Shelly's Book Blog

I had never read the original Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie, before this week. I was surprised to find that the Disney movie follows the original story pretty closely. There is a cold-blooded battle at the end of the book, though, that Disney (understandably) changed to a light-hearted contest between just Hook and Peter. In the book, the battle pits Peter and the lost boys against Hook and his pirates, and the children kill about 15 pirates. Barrie does not dwell on the violence but I was still rather shocked.
I found Barrie's prose remarkable not only in its imagination but also in its sophistication. Renaissance Learning gives this book a 7th grade reading level, and I found that the book earns this through its advanced vocabulary. Sadly, though, Barrie's view of girls and women was typical for his time, as evidenced by Wendy's limited options. For example, she takes no part in the story's final battle, and her role of "mother" to Peter and the boys pretty much dooms her to a life of cooking, cleaning, and looking after the needs of others, with no time for her own interests or pursuits.