Prologue- All children must grow up
"...so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless." What a perfect ending to a perfectly lovely novel. Well that is what I though when I read the last page of Peter Pan, even though all children must grow up. It is not a matter to be questioned as it is a force in nature that cannot be altered – all children must grow old whether it is wanted or not.
Wendy Darling was not to keen on growing old either, but two she knew that it was inevitable. That very moment her mother shriek when she was two she knew she had to grow. As much as she tried to stop it age took hold of her anyway and she did grow and lived to a ripe old age being alive when her great grandchildren where alive. She told them all stories of a certain boy who never grew up, his name was Peter Pan. She also told her wonderful stories of Cinderella, the Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. But her favorite stories to tell were the adventures of Peter Pan. However, of all the stories she told she kept the one about her adventure to herself not wanting any of her little relatives to go gallivanting off to the Neverlands, except she made one exception.
Wendy-Gwen Darling was a wonderful little child; she was Wendy's great-granddaughter. The off-spring of Margaret was born in the latter years of Wendy's life. She loved her great grandmother's stories and decided that when she grew up she was going to be a novelist, just like Wendy and write about her adventures. She was however yet to have them and in the changing world around her she put her dreams away into a box and kept them there because she knew that women who spoke their mind were not often as attractive as those who kept their mouths shut. She also was constantly told to 'Grow up' by her father and that the only adventure she would ever have would be cleaning up the nursery. Wendy just walked away in shame. The harsh attitude of Mr. Weiks was the reason that Margaret Darling divorced him. She took up her mother's maiden name and inherited the Darling house in London. Everything seemed to be going fine for the Darling family. Four Generations of Darling girls were alive, the world seemed to be as peaceful as it was going to get after the Second World War and Wendy-Gwen was allowed to be what ever she wanted.
But happiness fell short when Wendy Moira Angela Darling fell to her bed and flew away to the heavens, Wendy-Gwen's brother Peter was born putting strain on Margaret as she was a single mother in an ever changing world and the mysterious boy from grand-mother Wendy's stories entered the life of the Darling women again.
Peter Pan had stopped coming to the nursery window when Wendy-Gwen was born. He tried to forget the Darlings as each time he came back to see is beloved Wendy old and frail it pained him, and no matter how many times he took her daughter or her daughter's daughter they would never replace the girl who had given him the hidden thimble, or kiss for those plain folk out there. He also was afraid that if he came back to the window he would be caught and made to grow into a man because despite denial Peter was growing up. He no longer was a young boy of thirteen or so, no Peter at the very least a sixteen year old with tousled blond hair, blue green eyes, a pearly white smile and a tanned, toned, muscular body – every girls dream. But Peter did not want to be every girls dream, he wanted to be the cheeky little boy who got into trouble and received distasteful looks from the girls. As he looked in the mirror at night he told himself "I will never grow up!" but the more he said it the more he came to think his Wendy was right, it was his biggest pretend. However he shook it off and yelled into the Neverland jungle "I WILL NEVER GROW UP!" then went off to sleep or looking for an adventure at night.
But never was an awfully long time, and an awfully lonely one too. He missed the company of Nibs, Curly, Slightly, Tootles, the Twins even Captain James Hook. He missed the wit of John and Michael's laugh, but most of all he missed Wendy. That is what caused him to fly back to the Darlings window; that is what also caused him to turn away. After sixteen years of abandoning the window Peter returned to see playing inside was a girl and two little boys. The girl he had to admit was very pretty, she looked an awful lot like his Wendy, the same rosy red cheeks and lips, the same honey brown hair, the same chin, the same sparkling blue eyes, the same angelic smile and in the right hand corner of her mouth the same hidden kiss. He almost fell into the tree near the nursery window at the sight of her – it was such a shock! But she was not his Wendy, he could tell she wore very different clothing and the room was now plastered with posters and photographs. But Peter was still enthralled so he hid outside the open window and listened to the pretty girl tell a story.
Wendy was now sixteen years of age and her brother Peter was eight. On the night that Peter made his return to the Darlings window Wendy was telling a story to her brother and his friend Nate before she snuck off to a party. It was one of the stories her great-grandmother had told her before Peter was born. She loved to tell them, but was quite frustrated that the two boys had barged their way into her room just as she was about to climb out the window and down the drain pipe. She stood there acting out the part of the damsel in distress as well as the villain and the hero – she really could be an actress if she wanted. Peter Pan watched from the window and laughed at her impression of the villain who was undoubtedly Hook. The three children heard this and ran to the open window, by this time Peter had already flown up and was sitting on the roof watching the children look around for him. Tinker Bell had not joined Peter at the window this time.
"Maybe it was Peter Pan," Peter chirped, he was always so proud of himself for having the same name as the boy who never grew up.
"Oh don't be silly, Peter Pan would be all grown up now," said Wendy as she walked back into the room and got her leather jacket (it was actually her boyfriend's but we won't go into that) her little brother turned around and gave her a look. "What? All children must grow up, it is a law of the way the world works," she said tartly.
"Well I don't believe you, and aren't you going to finish the story for us?" he said in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Later I have a party to get to," she said climbing out the window and edging over to the drain pipe, it would be so much easier if I could fly, she thought to herself. She however did agree with her brother, maybe it was Peter Pan as a child she always believed in him so why should it stop now? because she had to grow up, she told herself. She waved to her brother and his friend one last time then climbed down the pipe attached to her house – she had gotten very good at it. All the while she was at the party she thought of the strange sound at her window, it was her first encounter with magic and certainly would not be the last. However soon she and her brother forgot about the strange encounter at the window because what would normally trouble and adult would never trouble a child.
