Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

I had not expected to like Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie.  It seems like "bad form" as Captain Hook would say to choose to read a book you don't intend to enjoy, but I really have disliked the personage of Peter since viewing the Disney film in my teen years (I would have characterized him as a misogynist).  As most folks know the story centers on the lives of the Darling children who are enchanted by a flying boy.  Wendy, John, and Michael often dream of a land filled with all kinds of characters like pirates, Indians, fairies, and mermaids where adventure is around every corner.  There children can fly and never grow old.  One evening while the children's parents are away from home, they are whisked off to the world of their dreams by Peter Pan, a boy who'd rather be young above all else.  The children fly into the night sky and take on new lives~ John and Michael become members of Peter's tribe of lost boys while Wendy becomes the mother of this brutish brood.  Over the course of their stay they begin to forget the home and family they left in England making it difficult to expect that they'll ever return and grow up.

I still hold reservations about Peter Pan, but I'd like to comment on the good before the bad.  First, I loved Barrie's writing style.  His language is rich and honestly a bit elevated for any child reader (my copy had plenty of footnotes with definitions for the ambitious youth who picks up this book).   Second, he has asides just to the reader which happens to be something I like very much.  Being addressed by a known or unknown narrator endears me to any writer, but I can't exactly explain why.  Third, I appreciate that there are real deaths in Neverland.  I am not impressed with watering down stories for the sake of guarding a sensitive child's psyche.  Besides, how can there be any truth to the adventure when the protagonists risk nothing?  For those who still like fluffy happy stories, the matter of death in this book is always dealt with concisely and modestly (re: it's not a gruesome gore-fest).

Now as for Peter himself~ he is a most unlikeable little fellow to me.  At times he reflects true childlike attributes especially when playing make believe.  However, he is filled with characteristics I find more appropriate for a very wounded and narcissistic individual than a boy.  Where I think Barrie aimed to capture the truth of real boyhood, he sacrificed the goodness often found in children for the depravity we are all capable of but hopefully endeavor to overcome.  For instance, Peter forgets nearly everything because he is consumed with himself at each and every moment.  He is stubborn and reckless with those around him when he has his mind set on doing what he wills.  He is prideful and envious of others.  The things he doesn't understand, he resents or belittles.  Altogether, you can't love his bravery because it serves his ego and you can't trust his affections because he is unlikely to remember his personal connections in just a short time.  It's a shame because I believe he reflects something very tragic in the author.  I haven't quite sorted it out in my head, and I'll not likely devote much more thought to it.  

I've rated the book low because I don't think I'd recommend it.  The writing, though lovely, can't compensate for the content.  I wish Peter had been written to be more noble or good (as Wendy was).  Since it was not meant to be, I believe there are other children's stories and fairy tales which encompass beautiful storytelling, timeless principles, and authentic and engaging characters.