The Dark Origins of the Boy Who Never Grew Up: Peter Pan

Peter Pan – The Cult Leader

The latest version of the Peter Pan story is “Lost Boy” by Christina Henry. In this rendition, bloodthirsty Peter Pan is a sinister cult leader, rather than the spirit of eternal youth. Peter lures little boys away from their families, starves them, and then forces them to play a game called “Battle,” which drives them to murder each other.

Mia Farrow as Peter Pan holding a knife as if he was about to stab something.

Photo by NBC / Hallmark Hall of Fame / Kobal / Shutterstock

He doesn’t kill them but makes someone else do it. The boys both love and hate Peter Pan equally (sounds like Stockholm syndrome). The boys are stuck in Neverland forever and have no way of getting back home; Peter is their only “protector,” so they stick with him. This ending is sadder than Barrie’s ending.

The Same Old (Young) Peter Pan

If you think about it, this version isn’t inconsistent with Barrie’s portrayal of Peter. The difference is that Barrie didn’t look at the story from the Lost Boys’ perspective because he didn’t create them to be characters with their own feelings and perspectives. He saw and treated the Lost Boys as objects in a game the same way Peter does.

Mia Farrow as Peter Pan in 1976 sitting in the woods surrounded by flowers at night.

Photo by ITV / Shutterstock

Having the ability to see things from other people’s perspectives is something that comes with adulthood and maturity. Seeing everyone as pieces in your game of life is childish. For Peter, thinking from the perspective of others is utterly impossible. Barrie’s play and book both make that very clear. Peter represents youth and is described as “gay and innocent and heartless” and no one really matters other than himself.

The Selfish Child

It appears that when Barrie first came up with the idea for the character, he saw Peter as a fantasy. Living selfishly and heartlessly yet innocent was appealing to Barrie, which is why he was able to turn the story into a sentimental fairytale. Later, he wanted to grow up and develop true empathy and realized that he could not.

Betty Bronson and Mary Biran on-set of the Silent Film from 1924.

Photo by Glasshouse Images / Shutterstock

But both versions of the story keep Peter as the ideal selfish child. This makes it easy for Peter Pan to turn into a villain instead of a hero. The true story of Peter Pan is a divine fantasy combined with your worst nightmare. Furthermore, you can look at the author in the same way. Is Barrie a storytelling genius, or a twisted man who ruins the lives of children?

Christmas Tradition

Does Peter Pan remind you of Christmas? There is actually a historical reason for that. Back in the day, the play was mostly performed during the holiday season. At the time, most plays geared toward young kids were based on either fairytales or nursery rhymes. But when Peter Pan hit the stage, it was something new and exciting.

Esther Ralston is looking out of a large open window with long curtains in Peter Pan, 1924.

Photo by Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock

People wanted to see something new, and Peter Pan was just that, adding magic to the holiday season. With flying, pirates, and fairies, it didn’t take long for the story to be a part of the Christmas tradition in New York and London. It eventually continued to spread all around the world.

Was Peter Pan Racist?

Okay, if we are going to be honest here, Peter Pan was racist. Not necessarily the character, but the story itself. To create the Piccaninny tribe, Barrie took qualities from various different groups of native people and squished them together. Disney’s adaptation also portrayed them offensively as a stereotypical Native American tribe.

Peter Pan is standing next to a large boat in the Disney animated Peter Pan.

Source: moviestillDB.com / Copyright: Walt Disney Pictures

However, if you look at Barrie’s original text, it’s more difficult to understand what he is going for. When Peter Pan first debuted, it was at the peak of the British Empire, so the tribe had some Australian, North American, Caribbean, and native Asian features. Plus, the name Piccaninny comes from the term “pickaninny,” which is a variation of the word “pequenino,” meaning “tiny” in Portuguese. It was an offensive word used in the UK to describe natives – or any small, dark-skinned kid living in a colonized society.