Critical Concepts in "Peter Pan"
Critical Concepts in "Peter Pan"
Peter Pan is one of the only novels on the reading list which I was familiar with before this class. Again it is a tale of adventure and fantasy. The unreal characteristics of the characters in Never Never Land make it a great fantasy. But, the realness of Wendy, John and Michael made it a story children can identify with. The link between the real world and fantasy is a great strength in the book.
I feel the book has many great qualities that make it a strong children’s book. First of all, children are always fascinated with flying. Every child wants to be able to fly just at Peter Pan does. When Peter teaches the three children how to fly, it gives hope to younger readers that they also will be able to fly.
Secondly, aging is impossible in Never Never Land, which makes the reader think about what that would be like. I personally would love it if I could stay 21 for the rest of my life. Although I don’t know how well children would relate to this reasoning. Usually children always want to be older, and don’t realize how fun being a child is until later in life. But, it is an interesting concept to capture an older audiences attention.
Thirdly, the sheer thrill of fighting and battles offers excitement to the reader. It even gets better when the fighting involves pirates. Every child’s imagination involves pirates and the concept of good winning out over evil. This is a great stimulate for a child’s imagination.
The last concept that I found interesting was the lack of parents in the novel. Wendy, John and Michael’s parents only came in to the story line in then beginning and the end of the novel. Although there was a concept of being a mother instilled throughout the whole novel. Wendy was referred to as the “lost boys” mother during her stay in Never Never Land. I found it interesting that the real parents didn’t play a major role in the novel, but a sense of motherhood was prominent throughout the novel.