Fandomzz's Peter Pan Essays

Like all great stories, the tale of Peter Pan is practically re-written every generation. Some incarnations are wonderful, while some are less so. If the story could not be renewed however then it would die. I am all for change. I only protest when a writer or director tries to create a “cannon” version that doesn’t pay any respect to the source material. It would be wonderful if I had solid proof of the way things worked in Neverland but, unfortunately, without Barrie around we can only speculate on said things. Click on the titles of the essays to read some of my thoughts and speculations about Peter Pan and his world. No One Ages in Neverland Peter Pan’s Age The Time Line: When Did Who Go Where? The Little White Bird Notes Neverland: Is it a Physical Place? Peter’s Nature & Abilities Out of the Pram and into the Fire: The Debate about the Origin of the Lost Boys Peter’s Rules

Peter’s Rules Rule #1 No Growing Up “All wanted blood except the boys, who liked it as a rule, but to-night were out to greet their captain. The boys on the island vary, of course, in numbers, according as they get killed and so on; and when they seem to be growing up, which is against the rules, Peter thins them out; but at this time there were six of them, counting the twins as two.” Every Pan enthusiast has probably debated the meaning of these words. Does “thin out” mean kill? Does Peter kill his Lost Boys? Barrie never clearly states this but the implication is fairly strong. It’s only when you consider the “official sequel” (Peter Pan in Scarlett) does the answer become apparent. Yes, if you take the sequel into account it very clearly mentions that Peter offs his Lost Boys. I am hesitant to completely consider the sequel as cannon however, because it does not completely exist within parameters of the Barrie tale. Anything is possible if you change the rules. A clue we do get from Barrie however is how easily Peter condemns Tootles do death when he thinks he has killed Wendy. "Oh, dastard hand," Peter said, and he raised the arrow to use it as a dagger. Tootles did not flinch. He bared his breast. "Strike, Peter," he said firmly, "strike true." Twice did Peter raise the arrow, and twice did his hand fall. "I cannot strike," he said with awe, "there is something stays my hand." All looked at him in wonder, save Nibs, who fortunately looked at Wendy.” I wonder what stopped him from killing Tootles without first confirming that Wendy was alive? Mercy is not a common trait given that the other Lost Boys were surprised by his reaction. I suppose we shall never know. Rule #2 No Mothers “It was only in Peter's absence that they could speak of mothers, the subject being forbidden by him as silly.” Given Peter’s history the “no mothers” rule is pretty straight forward. Rule #3 No Copycats “They are forbidden by Peter to look in the least like him.” Shortly after the ominous “thinning out” line Barrie presents us with another rule. No one on the island is allowed to look like Peter. While this could simply be a matter of ego, it could also have another meaning. Peter and Wendy confirms the existence of a sibling for Peter, Little White Bird gives us a gender, male, and Barrie’s notes give us a name, Michael. Barrie states that Peter has nightmares that “have to do with the mystery of his existence.” Vague as this is it does indicate that Peter is unconsciously aware of the things he cannot deal with consciously. One of them might be his brother. Perhaps his desire to keep everyone unique is a way to ensure that he never accidentally takes his brother, or any of his descendants, to Neverland.

Barrie also poses another problem us where the Lost Boys are concerned. He clearly states that the Lost Boys all “fell out of their prams.” If, after seven days they are not claimed, they come to Neverland. This is a problematic statement in two ways. The first problem is that most of the lost boys are too old to be in prams. There seems to be a time lapse then between when they arrive and when they initiate as lost boys (by killing and skinning an animal.) We have a few options to play with here. Option #1 They arrive in Neverland as babies or young children. And are raised by the fairies until they can join the Lost Boys. I am partial to this theory since fairies are infamous for stealing male children to breed with. The problem with this theory is the slowed ageing process. They would age far too slowly to become Lost Boys in any proper time. Therefore they either age normally until they become lost boys or they age rapidly via fairy magic. Option #2 Falling “out of their prams” literally or figuratively means they are marked to come to Neverland but don’t arrive until they are older. But, c’mon, how would Peter know that? Option #3 There is a third option. Peter just said “they fell out of their prams” to indicate they are unwanted by society in general. They could all be street children and therefore abandoned. The problem with this theory is that the boys have almost no recollection of their lives pre-Neverland. They only have the foggiest early memories of being children (such as Nibs and his white rat) or Slightly remembering his mother but if they had grown up starving and fighting on the streets of London they would be harder and less childlike and probably remember those days as well. Could they all forget? The second big issue with the pram statement is that more than likely any child young enough to be in a pram will probably not survive being abandoned for seven days. There is the theory that “falling out of their prams” means they have died but this is highly unlikely since the Lost Boys return home with Wendy and go on to grow up. I guess we’ll never know. Out of the Pram and into the Fire: The Origin of the Lost Boys

