Peter Pan door J.M. Barrie

Facts

Title: Peter Pan
Writer: J.M. Barrie
Publisher: Armada Classics, 1988
Pages: 158

Title explanation:

Peter Pan is an exeptional boy. He never grows up and lives in a fantasy world, Neverland. I think, because he is so special, the book has got his name.

Place:

This story is set in Neverland, the island of imagination were you can live in an adventure. This story started in the Darling family’s house in England.

Time:

This story is set in The end of the 19e or the beginning of the 20e century.

‘‘Mr Darling took a cab and nipped in to her house first, and so he got her’’
‘‘Mrs Darling loves to have everything just so, and Mr Darling had a passion for being exactly like his neighbours; so, of course they had a nurse.’’
The book was first published by Hodder and Stoughton 1911

The time that is covered in the story is ± 50 years.
It starts when Wendy is a child, she grews up and in the end she gets a child of her own.
‘‘One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden...’’
‘‘Wendy was married in white...’’
‘‘Years rolled on again, and Wendy had a daughter. She was called Jane...’’
‘‘Jane is now a common grown-up with a daughter called Margaret...’’
‘‘When Margaret grows up she will have a daughter...’’

Main characters:

Peter Pan:
Is a boy who never grew up. Peter Pan lived in Neverland. He doesn’t change in the book. He called himself the leader of the lost boys. The conceit of Peter was one of his most fascinating qualities. To put it with brutal frankness, there never was a cockier boy. He wanted to be loved by others. He’s brave, honest and smart.

Wendy:
Wendy is like a mother to the lost boys and Peter Pan. One time she said to Peter Pan:
‘‘Peter, you just spoil them, you know,’’ She’s talking like a mother to a father.
Wendy gets older. We met her in the book when she is two years old. When she came back from Neverland She is getting older and gets a child of her own.

Plot:

Peter pan is a boy who never grew up he lived in Neverland together with his companions the Lost Boys. They are not the only ones who actually lived there: Pirates, Indianes, Mermaids, Canibals and a lot of dangerous animals.

One evening Peter came to the house of Mrs. Darling and Mr. Darling. They lived in England and they had 3 children: Wendy Moira Angela Darling, who was the oldest and John and Michael. They had a dog, called Nana. She was the ‘nurse’ of the children.
During his visit, he lost his shadow and Mrs. Darling found it. When Peter returned, Mrs. and Mr Darling were aren’t at home, and he looked for his shadow. He started to cry, because he couldn’t find it. Then Wendy woked and saw the boy. She helped him. She sewed Peter his shadow. Peter wanted to take the children to Neverland, because he wanted Wendy to be his mother and Wendy wanted her little brothers go with her. He introduced them to Tinker bell, a fairy, who really hated Wendy. Then they went to Neverland, but first he teached them to fly.
When they arrived, the lost boys built a little house for Wendy because she was shot, when she arrived in Neverland. The lost boys, Peter Pan, John and Michael lived under the ground.
A few months later pirates attack. The children were kidnapped except Peter Pan. The pirates brought the children to the pirate ship. Captain Hook went to the house under the ground where Peter Pan was slept. He hated Peter Pan very much, because Peter had flung Hook’s arm to the crocodile (that ticks). Captain Hook had poisoned Peter’s medicine. After this Hook went back to the pirate ship. When Peter woke, Tinkerbell was telling him the whole story. Peter Pan went to the pirate ship.
Peter Pan copies the tick of the crocodile. When Captain Hook heard this tick and I was very shocked so came Peter Pan on the pirate ship. When Peter was on the ship he started to fighting with Captain Hook.
It was a long fight and Peter Pan won, Captain Hook was jumped in the sea, but he didn’t know that the crocodile was waiting for him. The crocodile had killing Captain Hook. After the killed of the pirates. They went home to England. Mr. And Mrs. Darling adopted the lost boys.
In England Wendy saw Peter almost never again. They all were grown up. Mr. and Mrs. Darling and Nana were dead. And Wendy was married and had a daughter, called Jane.

Favourite part

This is my favourite part of the book because the boy, Peter Pan lost his shadow.
I think it is very strange because you can’t lost you shadow. I had to laugh when I read it.

Essential words:

1) A cockier boy - a boy who is conceit.
2) Lagoon - A little Beach – lake.
3) Drawn propelled by his men - His men carried him.
4) Redskins - Indians.
5) Lost Boys - They are children who fall out of their perambulators (kinderwagens) when the nurse looking the other way. If they are not claimed in seven days they are sent far
away to the Neverland.
6) Virulent Poison - That is a very strong drink that will kill you.
7) Wretched prisoners - Men who are caught and there situation is bad.

My verdict:

It’s a fairy tale about good and bad.
My verdict about the book I don’t like it, because it is very infantilely written and I don’t understand many pieces.
I think the book is difficult because I didn’t understand and I had to read it a several times.

For example:

‘‘But, my dear madam, it is ten days till Thursday week; so that by telling you what’s what, we can save you ten days of unhappiness.’’ ‘‘what a cost! By depriving the children of ten minutes of delight.’’
‘‘Oh, if you look at it in that way.’’
‘‘What other way is there in which to look at it?’’
You see, the woman had no proper spirit. I meant to say extraordinarily nice things about her; but I despise her, and not on of them will I say now.

This is said by the writer J.M. Barrie. In this part he talks to the reader himself and that is very confusing.

I didn’t like this book at all.