Tuesday, January 6, 2009
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About Me
- Marta Magellan
- I write books for children, mainly on nonfiction topics, but also adaptations of folklore. I worked as a Professor of English, Creative Writing, Survey of Children's Literature, Issues in Literature and Culture, and World Literature. I also write an occasional newspaper or magazine piece (usually on nature or travel) as well as books for children.
The character of Peter Pan is a boy who refuses to grow up. He is presented with the opportunity to do so and neglects it. James M. Barrie had no other choice but to grow up even if it was against his will. The beginning of the novel says that "all children grow up, except one." I believe that J.M. Barrie was a boy in his heart and he could not reverse time nor stay a child forever, so he invented a literary figure that will stay a little boy for all eternity. As a writer there is some fulfillment in creating such a character because it releases the deeper core of the authors subconscious. Even though Barrie could not really be a child forever, he could create one. Time attests to this because Peter Pan is a figure that has automatically been placed into the literary cannon. Films have been made about him and been adaptations such as "Hook" the 1991 Steven Spielberg film. I believe Peter Pan Syndrome is areal disease, it certainly exists in child stars that lose their ability to live out a normal childhood and are stressed with excessive responsibilities. Michael Jackson has supposedly been diagnosed with this condition as I'm sure have other childhood actors that experience fame too early in life. The incredible psychological contents that have ben revealed in Peter Pan have astounded all those who read it. With whimsical quirks and brilliant writing, Peter Pan will truly be a child in our hearts forever.
ReplyDeletePeter pan is the quintessential representation of J.M. Barrie's inability to grow up. Even though J.M. Barrie grew up physically (and even then, he had stunted his own growth), he never matured. Due to the death of his elder brother and the grief of his mother he made it his mission to emulate and remain a 13 year old boy (which is the age of his deceased brother). His decision was based mostly on the grief of his mother and the following neglect she had towards J.M. Barrie. He was incapable of having sexual relations with women and to really commit to them in a romantic way versus a familial way.
ReplyDeleteThough Peter Pan syndrome was created from J.M. Barrie's tragedy, today it refers to grown men who avoid responsibility. Their decision to not mature is generally based on using childhood as an eternal coping mechanism. It identifies a person who refuses to cope with the 'adult world' by doing things such as constantly playing video games, avoiding serious relationships, unwillingness to obtain employment, wants to be taken care of by parents or people in general, etc.
Just like Peter Pan and J.M. Barrie, people who have this syndrome find safety and comfort in staying child-like because the idea of losing that innocence to the world is extremely terrifying.
Diana, your writing in this blog is excellent -- I'm more impressed here than in the brief essays following the quizzes.
ReplyDeleteI think that we all secretly wish to be Peter Pan and live in a world of only play without the pressures and stresses of adulthood! What differentiates us from those that suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome, such as J.M. Barrie, is our ability to realize that although we may not want to we must grow up and face what comes with it, good and bad.
ReplyDeleteLike Peter Pan, Barrie was living his boyhood dreams, trying to escape the inevitable process of growing up. But while doing this, he missed out on the good and positive aspects of becoming an adult, such as finding love and starting a family of his own. It is quite sad, not being able to love, as stated by Barrie himself.
I think it is a lot to give up in exchange for eternal childhood, which is impossible when you are in the body of a grown adult. Maybe because I am a woman with a family of my own is it that I see it in this light.
Each analysis that we have done in class has either impressed or shocked me in such a way! It’s so amazing to explore deeply the relationship between the authors and their masterpieces! How many astonishing facts we have discovered!
