“Grow up, and it’s a terribly difficult thing to do. It's much easier to ignore it and move from one childhood to another. » (Fitzgerald) In Peter and Wendy, the child characters do not represent romanticized and heroic behaviors, but rather the realistic traits found in everyday children. Thus, the lack of moral thought due to the absence of parents causes the children to question the nature of good and evil throughout the novel. By shedding light on the fundamental aspects of Peter Pan's personality, ambitions and behavior, and analyzing the wild mentality of the Lost Boys, it becomes clear that, much like the fantasy island of Neverland, the surface is much prettier than what lies below. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The first and foremost culprit of such duplicity is Peter Pan. From start to finish and beyond, Pan is known as the boy who won't grow up. As such, he exhibits anti-heroic and more childish behavioral traits. Time and time again, he gives in to narcissism, arrogance, and irresponsible pleasure-seeking. This is seen when the Darling children follow Peter into the skies of Kensington Gardens for the first time. Eventually, Peter would dive through the air and catch Michael just before he could hit the sea, and it was charming the way he did it; but he always waited until the last moment, and we felt that it was his skill that interested him and not the salvation of human lives. Plus, he liked variety, and the sport that absorbed him at one point would suddenly stop interesting him, so there was always the possibility that the next time you fell, he would let you go. (Barrie 42) Here, Peter pays more attention to the game than to Michael's life. Pan's role in the story is that of the greatest child of all. Hence it follows that he does so. Throughout the novel, he never takes responsibility for his friends' lives. He pushes them to take enormous risks for the benefit of his own selfish pleasure; and he feels no guilt for the deaths of the Lost Boys, who are said to be "cleared up" quite frequently in their continued dealings with pirates. Overall, Peter Pan treats life and death as a game, as he treats all things, because he is a child. Although Pan can be said to exhibit heroic behavior at times; for example, when he sets out to save Princess Tiger Lily from the pirates who are holding her hostage at Marooner's Rock; it can also be disputed that this is not in fact an act of altruism, but rather what Peter considers a fun game to pass the time; “He was less sorry than Wendy for Tiger Lily; it was two against one that made him angry, and he intended to save her. An easy solution would have been to wait until the pirates were gone, but he was never one to take the easy route. the most risky rescue method. This strange personality quirk is one of Pan's most defining. Often throughout the novel, Pan is said to be different from the other children on the island. Perhaps because of his seniority, Pan is a deeper example of childishness than the others. Peter has no fear, so he feels no desire for security, and he has no memory, so he doesn't understand change or loss. And there's something else he doesn't have, even if it's a void that's harder to name. For convenience, JM Barrie calls this "heartlessness", for without it there cannot be anything resembling love. (LitCharts) Here we understandwhy Peter Pan acts the way he does. As Wendy and her brothers are able to maintain the morality and common sense that were instilled in them in Kensington Gardens, it is clear that Pan is a special type of boy: He is forgetful (most notable events disappear from his memory). mind as soon as they return to the past), which allows him to remain unaffected by emotional pulls such as nostalgia or regret. Additionally, he reigns as a sort of god in Neverland. Blessed with flight and immortality, the island never fails to wake up upon his return and bend to his will as he flies away. So, with all the power Pan has, as well as his lack of ability to learn from past mistakes, his morality is bound to be convoluted. “Man does not, by nature, deserve everything he wants. When we think we are automatically entitled to something, that's when we start stepping on others to get it. (Criss Jami) Whether it's Pan's impact or a development of their own making, the other children are also morally warped. Repeatedly throughout the story, children's inability to understand the right, wrong, and consequences of their actions results in grotesque acts of murder. “Wendy was now almost above their heads, and they could hear her plaintive cry. [...] Tink's response rings out: "Peter wants you to shoot the Wendy." » It was not in their nature to question when Peter ordered: “Let's do what Peter wants,” the simple boys shouted. “Quickly, bows and arrows. » (Barrie 64) Here, the children do not question their decision before acting. There is no moral reflection since the boys admit to shooting Wendy by an order given to them by mere hearsay. Without question, thought, or reasoning, the boys prepare to commit an act of murder. Some may dispute that the children's soldierly attitude as they fight under Peter Pan's command is very amusing and that such analysis is exaggerated. dramatized for the sake of a children's story. However, there is a mentality present in the Lost Boys that suggests something other than simple childish adventures. The question of battle and blood is no longer a question in the minds of these children: they wake up every day with bloodshot eyes, dress and feed quickly so that they can pursue pirates with their swords and their weapons. At one point, Pan even goes so far as to state, "I taught you how to fight and how to fly." What more could there be? (107) These gruesome details are elegantly disguised by Barrie as he uses humor and fantasy to sugar coat them. However, these elements should not be used to excuse such details, but rather to contrast them in order to highlight them. It is clear that while Peter Pan may have been aimed at a children's audience, Barrie also imbued his work with serious adult content, which did not go unnoticed by British and American theater audiences of the early 20th century. Although he created a fairyland of delightful imaginations to amuse and enchant children for centuries, he also illustrated the darker side of this land of childhood imagination. (Doln) The final statement regarding the morality of young children is seen particularly in the development achieved by the Darling children. At the climax, gruesome sentences finally manage to chill the reader and push him to a dark realization. But it's just for fun, right? It's a story for heaven's sake, a story about a boy in the woods playing soldier or cowboys and Indians, playing all those wild games we all know.”