Despite being the titular character, there are very few fans of Peter himself. It’s not surprising. He’s not easy to like. I find Peter fascinating however. As a character he has layers and layers of personality just waiting to be explored. The Master of Neverland This is the facet of Peter’s personality that most people recognize. He is the “Disney” version of Pan. The the charismatic, fearless, adventure seeking, happy-go-lucky kid who just wants to fly around and have adventures forever. He is forgetful so he comes off as thoughtless but he cares about his friends and is bravely willing to die. Peter is sometimes shown with pointed ears in order to illustrate his non-human nature. While I don’t agree with the ears (he’s not a Vulcan) the inhuman nature is identified by Barrie twice in LWB. By living with the fairies Peter had become “betwixt and between,” not a fairy but no longer human. As this new being Peter gained several abilities. ● Flight (without magic) ● Control over Neverland (the ability to open the “dimensional doorway”) ● Mimicry (The ability to mimic nature via music and voices, because how else could he imitate the voice of a 50+ pirate?) The Demon Child The demon child is the second most popular facet of Peter’s personality. At his best the demon child is demanding, harsh and capricious, even switching sides during a battle because he “feels like it.” At his worst however he is the cruel side of Peter, the one who chopped off Hook’s hand, the one who kills off pirates Lost Boys and anyone one else displease him and the one who breathes rapidly trying to kill off as many adults as he can. The only unique ability I associate with this Peter is something I call “the voice.” Peter’s Nature and Abilities It may just be that Peter is exceptionally charming but I’m certain there are a lot of woman able to resits the charms of a young kid. Perhaps Peter has some mild form of telepathic suggestion or control over the hearts and minds of women. The Legend Even by Maimie’s time (LWB) Peter has become a legend. As a semi deity Peter has several abilities. Barrie tells us that Peter takes children partway to heaven, he bestows children unto women who pray to him, he calls out from Neverland and reaches into the hearts and minds of children across the globe (and everyone who believes in him.) The Injured Little Boy This is the side least explored by authors and screen writers. With so much magic, fun and adventure around people forget that Peter, at his heart, is an injured child. At that critical moment, when Peter found himself locked out he could have knocked on the door or waited till his mother woke up. The reason he fled is because he felt betrayed. He believed, as do most of the children in Barrie’s novels, that a mother’s love is absolute and perfect; that, no matter what, she will always love her child. When she failed to leave the window open, in fact, when she had it barred shut, he took this to mean that she was rejecting him. She even had replaced him with another child. We have to see this from the point of a child. For a child realizing that their mother doesn’t love them is Earth shattering. The love of a parent is the very foundation that a child’s entire ego is built on. If that realization is false it crumbles their reality. Before the incident Peter was a sweet, loving, thoughtful, helpful, kind, and slightly timid person. Afterwards he becomes harsh, self-concerned, bitter and even cruel. He was robbed of the one perfect truth in his life and it massively impacted him. The only reason we do not see more of this side of Peter is because he forget everything so quickly. But we know he is essentially not as happy as he outwardly seems. "Wendy," he continued, in a voice that no woman has ever yet been able to resist, "Wendy, one girl is more use than twenty boys.” “Sometimes, though not often, he had dreams, and they were more painful than the dreams of other boys. For hours he could not be separated from these dreams, though he wailed piteously in them. They had to do, I think, with the riddle of his existence.” There aren’t many things that Peter remembers but he never forgets that his mother rejected him and he probably never will.