ReplyDeleteRegarding Peter Pan, there is so much to say! The author is inexorably attached to their characters, and each one of them represents in a way people he knew, loved or was afraid of. However, one of the most interesting relationships we can discover in the book is the one that develops between Peter and the author itself. Undoubtly, Peter Pan represents Barrie’s dreams, life and desires, but in which way does he do that? Well, first of all, Peter, as well as the author, is always surrounded by women; in the book we find Wendy, Thinker Bell and Tiger Lily while in James’ real life we encounter his mother, his first wife and his friend (the mother of the three boys). All these women play an extremely significant role in Peter/Barrie’s life; however, this role isn’t related to love in a sexual sense; it is, in fact, connected to maternal love. Barrie, as a consequence of his mother’s inability to deal with his brother’s death, experienced a hard childhood, and for the rest of his life he kept on looking for a caring, protective woman, who could serve him as a mother, the one he couldn’t have. Therefore, Peter is constructed in that same basis; he wants to receive the motherly love, and the fact that he made Wendy the mother of the lost boys proves it. This “trauma” leads to the most important connection between the author and his flying boy which is the failure of both of them to grow up. They remained kids, just interested in being loved by a mother and afraid of all the responsibilities that imply being an adult. Again, one can realize it through Barrie’s unsuccessful marriage and Peter’s incapacity to love Wendy.
Even though this whole drama is actually present in the book, children can’t get the “second thoughts” while adults (after deep analysis) can understand it perfectly, and that makes this novel an unquestionable masterwork.
Awe... Peter Pan, again another classic household children's book/movie. I found the movie to be wonderfully written. The cast was spectacular and they looked exactly what I imagined them to look like while reading the book as a kid. Although, I must admit I had a hard time getting Robin Williams out of my head. I have read the story and seen the movies of Peter Pan many times throughout the years and each time I've taken something different from it. This time around I saw a different side of the movie which I never truly captured in the past. I saw the love between Peter Pan and Wendy. I was actually quite impressed how the director was able to cultivate such chemistry between two children. It was love at it's most vulnerable and innocent stage. It was absolutely MAGICAL.
ReplyDeleteJ.M. Barrie's own "attraction" to children can be seen in Peter Pan's character in that Peter Pan lived in a fantasy world where you never grow up, and in Barrie's own psyche, to an extent, the latter never grew up either. He did not like responsibility - Barrie, that is - and atop of his traumatic childhood, he simply could not build himself as a strong man. Instead, he always had difficulty carrying on relationships with women and could not foster strong bonds with his children. His had a sad and troubled life, and to an extent, he was aware of the fact that he was stifled and emotionally handicapped. He stayed in his childhood because he had unresolved issues and subconsciously attempted to work through them by living vicariously through Peter Pan. Time was not his friend, and the crocodile is a good symbol of this. All of this is what I gather from class notes and from the story itself.
ReplyDeletePeter always seemed that he was searching for guidance. M.J. Barry was always looking for a mother figure to keep him company. I have a family member that reminds me a lot of peter pan, except for the fact that he is in his thirties. I see his sufferings with how he reacts to certain conversations, and how he isn’t taken seriously. Within the family he is still reprimanded by is parents making him feel shameful of how he is. It almost seems like he remained an eight year old forever. This presented difficult times in keeping employment since he wouldn’t control his mouth in reference to his boss.
ReplyDeleteM.J. Barry is Peter Pan. Peter desires to hear stories, and looks for a motherly figure in Wendy. As M.J Barry did with the women is his life. When someone suffers from Puer Aeternus (Latin for eternal boy) or as we know it Peter Pan syndrome they are socially immature. sounds a little to difficult to live that way in my perspective.
M.J. Barry must have had some of the pedophilic tendencies like caroll excpet not as creepy. Having read peter pan and seen the movie adaptations. i can definitley see its like the male version of alice in wonder land. same concept different character worlds. Its easy to judge from what I know. When I thought about maybe it was who we was that made him the writer that he was, that allowed peter pan to come out of him and on to paper. I always thought that he like many others who wrote fairy tail classics just had a child-like wonder about them. That could partially be true. M.J. Barry saw in writing that you can be any age you want and you never have to grow up if you don't want to. So while the little boy obession is just as creepy as carolls, it had those undertones in the story. I can say peter pan is good, I have to say the man himself seemed ok with room for improvement.
