Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” 

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie is a well known classical book. All children grow up but one, Peter Pan. Peter lives in the Neverland. One day, in one of his trips to hear stories told in the Darling's house he gets caught and loses his shadow. When he returns to get back his shadow, Wendy is awoken by the sounds of Peter crying. Wendy helped Peter sow on his shadow and Peter realising the importance of a mother figure asks her to go with him and be his mother and mother to the lost boys. Wendy and her two brothers were very excited and with a bit of fairy dust they fly their way to the Neverland. 

In the version of the book I read there were two stories; Peter in Kensington Gardens and Peter and Wendy. This book was one of the most confusing books. I had watched the movie and cartoon versions of Peter Pan and so I was expecting something similar. However, when I first start reading the narrators are the Davies brothers and they talk about things like baby castle where the most sought up baby lives by herself and all these baby attractions in the kensington gardens, it felt like I was reading the wrong book. Finally when I read the name Peter Pan I was relieved, but not for long. Peter Pan was completely different to what I was expecting. Firstly he was only a week old, he wore no clothes, he rode a goat, he lived with the birds because everyone was a bird who flew to their parents' home and there turned into humans.

This is definitely not the story that I know and it really just seemed like Barrie was a bit loopy. When I reached the story of Peter and Wendy I was ever so confused. Peter Pan finally seemed to resemble the ones from the movie but what happened? I thought that the first story was an introduction or background story to how Peter Pan came to be but he was much older in Peter and Wendy and he didn't live with the birds any more. I found out later that these were two completely separate stories written by Barrie. One could say that it was partially my fault for being ignorant on the stories but I really don't see why an author would write two or three stories with the same character and yet completely different tales. It wasn't as if this was a sequel showing Peter when he grew up because Peter Pan does not grow up. 

Peter Pan may seem like an innocent title but it is not for young children. The book is very violent. Peter Pan seems to love war, blood and gore. It turns out that it was Peter who gave Hook his Hook. And Hook while he seems like a lovable baddie in the movies really wants to kill a boy who is no more than a little kid who still has all his baby teeth. Secondly the book is very stereotypical and quite racist to American Indians. I'm sure it didn't occur to J.M. Barrie how disrespectful he was being when writing about the Indians, just like he wrote the stereotypical pirates and mermaids. The Indians are described as being inferior, and quite stupid, even making Peter Pan the 'Great White Father'. Now we know that this racism is not something we teach our children. Also, going back to Peter in Kensington Gardens the fairies are said to have blue necks. Their blue necks aren't just something magical and pretty but they are quite gruesome and something quite scary to be telling children. Barrie writes that it was considered royal and beautiful to have blue neck so they would cut themselves and let their blue blood cover their neck and then dry. This is definitely not beautiful!

I knew Peter Pan was a bit of a show off but never would I have thought that I would actually say that I hate Peter. Reading the book just got me really frustrated at the character. Peter Pan is one of the most stuck-up and annoying characters EVER!! He believes he is better than everyone else and he believes so much in make believe that he basically starves everyone by having make belief dinner and lunch. He is also very forgetful and when he goes back to get Wendy at spring time he gets angry that she grew up when really he was the one that didn't come for a few years. Peter Pan also got the children in trouble various times. When he could have remained quite and everything would just go away he has to go and play games with Hook giving away their disguise. Peter Pan nearly locked out Wendy and her brothers. He is seriously so selfish. He may only be a fictional character but I really just wanted to go yell some sense at him. 

I would recommend this book to other but only because it is a classic and it is always good to know the original story behind movies. It was hysterical but not in the way it should be; I was laughing almost through the whole of Peter in Kensington Gardens because of the nonsense that was said. If you do decide to read remember to throw out any ideas and concepts you have for Peter Pan. Read with a blank canvas, as if you have never hear the name Peter Pan or else the story will just get confusing and strange since the movie and the book doesn't completely match up.