Explore the theme of escapism in Peter Pan Essay

The theme of escapism is prominent in much children’s literature. Frances Hodgson-Burnett’s The Secret Garden is, like Peter Pan, an example of Edwardian children’s literature. Both these novels are tales of escapism from real life into another world. There are also more recent examples of escapism in children’s literature. In the 1950s C. S. Lewis invented Narnia, and in even more recent literature, Harry Potter escapes his everyday life to go to school at Hogwarts. J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, an early Edwardian novel, is one of the great classics of British children’s literature and is, on the surface, a tale about a boy who refused to grow up. There is however, an underlying plot concerning a girl who must grow up. It is from this obligation that Barrie’s Neverland acts as a form of escape. Throughout Peter Pan, there is little focus on the female characters. It is almost assumed that Wendy will grow up and become a Mother, as all daughters do. Although Neverland allows Wendy to escape from her home and from the domestic world she knows, she does not escape domesticity altogether. She almost becomes mother to the Lost Boys, and is given a number of domestic duties such as ironing Peter’s shadow. However, Wendy’s relationship with Peter is not entirely conventional. She appears to be the closest thing Peter has to a girlfriend, as he rejects the sexual advances of both Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily. However, Wendy also appears to be acting as his mother, something Peter has been deprived of his whole life. It is the childish energy of Barrie’s imagination filled with such a â€Å"splendid jumble of pirates, redskins, fairies and mermaids† that enthrals so many children (Carpenter p172). Through this manipulation of other people’s minds and emotions, Barrie â€Å"carries them off from the real world †¦ to a country of his own invention† (Carpenter p179). Barrie seems to be presenting his readers with a substitute faith, to act as a form of escape from the Christian teachings of the Victorian era. It has even been suggested that Peter Pan is in fact an alternative religion. Humphrey Carpenter suggests that in many respects Peter is Christ-like. Possibly the most obvious example of this is when he takes Wendy and her brothers on a flight of fantasy to â€Å"his own heavenly land† (Carpenter p182). The Lost Boys who live there seem to represent the souls of the dead as Peter asserts, â€Å"They are the children who fall out of their prams when the nurse is looking the other way†, therefore further increasing Neverland’s resemblance of heaven. The concept of escaping to heaven was extremely important to Barrie. He lost his brother David at a young age and subsequently spent much of his life trying to become a living version of the boy â€Å"who by dying †¦ remained ever young† (Wallshli ger p120). To observe Peter and Hook as the Christ and Satan of Barrie’s religion, the reader must have faith in the novel. The theme of belief is interesting throughout Peter Pan as the reader is, like the Darling children, constantly being asked, â€Å"Do you believe? † In order to fly, the Darling children must have faith, and â€Å"think lovely wonderful thoughts†, as Peter’s fairy dust is, in itself not enough. In turn the reader or audience must have faith and believe in the fact that a child can fly. Similarly, in order to escape to Neverland, a reader must have faith that there is such a place â€Å"somewhere past the second star to the right and straight on until morning†. The theme of belief is particularly important at the end of Barrie’s story when the darling children lose their faith and no longer believe in Peter, and so cannot see him. Though faith and belief are important in Peter Pan, the dream of escaping to another world seems to be almost self-sufficient. Barrie implies there is little need to grow up or awaken from this dream as it is in fact already framed by the Edwardian domesticity of the â€Å"real† world where wealth and relationships are important. Carpenter in fact goes further than this by asserting that children must not grow up and claims that to visit Neverland â€Å"requires an act of belief that children cannot sustain as they grow up† (Carpenter p180). Peter himself seems to be of the opinion that it is only children, who can escape the drudgery of everyday life and claims, â€Å"I want always to be a little boy, and to have fun†. Barrie’s adventure story and his creation of such a magical hero seems to have achieved what so much children’s literature had previously tried to do. Peter represents the shift from the Victorian perception of the child as a â€Å"moral icon† to â€Å"a craze for the child as a fun-loving playboy hero† (Wallshli ger p111). Peter has no memory or emotion, and so â€Å"can live only for the moment† and experiences ecstasies that other children can never know (Wallshli ger p117). Peter is an asexual child rather than a young man. Barrie himself was also somewhat sexless, and it is doubtful whether his marriage was ever consummated. This lack of sexuality and romantic relationship is represented well on stage as Peter is often played by an actress, and is therefore viewed as an androgynous figure. Another interesting aspect of the casting of Peter Pan is that of Mr. Darling and Hook, who traditionally, are played by the same actor. This becomes particularly significant when considering the theme of masculinity in Peter Pan. There is much evidence of male competitiveness in the novel. The most obvious example of this is Peter’s dual with Hook, which appears to be an assertion of masculinity by Peter. It is particularly interesting that it is Peter and the lost boys who triumph over Hook who is a mature villain. This youthful triumph acts as another form of escape for a young reader. Traditionally in Victorian society adults were in control and would have power over children. In Barrie’s Children’s fantasy, it is youth and sexual immaturity that enable Peter to triumph over his adult rivals. It has been suggested by many critics that Peter, â€Å"The boy who wouldn’t grow up†, is a representation of Barrie himself. Barrie was a short man and despite a moustache â€Å"retained a markedly boyish look until old age† (Carpenter p173). He was in a physical respect, quite literally, a boy who couldn’t grow up. This figure of a man in a child’s body is undoubtedly the principle model for Peter, who is â€Å"neither child nor adult† (Carpenter p177).