ReplyDeleteFrom today’s first lecture regarding Peter Pan and J. M. Barrie, I can say that it is very similar in the case of Lewis Carroll, and his alternative lifestyle. Barrie seemed like a man who had felt lost with his life from the very start. Beginning with his height, and how he was deprived of such tallness from his other family members, he seemed like an outcast who had the mind of a young little boy. His story of Peter Pan is a reflection of his personal life and how he felt about growing up, as he opposed it. In a way, I believe it was a psychological defect which caused him to not only look like a young boy, but to think and behave in that same manner.
ReplyDeleteAs he was married to Mary Ansell, even then he did not love her affectionately as she had wanted him to; although he claimed to love and admire her, he did not sexually feel attracted to her. In this sense, the Peter Pan syndrome comes in, as it relates to the fact of a man who refuses or cannot seem to grow up and mature into a complete adult, along with the natural feelings that come with maturing into one. This type of mental deficiency seems to be the core of Peter Pan, as its overall plot relates greatly to Barrie himself; much like Carroll’s Alice.
The comparison of Peter Pan and Barrie is so obvious and immense that it is only natural for him to describe the fantasy that is Neverland, to such a great extent, being that he lived it in a way. In his own real life, Barrie most likely fantasized about living in a world of innocence and children galore, where they never seem to grow up. His daily routine in life seemed to influence this thinking, impairing him to think he’s normal for acting the way he did with the Llewelyn- Davies family. His relationship with George and later, Michael, leave one to imagine all sorts of negative and inappropriate thoughts, as it should, simply because it was wrong! Although Barrie could not see it clearly as others could, he definitely was blind to the fact that how he lived was not normal or average, at all.
I find not only the story of Peter Pan, but the life of J.M. Barrie to be an excess of tragedy. Anyway that you look at it, whether it be in reference of the man or the boy, the sorrow and despair brought forth from aging is a heart wrenching thing for me to take in.
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory of Peter Pan was watching the play in early childhood, but now that I have been able to examine the text, watch the movies and learn about the author, I find that I can comprehend not only the story of Peter better, but the life of J.M and the case for Peter Pan Syndrome. I believe that it is a common experience for people to fear or even detest and dread aging, but the way that J.M. captures that within his novel is astounding. I can relate with the fear of growing up and having to change; become responsible, learn that there is more to life than playing pretend.
Now, crossing over from his literature and into his life, there are definite parallels between J.M. and Peter which is where the whole Peter Pan Syndrome comes into play. While he did grow up and provide a life for himself, he was still very innocent in a bunch of ways, much like a child. People can compare him to others in recent history who are known for eccentric behaviors and ranches filled with toys to the rafters, but is it really the worst thing, especially when you have a past that he had? In my opinion, yes, there are people who refuse to grow up emotionally and J.M. seems to be one of them, but that doesn't necessarily mean that that there is a Peter Pan Syndrome; it could mean that they have a whole bunch of issues that they need to confront with a therapist.
James M. Barrie could be represented by Peter Pan. To start off Peter Pan is a character who does not want to grow up resembling the Peter Pan syndrome that James M. Barrie suffered from.James M. Barrie always looked for that love of a mother because of his mother's death, at Jame's young age. James B. never surpassed this love emptiness, therefore he could not see women as a sexual attraction. Similarly like Peter Pan could not see or knew what a kiss was when Wendy ask him for a kiss. Instead Peter invited her to Never land to be a Mother of the Lost boys and tell stories. James M. Barrie was also in a relationship with an actress of their time, he was very romantic but when the subject of more than a kiss or any sexual activity was mentioned, James M. Barrie neglected all of this leading to the breakup of their relationship. Wendy also phrases this problem and decides to leave Never land because Peter could not accept her love.Peter Pan is a character with the love to enchant women to wanting more of him between Wendy and Tinkerbell, with the ear to grow up, and with the rejection of accepting that there is more to love for a mother.
