This is the book of the play and movies of the same name. It was first produced in a theatre in London on December 27, 1904. Since then, it has been adapted multiple times into various media.
It is the story of a young girl named Wendy Darling, and her two brothers John and Michael as they struggle with growing up. One night, a boy who never grows any older, Peter Pan, flies into the nursery where the children are sleeping, and loses his shadow. Yes, his shadow becomes detached from his body.
He is so upset by the fact he cannot reattach his shadow, that he ends up waking Wendy, who is overly nurturing, and sews his shadow back on for him. He is so elated that he takes Wendy and her brothers back to the Neverland where he lives with the lost boys (boys who were lost as young children). He wants Wendy to be a mother for all of them, since they are missing and in desperate need of the love of a mother.
The children fly to the Neverland, also home to pirates, Indians, fairies, and mermaids. Wendy quickly becomes a mother to the children, including her own brothers. As time passes, the Darlings seem to have forgotten from where they come, and that Wendy is not truly their mother. The Neverland seems to have a power of the children that causes them to forget what life was like before they arrived there. Peter’s short term memory is so bad, that you can never tell if what he’s saying is the truth or not. Wendy remembers the most, and thinks about the parents and home she left behind. But even she begins to think that some of her memories may only have been dreams.
The pirates are led by Peter’s archenemy Captain James Hook (rightfully named since a hook replaces an arm that was lost in battle with Peter and fed to a crocodile, which now tirelessly follows Hook around to get the rest of him). The pirates are endlessly chasing the lost boys around the Neverland, and finally manage to outwit and kidnap them; all save but Peter.
Peter rescues the boys and Wendy from the pirate’s captivity, and battles Hook man to boy. After this, Wendy and her brothers fly back home. Their parents had all but given up hope that their children would one day return, when they finally do.
This is an interesting story to read, especially since it is self-aware that it is speaking to the reader. It is written with the imagination of a child, and reminds us that adults forget how to believe in the fantastical, which is why they no longer see it.
One of the biggest take away messages is about how time is always chasing after us. The crocodile who is chasing after Hook had swallowed a ticking clock, which would warn Hook that he was coming for him. When the clock ran out, the animal was able to move about unnoticed, and was able to surprise his prey. Peter is trying to outrun time, and is inexplicably succeeding at remaining young forever. But while he remains young, he loses Wendy, someone he cared deeply for. We should not try to fool with the hands of time, but just remember what our youth was like. That was the worst part about the story; that the adults had these wonderful adventures and were able to do incredible things, only to forget that it even happened. Mature without forgetting.
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