Peter Pan Gender Roles

In the novel “Peter Pan: The story of Peter and Wendy (1911)”, J.M. Barrie playwright and novelist takes us on a journey with Peter Pan a boy who never wants to grow up, the lost boys and Wendy a girl with her little brothers who goes with Pan on a journey to Neverland; a land of imagination. Barrie uses his joyful embrace of youth and creativity to create a story that explores the innocence of childhood and the responsibility of adulthood and the idea of growing and if we truly ever grow up. Barrie shows this by creating Neverland and using two distinct worlds the responsibility of the adult world and Neverland an adventurous and magical world for children. Barrie also explores whether gender roles and responsibility are different in both

In both the novel and movie Peter takes Wendy with her so she could become their mother since they were all boys and had no mother figure. In the novel, Peter says to Wendy “Wendy, one girl is more use than twenty boys.” Peter wants Wendy to come with him so that she could take care of him and the lost boys and do motherly things for them. In the movie Peter grabs Wendy’s hand and says “good, then you can become our mother.” Peter does this without even knowing what a mother does, but after hearing Wendy describes who a mother is he immediately gives Wendy the role of a mother. This is explored more in the novel where Peter goes on and says “You could tuck us in at night." "Oo! "None of us has ever been tucked in at night...And you could darn our clothes, and make pockets for us. None of us has any pockets.” Peter already has in mind what Wendy will do for them and she does exactly that after they fly to Neverland and she meets the Lost Boys who also immediately accept her as their mother. Over the years Disney’s version of “Peter Pan” stayed true to Barrie’s version and this shows how women are perceived has not changed. Women traditionally served as housewives, having roles that were confined to bearing and raising children and carrying out domestic work like cleaning and cooking and over the time in Peter Pan’s story this is present. Both Peter and Wendy maintain the stereotypes of their genders, especially in regards to paternal and maternal traits. Wendy and Peter abide by what Mr. and Mrs. Darling do in their daily lives and they follow exactly what each one does. Wendy becomes the mother, while Peter is the superior male just like Wendy’s father. Peter became the protector of the family and is looked up to by Wendy’s siblings and the Lost Boys. The gender stereotypes in Peter Pan