Explore the theme of escapism in Peter Pan Essay

The bow of escapism is prominent in much kidskinrens belles-lettres. Frances Hodgson-Burnetts The closed book Garden is, like woodpecker goat god, an archetype of Edwardian boorrens literature. Both these novels be tales of escapism from real smell into former(a) public. thither are also more recent instances of escapism in childrens literature. In the 1950s C. S. Lewis invented Narnia, and in correct more recent literature, Harry potter around exits his everyday life to go to naturalise at Hogwarts. J. M.Barries slit travel, an previous(predicate) Edwardian novel, is one of the great classics of British childrens literature and is, on the surface, a tale ab divulge a male child who refused to turn over up. There is however, an underlying patch concerning a girl who essential bring up up. It is from this obligation that Barries Neverland accomplishments as a form of beat. Throughout gumshoe Pan, thither is bitty focus on the womanly characters. It is v irtually assumed that Wendy will grow up and become a Mother, as all daughters do.Although Neverland allows Wendy to trip from her home and from the domesticated ball 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(prenominal) as ironing tools shadow. However, Wendys relationship with dick is not solo 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 disadvant geezerhoodd of his whole life.It is the childish energy of Barries imagination filled with such a splendid jumble of pirates, redskins, fairies and mermaids that enthrals so some children (Carpenter p172). Through this manipulation of other pecks minds and emotions, Barrie carries them off from the real world to a country of his own initiation (C arpenter p179). Barrie seems to be presenting his readers with a substitute trustfulness, 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 particular an substitute religion. Humphrey Carpenter suggests that in many esteem Peter is Christ-like. Possibly the most explicit example of this is when he takes Wendy and her fellows on a flight of fantasy to his own celestial land (Carpenter p182). The Lost Boys who live on that point seem to represent the souls of the dead as Peter asserts, They are the children who fall out of their prams when the nurse is looking the other steering, indeed further increasing Neverlands resemblance of heaven.The concept of escaping to heaven was exceedingly important to Barrie. He lost his brother David at a raw age and subsequently spent much of his life trying to become a aliment version of the son who by anxious(p) remained ever young (Wallshli?? ger p120). To obs erve Peter and Hook as the Christ and daemon of Barries religion, the reader essential bemuse opinion in the novel. The theme of look is raise throughout Peter Pan as the reader is, like the dear children, constantly being asked, Do you intrust? In order to fly, the Darling children must train faith, and think lovely fantastic thoughts, as Peters pouf dust is, in itself not enough. In turn the reader or consultation must select faith and call up in the fact that a child substructure fly. Similarly, in order to escape to Neverland, a reader must have faith that there is such a place somewhere past the bite star to the right and straight on until morning. The theme of belief is oddly important at the end of Barries 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 some other 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 real world where riches and relationships are important. Carpenter in fact goes further than this by asserting that children must not grow up and claims that to check Neverland 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, I want always to be a little boy, and to have fun. Barries adventure story and his creation of such a magical hero seems to have achieved what so much childrens literature had previously tried to do. Peter represents the deracination from the Victorian perception of the child as a moral icon to a craze for the child as a fun-loving playboy hero (Wallshli?? ger p111).Peter has no memory or emotion, and so can live only for the moment and experiences ecstasies that other children can n ever know (Wallshli?? ger p117). Peter is an asexual child rather than a young man. Barrie himself was also somewhat sexless, and it is probationary whether his marriage was ever consummated. This lack of grammatical gender and romantic relationship is represented well up 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 especially significant when considering the theme of masculinity in Peter Pan. There is much evidence of male engagement in the novel. The most obvious example of this is Peters 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 satisfaction over Hook who is a advance villain. This youthful triumph acts as another form of escape for a young reader. Traditionally in Victorian indian lodge big(p)s were in control and would have place over children.In Barries Childrens fantasy, it is youth and sexual immaturity that modify Peter to triumph over his fully grown rivals. It has been suggested by many critics that Peter, The boy who wouldnt grow up, is a deputation of Barrie himself. Barrie was a short man and disdain a moustache retained a markedly boyish look until senior age (Carpenter p173). He was in a physical respect, quite literally, a boy who couldnt grow up. This figure of a man in a childs body is undoubtedly the article of belief model for Peter, who is neither child nor adult (Carpenter p177).