Barrie notes reveal that Neverland is located somewhere Pacific Ocean This idea is re-enforced by the extremely long flight scene in Peter and Wendy. Still, I don’t think Neverland physical place for several reason. Remaining Hidden If Neverland where a truly physical place located in our dimension surely someone would have floated into it eventually. The British were a sea going people famous for their naval might. By the time Wendy and Peter began in 1911 surely someone would have discovered the island by then. Even if it were cloaked in magic, if it is physical would have been found. As for Barrie claming the island is in the Pacific, I believe there is an entrance into Neverland somewhere in the Pacific. This may be how Hook got into Neverland. The rules that regulate the opening of this dimensional door I don’t know save for the fact that Peter can open it by will. Time Flow Another reason I am certain Neverland is in a separate dimension is because time flows differently in Neverland. Hook has to have entered Neverland before Peter arrived. If he had been ageing at a normal rate, he would have been long dead before Peter showed up. Also, the Lost Boys cannot possibly be ageing normally. Some of those boys must be at least 10 or so, if they were growing at the normal rate Peter would have to have gone through dozens of batches of Lost Boys. Controlled By Will Neverland does not behave like any physical landmass that we know of on Earth. It almost seems to be alive. It “sleep” while Peter is away and bend to his will like a reed in the wind. From what we see entity on the island (magical or otherwise) has bestowed this ability to Peter. Rather Peter has somehow connected with the island himself (or with something powerful inside it.) If the answer were just, “it’s magical,” then how did he get this magic? I believe Neverland works much in the same way as the version of Davy’s Jones locker in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End does. The locker, according to PotC is a place where you are physically sent (whole) that does not exist in our physical realm. Despite this, it can be accessed by the living providing they know how (or you can be sent there by the controller of the space.) The locker belongs to Jones (thus he makes it a place of punishment) but what if it were controlled by Peter? To me, the comparison makes sense. The locker is controlled the entity with the strongest will, in PotC that would be Jones, in Neverland it’s Peter. While it’s not cannon, Fox’s Peter Pan and the Pirates has an episode called, The Neverscroll. In this episode the Lost Boys have to locate a map that marks the location of everything in Neverland. According to Fox, Neverland must be “locked” because Peter’s memory alone would not keep it static. This makes a lot of sense to me. Fox takes the idea hinted by Barrie and expounds on it. Interestingly enough there is also the concept of “space” (dimension) that is controlled by the entity with the strongest will in Asian mythology (and more currently anime.) This space has no name so I refer to it as “Darkspace.” I will refrain from going into an explanation of Darkspace here but feel free to contact me if you are interested. In the end, I just don’t see Neverland as begin part of our physical dimension. I could be wrong, of course, but maybe the island is like our concept of Peter Pan himself, fluid, amendable and ever changing. Neverland: Is it a Physical Place?

