able to appreciate giving up the toys of childhood for mature relationships.
Rating: -
Peter Pan is the timeless classic everyone has grown up to. It has been passed down from generation to generation but it all started with one man, J. M. Barrie. When anyone tells the story of Peter Pan most adults don't think it is suitable for them. They think that it is simply a children's story and always will be. However, Barrie made sure that this story would be appropriate for all ages. Some of the language might be a bit difficult for the youngest range but the context helps to figure out a funny word or two. It appeals to the older range because of the layers it conceals. Behind each game they play is a message. Hidden under each smile Wendy gives to Peter is her hidden kiss. However, this story relates mostly to teenagers as they are going through the stage of growing up. Just days before I read Peter Pan I thought of how nice it would be to be free of homework and school. I thought how wonderful it would be to grow up and be independent. After reading this story, and seeing it exactly how Barrie told it, I don't want to grow up as much as Peter Pan and Wendy don't want to. I first heard the story, from seeing the movie, at a very young age, probably around the time I was 2 or 3. Disney tried hard to incorporate everything from the book but they didn't get every meaning or all the symbolism. For example, Mrs. Darling and Wendy Darling both have a hidden kiss. This kiss is hidden under the right hand corner of their mouths and only their true love can find it. Because Mr. Darling can't find Mrs. Darling's kiss, perhaps Barrie is trying to say that although she loves Mr. Darling dearly, he isn't her true love. Barrie fills his book with the perfect amount of detail and color. Children don't get bored because there is too much and adults don't need any more. At one point in the story, Barrie writes about the adventures at the lagoon. "If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one, you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colours suspended in the darkness; then if you squeeze your eyes tighter, the pool begins to take shape, and the colours become so vivid that with another squeeze they must go on fire." It is work like this that captures the reader and makes them never put the book down. The action and the drama are another reason such a wide age range is attached to this story. The lost boys go on countless raids and enticing adventures that children can only dream about. The love story between Peter and Wendy thickens throughout the entire book and we don't know till the end whether the Darlings will return home to England or stay in Neverland forever. Barrie does such an incredible job with the characters I felt I had met each one personally. John and Michael are as adorable as ever, Captain Hook as evil, Tinkerbell as envious, Peter as cocky and Wendy as in love. Though the title expresses that the story is about Peter Pan, I think one of Barrie's hidden messages was that it was really Wendy's story. Peter Pan can meet many more pirates and have many more adventures but Wendy only had that one time with him. She could only be his mother, or possibly his only love, once in her life. She was supposed to go back to Neverland every spring to do Peter's spring cleaning but he forgot almost every year. Barrie might have been trying to show how forgetful little boys are. He also might have been trying to show Peter's denial that Wendy might grow up. If Peter didn't go back then Wendy might not grow up. If he didn't go back he wouldn't be reminded that he lost the love of his life. Barrie did a phenomenal job with this story. His ideas make you wonder why we have to grow up and why none of us have ever been able to see Tink's glow, outside of our dreams. This book is suitable for all ages and the only thing that could make it even better were if we could be in the story ourselves.
Television Show
Collectibles
Movie Searches
|
|
|
Search for posters,
art prints, photos, collectables, merchandise, toys, t-shirts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Join the Nielsen//NetRatings Research Panel and you could win a new car, a dream vacation, a dream home makeover or $50,000 Cash!
TV Guide
Program listings, celebrity profiles, industry
gossip, movie reviews, puzzle.
More
Entertainment
& TV Magazines
This site is
Hosted
by Bluehost
Read
my Bluehost Review
Original Superhero & other designs for t-shirts, bumper
stickers, prints, mugs, and other cool merchandise. |
|