ReplyDeleteIn the story "Peter Pan" I find that J.M. Barrie is more concerned with remaining a child than anything else. This gives me an urge to be sympathetic torward the author. I try to seperate my imediate judgements that might surface do to superficial expectations, so that I may see the vision in such a story. I can sense the meaning and importance of remembering to stay close to the child living inside of each of us, the child with so many sensabilities. The story unfolds its thematic visions through Peter, the boy who refuses to grow up. Barrie, was so absorbed in this childlike avenue that it may seem too exstreme to understand, but it is this focus that enlightens the importance of childhood. The development of a child and the effects environment can have on their lives. This story shows two sides of the spectrum. The side where children must find a way to live out their imaginative and sensative natures; like playing and exploring the urge for curiousity and expression. And the second how the world around them relates to their realities. How do their families, teachers, society in general understand where they come from. With these two ideas I can see how important it is to be a good parent and how wonderful it is to be a child and also to still be close to that child as an adult.
ReplyDeleteIt is important for me to see the story for what it is, without letting certain possabilities get in the way. I try to be compassionate torward J.M.Barrie, because I don't really know him or where it all actually comes from. Sure some may think it is as simple as-he likes little boys, but it seems to me that it is much deeper than what we can recognize. I don't deny that there is evidence to question, yet I feel that we can question infinitly something we do not know or fully understand. The story he wrote is an expression of his inability to grow up and his inability to understand why adults have to grow up and indefinitly forget where they began.
J.M Barries was obviously portraying himself in Peter Pan, and Hook. The most interesting thing to me was the way Barrie used all his female characters. This too is another example of how the story represented James Barrie's own life.
ReplyDeleteTinkerbell was a very close friend to Peter Pan. It's interesting to see that he made her a fairy. A fairy,her being so small and gentle. This is where I think his adoration for women was proven. Then, when Wendy starts to show her affection towards him he really shows his childlike side. They seem to have been playing house. The lost boys being their sons, and Peter Pan playing the role as their father. There is a part in the movie that Peter asks if there only "pretending." Pretending is the biggest difference between adults and children. Unfortunately, adults forget what it is to a child and dream. Wendy wanted to grow up and show her feelings to Peter. In the other hand, Peter did not want to do the same. He was scared that that would have to mean he would have to become a man.
When all the children returned to their homes, Peter stays behind. Peter staying in Neverland shows how James Barrie was some way in a different world then everyone else. I think James Barrie's personality was in almost eacha and every character. In the character Hook as well. In the end of the movie, Hook says some things like him being alone and done for. This is probably how Barrie felt towards himself.
As far as the Peter Pan syndrome goes, he definetley had it. I do not think it was such a severe case, because Barrie did have adult acquaintences. He had a wife, even though it didn't seem like it. M.J had this syndrome. His is what I call a severe case. Usually, a childhood events is what causes this. I don't see anything wrong with pretending as an adult every now and then. We all have our children side. Unfortunatley, we have to act like adults some times because that is what we are.
James Barrie and Peter pan alike in so many ways such charming humans yet never wanting to be with any woman. I feel James Barrie is a lost soul always looking for motherly affection and attention, his mother negelected him since his brother died. He seems to be stuck in time and never found a way to grow up or was there taught how to grow up. Peter pan ran away from growing up and always searching from a mother when women get close to him he backs away and doesnt understand the meaning of love.
ReplyDeleteI don't know any men that have expierenced the peter pan syndrome other than the king of pop but i do feel the only reason MJ had that reputation is because he didn't get to enjoy his childhood at all. HE was pushed into such a hectic world forced to grow up so fast he never knew what it was to be a child and when he got the chance to play his mentality was still that of a boy in where he thought nothing was wrong in playing with children or having them sleep over.