The Timeline: When Did Who Go Where? Captain Hook Hook is difficult to place because we are not given much information about him. Barrie hints that Hook might be someone of importance related to Charles II. My guess is he is the illegitimate son of King Charles II. This could make sense since Charles II was born in 1630 but was not officially coronated until 1660 (even though his father had been executed in 1949.) He had lots of time to produce secret heirs while he was exiled. Hook claims to have sailed under the privateer Sir Henry Morgan. Morgan had his last adventure around 1671-72 when he sacked the Spanish. He was arrested and sent to England where he was taken before King Charles II in 1672. He returned to Panama in ‘74. So if Hook had sailed with him it as a privateer it had to have been in 1671 or before. Depending on how old Hook was when he sailed with him we can guess that he was born sometime in the 165x’s. Hook also says that he went to Eton and also that he worked some-place as a teacher. If he he went to Eton as a student (which could have been likely since he probably had some connections) then he would have stayed there until he finished his schooling. At the time, Eton was a school for boys between 13-18. Therefore Hook could not have been sailing with Morgan until afterwards. Now, if Hook taught at Eton he could have sailed with Morgan, and then found a nice job at Eton later on. Perhaps he found some treasure maps hidden some- place in the school and decided to go pirating? Hook does mention the Spanish Main a lot which was one of Morgan’s favorite haunts. I think Peter moved in Neverland proper sometime in the early 1800’s (LWB.) By then Hook would have been far too old to be the age he is when we see him. Either he found a physical sea entrance to the island while hunting for treasure and got stuck or Peter reached back in time and pulled him in. I prefer the former since otherwise we’d get some serious Doctor Who type paradoxes. Peter Pan Peter was already a legend when the story began to unfold in 1911 (ish). For Peter to have becomes famous he must have been around a long time. So when did he enter Neverland? We learn from the Little White Bird (LWB) that Peter played in Kensington Gardens after running away. Peter must have been born after the Gardens were made in 1730. Barrie says Peter visited his mother twice. The first time she was still waiting for Peter with the window open. The second time, when he decided to return for good, the window was barred and she had “another little boy in her arms.” Given that Barrie didn’t say this was an infant or a baby we can assume the child is somewhere between the ages of 4-10. Between the first visit and the second, there had to been enough time for her to have gotten pregnant and raise the child. Sometime later Peter finds a girl named Maimie in the Gardens. There is no date given here but it says that Peter’s brother (who we now know to be Michael) was now a “man with whiskers.” We have to assume he’s in his late 20’s or early 30’s. The only other solid date given is after the adventure with Maimie when Peter carves the date into the headstone of a child “1841.” 1841 is too late for Peter to have still been in the Gardens. Peter had Lost Boys before (the ones he “thinned out”) and Slightly is the oldest one in this batch. Since Slightly doesn’t make mention of other Lost Boys then we can assume that they were all gone before he entered the picture. Since people age much more slowly the old batch could have been around for years before Slightly showed up. Peter needed time to sort out the island, get a first batch of boys and then get a new batch. Now, Nibs recalls that he had a pet white rat. White rats were introduced to Britain in 1800. However they were only popular as pets between the years of 1840-1860. If Nibs arrived during the height of the pet rat craze he would be in Neverland in 1850. Slightly has to has arrived before him. So Neverland, as we know it came about in the sometime in the 1800’s.

A Neverland where no one ages is a very charming notion but we have loads of evidence to the contrary. Even Barrie himself even said, “all children except one, grow up” meaning only Peter is free from the constraints of time. Here are some examples of the evidence of time flowing. Tink’s Death What is aging if not the passage of time? We know time passes because at the end of the novel, when Wendy asks Peter what happened to Tink, he claims not to know anyone by that name. Tink has died. Unless she was killed she must have been aging. We assume that she hasn’t been killed because Barrie would probably say so if she was. He tells us not to feel sorry for her because, even though fairy lives are short, to fairies they seem long. The “thinning out” of the Lost Boys Peter has all sorts of rules for his Lost Boys. One of the rules that Barrie mentions is that fact that the Lost Boys are not allowed to be as tall as Peter. When they get taller he “thins them out.” How ominous. It has been assumed, at least by the author of the official sequel, Peter Pan in Scarlet, that “thins out” means that Peter kills the boys. If the poor Lost Boys are getting taller, they have to be aging. Tiger Lilly Peter says that Tiger Lilly is not as much fun as she used to be. Although not stated outright, the implication is that as she ages she sees Peter in a different way. Peter reinforces this notion when he tell Wendy that Tiger Lilly wants to be something to him but “not his mother.” Wendy gets it. Peter doesn’t. Hook We are given some indication in the original novel that Hooks feels as if he has been in Neverland for quite some time. His pirates are restless giving the impression that they are tired of chasing Pan. Also, while it’s not cannon, the Hook from Fox’s Peter Pan & the Pirates and the Hook from Peter Pan (2003) also lament how much time they have wasted chasing Peter around. No One Ages in Neverland