Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie

Peter Pan - Chapter 1

Wendy knew every child would grow up, except for one. One time when she was 2, she ran around the garden and plucking flowers, when her mother, Mrs. Darling, suddenly lifted her up and cried “Why can’t you stay like this forever?” . After that day, Wendy knew she would grow up.

Wendy was the chief one in the family. But before her, Mrs. Darling was. She was a beautiful and a romantic lady. Before in time, every man tried to come to her and get her, but Mr. Darling came first.

Even though Mrs. Darling loves her husband, but she still had an inner box of her she haven’t told him about. Mr. Darling knew she had one and he was frustrated about it.  He once told Wendy about how she not only loved him, but respected him. But yet she didn’t reveal her inner box.

The Darling family had three children. Firstborn was Wendy, then John and last came Michael. But after having Wendy, the Darling family didn’t know they had enough money for more children, but after some calculations they discovered they had more than enough.

We are introduced to the family dog and nurse Nana. 

   She takes care of the children and nurses them when they're sick and follows them to school and even though Mr. Darling knows that she is a very good nurse, he still thinks about what the neighbours think of them.  Mr. Darling also feels like Nana doesn't admire him, but Mrs. Darling always assures him that she does.

Until Peter Pan came they had had a happy little family, but then he came and interrupted them.

It started one night, when the children were put to sleep, and the mother tidied the children’s minds up. She sees the name Peter written all over. Then the storyteller tells us about the map of a child’s mind. It is very complicated, and filled with special features. This explanation leads him to the description of the island Neverland, which is very much like a land from a fairytale, with beautiful, vigorous nature, and princes and princesses. And everybody has been at Neverland, as a child, even though they can’t remember it. When you go to Neverland, you live somewhere. It is told that John lives in a boat turned upside down, Michael lives in a wigwam, and Wendy lives in a house made of leaves.

After being confused about this Peter Pan’s appearance she begins to recall him from his own childghood, and suddenly she is very aware of whom this guy is. Mrs. Darling consults her husband about Peter, but he is not worried.

One day Wendy talks to her mother about a dream she had. It was about Peter Pan, who had been sitting in her bed. And actually Wendy thinks it is a true story, but her mother refuses. But something strange has been found in her room. It is some leaves, which reveal that Peter Pan actually has been in the nursery room. And suddenly Mrs. Darling begins to believe in what is about to happen to her children.

In the end of chapter one, the children’s real adventure begins. It all starts with all of them being asleep, when Mrs. Darling wakes up because of a light from the nursery room (the light turned out to be from Tinkerbell). She sees Peter Pan coming in through the window. Immediately Mrs. Darling knows that this is Peter Pan. Characteristic about him was that he looked very much like her kiss.

Peter Pan - Chapter 2

The second chapter in Peter Pan is a bit complicated because of its structure. What happens in the beginning of the chapter does actually first happen way later in the story, where Mrs Darling is only seconds from stopping what seems to be a kidnapping of her children. The “kidnapping” does not take place until the chapter three, but even though we hear the parents discussing the kidnapping in this chapter two. 

     The parent reminisce about the last evening with their children where they are all in the children’s room, and the boy Michael does not want to take his medicine. Mr Darling tries to trick his son by saying that if Michael drinks his medicine, Mr Darling will drink his. After some discussion back and forth Michael takes his medicine, while Mr Darling quickly smuggles his into the water bowl of the dog. The whole scene in the children’s room is about the parents preparing to go to a party. They are not very pleased with leaving the children, but in the end they do. The beginning of the chapter, when Mrs Darling realises that the children are missing, is when she returns from this party. The parents are then afterwards sitting in the living room and blaming themselves for what happened. The most characteristic fact about this talk is that neither one of them is blaming the other.

Peter Pan - Chapter 3 

In the end of chapter three the parents leave for a party and hereafter the children are being put asleep.

                Suddenly Peter’s shadow is jumping into the room, being followed by Tinker Bell the fairy. Peter Pan thereafter arrives and searches for his shadow but is not able to find it. Tinker Bell helps him and says that the shadow is in a box and Peter tries to stick the shadow into him with soap. Apparently this doesn’t work and Peter starts to cry, which wakes up Wendy.

                Peter and Wendy starts to talk with each other and Wendy is very surprised by a lot of the information that Peter tells her – his address, that he has no parents etc.

                Wendy misunderstands why he is crying and believes that it is due to having no parents, but Peter explains that it is about his shadows. Wendy helps him catch it and then she sews it to his leg.

                Hereafter Peter acts cockily and Wendy pretends to be sad and hides under her sheets in the bed. But Peter quickly charms her by saying that she’s worth more than twenty boys. She gets really happy and wants to kiss him, but he misunderstands what she’s doing so instead of embarrassing herself, she gives him a thimble and says that it is a kiss. Then he wants to give her a kiss in return and she receives an acorn button.

                Hereafter he tells about his birth – he ran away because his parents had already planned his live. He didn’t like that so he ran to Kensington Garden and grew up with fairies. Wendy is very impressed by the fairies so he tells a bit of information about them, for example how the first fairy were born. He also tells that there’s a fairy for each boy and girl. If the children don’t believe in fairies, they die.

                Hereafter he tells Wendy about Tinker Bell and Wendy get’s very excited. She wants to meet her really bad, but first Peter tells about the lost boys in Neverland, pirates etc. Peter kicks John out of bed and as a reward Wendy kisses him, which she now calls “a thimble”. Peter kisses her in return and now Tinker Bell gets very angry and jealous.

                Peter persuades Wendy to come with him and teaches her and her brothers how to fly. Meanwhile the dog, Nana feels uncomfortable about the situation and runs out to the party that the parents are attending. She drags them home with her, but when they arrive at the nursery, the children are gone.