"...so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless." What a perfect ending to a perfectly lovely novel. Well that is what I though when I read the last page of Peter Pan, even though all children must grow up. It is not a matter to be questioned as it is a force in nature that cannot be altered – all children must grow old whether it is wanted or not.
Wendy Darling was not to keen on growing old either, but two she knew that it was inevitable. That very moment her mother shriek when she was two she knew she had to grow. As much as she tried to stop it age took hold of her anyway and she did grow and lived to a ripe old age being alive when her great grandchildren where alive. She told them all stories of a certain boy who never grew up, his name was Peter Pan. She also told her wonderful stories of Cinderella, the Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. But her favorite stories to tell were the adventures of Peter Pan. However, of all the stories she told she kept the one about her adventure to herself not wanting any of her little relatives to go gallivanting off to the Neverlands, except she made one exception.
Wendy-Gwen Darling was a wonderful little child; she was Wendy's great-granddaughter. The off-spring of Margaret was born in the latter years of Wendy's life. She loved her great grandmother's stories and decided that when she grew up she was going to be a novelist, just like Wendy and write about her adventures. She was however yet to have them and in the changing world around her she put her dreams away into a box and kept them there because she knew that women who spoke their mind were not often as attractive as those who kept their mouths shut. She also was constantly told to 'Grow up' by her father and that the only adventure she would ever have would be cleaning up the nursery. Wendy just walked away in shame. The harsh attitude of Mr. Weiks was the reason that Margaret Darling divorced him. She took up her mother's maiden name and inherited the Darling house in London. Everything seemed to be going fine for the Darling family. Four Generations of Darling girls were alive, the world seemed to be as peaceful as it was going to get after the Second World War and Wendy-Gwen was allowed to be what ever she wanted.
But happiness fell short when Wendy Moira Angela Darling fell to her bed and flew away to the heavens, Wendy-Gwen's brother Peter was born putting strain on Margaret as she was a single mother in an ever changing world and the mysterious boy from grand-mother Wendy's stories entered the life of the Darling women again.
Peter Pan had stopped coming to the nursery window when Wendy-Gwen was born. He tried to forget the Darlings as each time he came back to see is beloved Wendy old and frail it pained him, and no matter how many times he took her daughter or her daughter's daughter they would never replace the girl who had given him the hidden thimble, or kiss for those plain folk out there. He also was afraid that if he came back to the window he would be caught and made to grow into a man because despite denial Peter was growing up. He no longer was a young boy of thirteen or so, no Peter at the very least a sixteen year old with tousled blond hair, blue green eyes, a pearly white smile and a tanned, toned, muscular body – every girls dream. But Peter did not want to be every girls dream, he wanted to be the cheeky little boy who got into trouble and received distasteful looks from the girls. As he looked in the mirror at night he told himself "I will never grow up!" but the more he said it the more he came to think his Wendy was right, it was his biggest pretend. However he shook it off and yelled into the Neverland jungle "I WILL NEVER GROW UP!" then went off to sleep or looking for an adventure at night.
But never was an awfully long time, and an awfully lonely one too. He missed the company of Nibs, Curly, Slightly, Tootles, the Twins even Captain James Hook. He missed the wit of John and Michael's laugh, but most of all he missed Wendy. That is what caused him to fly back to the Darlings window; that is what also caused him to turn away. After sixteen years of abandoning the window Peter returned to see playing inside was a girl and two little boys. The girl he had to admit was very pretty, she looked an awful lot like his Wendy, the same rosy red cheeks and lips, the same honey brown hair, the same chin, the same sparkling blue eyes, the same angelic smile and in the right hand corner of her mouth the same hidden kiss. He almost fell into the tree near the nursery window at the sight of her – it was such a shock! But she was not his Wendy, he could tell she wore very different clothing and the room was now plastered with posters and photographs. But Peter was still enthralled so he hid outside the open window and listened to the pretty girl tell a story.
Wendy was now sixteen years of age and her brother Peter was eight. On the night that Peter made his return to the Darlings window Wendy was telling a story to her brother and his friend Nate before she snuck off to a party. It was one of the stories her great-grandmother had told her before Peter was born. She loved to tell them, but was quite frustrated that the two boys had barged their way into her room just as she was about to climb out the window and down the drain pipe. She stood there acting out the part of the damsel in distress as well as the villain and the hero – she really could be an actress if she wanted. Peter Pan watched from the window and laughed at her impression of the villain who was undoubtedly Hook. The three children heard this and ran to the open window, by this time Peter had already flown up and was sitting on the roof watching the children look around for him. Tinker Bell had not joined Peter at the window this time.
"Maybe it was Peter Pan," Peter chirped, he was always so proud of himself for having the same name as the boy who never grew up.
"Oh don't be silly, Peter Pan would be all grown up now," said Wendy as she walked back into the room and got her leather jacket (it was actually her boyfriend's but we won't go into that) her little brother turned around and gave her a look. "What? All children must grow up, it is a law of the way the world works," she said tartly.
"Well I don't believe you, and aren't you going to finish the story for us?" he said in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Later I have a party to get to," she said climbing out the window and edging over to the drain pipe, it would be so much easier if I could fly, she thought to herself. She however did agree with her brother, maybe it was Peter Pan as a child she always believed in him so why should it stop now? because she had to grow up, she told herself. She waved to her brother and his friend one last time then climbed down the pipe attached to her house – she had gotten very good at it. All the while she was at the party she thought of the strange sound at her window, it was her first encounter with magic and certainly would not be the last. However soon she and her brother forgot about the strange encounter at the window because what would normally trouble and adult would never trouble a child.