Peter pan is a tragedy i do believe every child needs to grow up and you will always have that inner child. Other than that peter pan is a lovely story and romantic i didnt finish reading all of it but the majority i read was written in such a way that i could not describe the language is so descriptive and draws you into the story. James Barrie was searching for love and seemed like a romantic but what he wanted was acceptance and attention from the mother that left him alone and if he did have this attention he probaly would be more of a joyful person and not as depressed as we discussed.
James Barrie not only loved those childern, but he also wanted to be like them. He wanted to be a little boy forever just like Peter Pan. You would need to be in someone's head to really know what they are thinking. We are not sure if James Barrie truly was a pedophile, and we probably will never know. I think he loved those kids as someone may love their brothers or sisters. Besides, he took care of them whick also represents a parent. James Barrie is definitely represented by Peter Pan. This cahracter is what J.B. wanted to be. Moreover, Peter Pan is a boy who seeks for adventures, and he takes care of the lost boys. Peter may not like girls in a way, but it was not like he liked the lost boys. He was like an older brother or a father.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Lewis Carrol, James Berrie wrote a book about a boy who never grow up. However, this book is incredible boring, boring, boring. Perhaps it needed more madness like Alice in wonderland. I beleieve this why there so many altered versions of Peter Pan in movies, and cartoon series. Not as many as Alice but still. I find the movie "Hook" a incredible good sequal for the book or other movies.
I believe that by creating Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie was personifying his own innermost desires. Like Peter, James never wanted to grow up, and even as he physically matured, he never really did mentally. He never even consummated his marrige after years of being married. That is typical of the relationships young boys want. Little boys (less than 10 years old or so) may like a girl and try to get her attention, but they never eally want more than the undivided attention of a female. I think James felt the same way; he wanted someone who could be there for him and care for him, but he didn't want more than that, a mother figure.
ReplyDeleteWhich brings about another similarity between Peter and James: they both wanted mothers and didn't really have them. Peter left his home and so didn't have a mother. James' mother, however, was always "there" but didn't do much in the way of caring for her children, not after one of her sons died. As a result, Barrie always searched for a woman to replace his mother.
In that respect, these two never grew up. Barrie was forced to do adult things and to grow up in certain respects, but he never really grew up, not really.
-Tami F
Every time I read PEter PAn I see the price to pay for not having the responsibilities of an adult and being young forever. Barrie's 'Peter Pan' is, in my view, what Barrie wished he could be, and tried to be as long a she lived. True, there are many people nowadays that wish they wouldn't have to grow up. Who wouldn't give the chance to never have to worry about working or paying bills in exchange for play time and fun? You'd have to be Mad not to prefer the free time (pardon the Alice pun, haha).
ReplyDeleteIn Peter's eyes, never growing up was the greatest thing about living. However, what are the consequences of it? What about all the other treasures that life has for one? Marrying, having children, college, and the experiences that come in the different ages? They would never know love outside the level of a mother, according to the book. There is a price to pay for eternal youth, as Peter had to pay. Is this price worth it?
In Barrie's case, he never mentally grew up, and it sadly affected his love life as well as his life overall.
It is truly sad that such brilliant minds can be tainted with pedophilia. I know that nothing was confirmed with J.M. Barrie molesting the children theory, but it was all very eerie.I definitely think taht this syndrome should become medically accepted. For the well being of children and disturbed adults, doctors should be working on a treatment. the fact that barrie was smart, and possibly a very interesting human being is one thing, but the rest is too much. I don't draw any similarities between J.M. Barrie and peter pan. although the whole concept that Peter Pan and Barrie both did not want to grow up is true, it's still not reason grand enough to believe they are similar. Peter Pan was a hero, Barrie was a coward. Barrie might have been a veri intellectual man and all, but he did alot of cowardness, and cruel things during his lifetime, for example marrying a woman for appereances. All he did to that poor woman was make her suffer, and for what? to look like a men.
ReplyDeleteJames M. Barrie could not have said it better than himself: " All children grow up, except one". Well actually there are two people who could not grow up, James Barrie and Peter Pan.There is really only one similarity between Barrie and Peter and that is that they did not want to grow up. I believe Barrie created a character that he himself wish he could be. Not having any responsibilities and staying young forever. I beleive that everyone would agree that if we could live as children forever we would: lots of free time, no work,no school and you make your own rules. I dont really think I could have lived my life that way. their are more things to life.Barrie hid is true way of living by marrying because that was the adult thing to do. He never even consummated the marriage! Barrie was an inteligent man mentally wanting to be his inner self( Peter Pan). Another similarity between Barrie and Peter is the affection they truly wanted in mother. Peter trying to get that "motherly" affection from Wendy and Barrie from being married. In the end, Barrie was forced to grow up, but secretly never really did.
ReplyDeleteI find it very very easy to relate to peter pan's affliction .. however i would like to focus on some drawbacks to living in this perpetual state of childhood.within the ballet world you never grow up from when you start till the moment you retire no matter of you are 9 or 40 you are always referred to as a boy or a girl never a woman or a man . as BALLET dancers and i say this because this is only present within the classical ballet world the system keeps as children our schedules are drawn out for us when we eat when we have time to play while this is at first done unwillingly with time it becomes a habit at 20 i sometimes get use to someone laying out my clothes like at the theater on performances days ....so acting like a child becomes second nature however i do feel in peters case he acts like a child because being independent as a child is allot more tolerable then being independent as an adult being independent as a child allows the possibility to change... how come no one pints out the possibility of peter been attracted to never ending possibility rather then the change from boy to man
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. I never heard of ballet dancers being called "boy" and "girl." There is something like the Peter Pan thing going on here, isn't there?
ReplyDeleteEven though its not medically acciepted, there are people out there that still do not want to grow up and do act childish. Micheal Jackson being one of them. J.M. Barrie is another example. Like Peter Pan, he did not like the idea of growing up. He never wanted to be a man and have responsibilities. Peter Pan, didn't want to go to college and work in a bank. J.M. Barrie didnt really grow up with a mom, so in Peter Pan he depicted mothers who close thier windows, and put bars on them so that the child couldnt come back.Peter also loved women, but he couldn't show them affection. This is the same for J.M.Barrie. He and his wife divorced because he could not show her affection. I think J.M. Barrie showed "symptoms" of Peter Pan syndrom.
ReplyDeleteKassandra Pascual
Nicholas Sylver
ReplyDeleteAh first off, I am just going to mention that I will be referring to Peter Pan syndrome as "Barrie's Syndrome" since Pan was the creation of Barrie. Somtimes I almost view it as Barrie just running away from his non-eventful love life. By not wanting to grow up, he is almost condemning his characters to the same fate, especially Pan. As far as comparing Barrie's Syndrome to a current day moniker, I would suggest Michael Jackson. Rather bore you with the details of Jackson's life (which everyone should know at this point), I would like to point out that he does make a perfect scape goat and "poster child/man(?)" for this comment.
In my opinion I think that the people who have the Peter Pan Syndrome are people who have something in their childhood that they missed a very famous artist would be Michael Jackson in which he himself was a perfect example of a man child. Since when Michael was growing up he missed in all of the things that regular kids would do like go outside and play and instead he would have to go to work and sing and dance. As he grew up he knew that he could do whatever he wanted and in doing so he made a Neverland ranch and decorated his home with statues and toys for kids. His home had everything that he missed when he was a child. It is somewhat sad that since these people did missed something in their childhood they now have to embrace it once they are grown. Just like Peter Pan, Michael Jackson acted in some ways like playing in his Neverland Ranch that had a petting zoo and games and toys that he could play.
ReplyDelete