Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie opens with a scene in the Darling household’s nursery, where the novel also ends through a kind of closure by return. The nursery, for the Darling children, represents a place of maternal comfort, for it is in this room in their home where they are taken care of by their mother and mother-like figures: Liza, Mrs. Darling, and their dog Nana. The fact that Peter Pan both opens and closes in the Darling’s nursery creates this idea that maternity and domesticity are important for each character. Motherhood is a gender role each individual from Peter Pan appears to have some sort of fixation on. Mrs. Darling strives to be the best mother to her children, Wendy wants to become one, Peter wants to not need one, the Lost Boys simply wish to know one, and even the Pirates speak of mothers in longing tones. Although it is motherhood that is idealized in Peter Pan, it is also motherhood that simultaneously prevents Peter Pan from ever maturing and, thus, growing up. However, it is Wendy who takes this notion of the idealized mother and puts the role on like a costume–she performs motherhood through her words and actions. Thus readers can observe throughout the novel Peter Pan the notion that for the character of Wendy, the role of a maternal mother is one that is performative; it is pushed onto her by other characters as, to them, she represents the potential ideal mother. This, in turn, means that the performance of motherhood Wendy puts on display is essentially a pantomime of what is expected of her in her future when she finally grows up. Therefore, regardless of one’s determination to grow up or not, for Wendy, there is no option not to play the mother; even being the child she is, Wendy is still trapped in the role, while for Peter Pan, motherhood becomes an escape from the pressures of adulthood responsibility.
The Reader’s first interaction with the idealization of motherhood in Peter Pan is with Mrs. Darling at the beginning of the novel. Mrs. Darling is described as a “lovely lady” (Barrie pg.9) who was adored by many suitors and is a sweet and loving mother who is nice to her children. Mrs. Darling dresses up for her children because she knows that they like her fancy clothing, she was willing to sacrifice and struggle through financial expenses in order to have her children, and she is always playing with her kids. This can be seen near the beginning of the novel when Mrs. Darling’s two older children, Wendy and John, are playing–they are pretending to be Mr. and Mrs. Darling on the occasion of Wendy’s birth. This scene is important as it outlines the first encounter with the idealization of motherhood in the novel. By recreating the birth of Wendy, Wendy and John are commemorating Mrs. Darling’s becoming a mother. This reenactment is also the first instance reader experience Wendy’s pantomime motherhood, for in this scene, it is Wendy who takes on the role of Mrs. Darling and “danced with joy” at the announcement of John stating, “‘I am happy to inform you, Mrs. Darling, that you are now a mother’” (Barrie pg.21). This honouring of Mrs.Darling becoming a mother not only symbolizes the importance of motherhood within the household of the Darlings but also creates an aspiration Wendy looks up to enough that she recreates it while playing. The playing pretends scene in the nursery through this performance becomes a scene of doubled reproduction. As a place that is the foreground of parent-to-child relations, it signals biological reproduction; however, it also becomes a place of social reproduction, where the role of the mother is reproduced and passed on through playing pretend. In this way, for both Mrs. Darling and Wendy, the idealization of motherhood is something that both characters interact with, whether that be actually being the ideal mother or playing pretend at becoming the ideal mother; it is their role.
This glorification of the mother extends outside of the Darling household and into Peter Pan himself. Peter Pan wants a mother figure in his life, even though he has a complicated and contradictory view on mothers, stating that at one point, “he had not the slightest desire to have one [mother]” (Barrie pg.32). Peter has an inherent distrust for mothers in part because he believes his mother betrayed him, but also because it is mothers who make children grow up. “Keep back, lady, no one is going to catch me and make me a man” (Barrie pg.170) Peter yells this strange remark at Mrs. Darling. Readers would originally assume that it is time not mothers who cause children to grow up, but Peter Pan knows that it is through the mother that children slowly begin to mature; this can be seen through the mirroring of playing pretend at being an adult until the child becomes an adult and the loss of childhood magic. Yet, Peter Pan seeks out Wendy, as according to him, she would make the perfect mother for the Lost Boys and himself. Peter convinces Wendy to come to Neverland and enact motherly duties; he tells her:
(Barrie pg.40)“He had become frightfully cunning. ‘Wendy’, he said, ‘how we should all respect you.’
She was wriggling her body in distress. It was quite as if she were trying to remain on the nursery floor.
But he had no pity for her.
‘Wendy’, he said, the sly one, ‘you could tuck us in at night.’
‘Oo!’
‘None of us has ever been tucked in at night.’
‘Oo,’ and her arms went out to him.
‘And you could darn our clothes, and make pockets for us. None of us has any pockets.’
How could she resist”.
For Peter, the idea of having a mother is the preferred version over actually having a biological mother. Wendy becomes a maternal figure for Peter as she represents someone who will coddle and coo over Peter and thus continue to perpetuate this notion of eternal youth through the intervening of motherhood. This is evident through her enthusiasm at the husband-wife game she and John play. Wendy also undertakes domestic activities, such as sewing on Peter’s shadow. Her relationship with him is neither like that between young friends nor is like young lovers, but rather it is a relationship that mirrors mother and child. A biological mother means growing up and leaving behind childhood, while a make-believe mother, like Wendy, means that childhood can continue to exist for Peter as a part of the world of imagination. Therefore, Peter can avoid the ascribed adulthood masculinity that is inherently tied to the notion of growing up.
Reaching even further out of the Darling’s home, the role of motherhood for Wendy pours over into the fantasy world of Neverland. Wendy, while in Neverland, becomes the mother of the Lost Boys, despite being removed from the domestic sphere of theDarling’s nursery. The recreation of the Darling’s nursery in Neverland continues to frame Wendy within this role of the maternal figure and Peter as a child who refuses to mature. Peter, after instructing the Lost Boys to build Wendy a house to live in, tells her, “What we need is just a nice motherly person” (Barrie pg.77), and Wendy accepts the offer, explaining that she feels that is the type of person she is. Thus, Wendy takes her role as Peter’s and the Lost Boys’ mother very seriously; she feels responsible and acts with care for the children. She tells them all sorts of stories, feeds them with “pretend” food, and makes sure that the Lost Boys are clean before they go to bed. Wendy is also supportive of the Lost Boys and Peter acting as children, she encourages them to dance and express themselves, and she praises Peter in ways a mother would to her child. Yet after both Peter and the Lost Boys have finally experienced having a ‘mom’ all except Peter wants to return to reality– for Wendy, she misses her parents and home. It is also a cause of serious alarm to Wendy that her brothers are beginning to forget their home and parents. The Lost Boys and Wendy’s brothers realize that the most important thing in the real world is to have a mother because mothers take care of and protect their children. Peter, however, refuses to resume life in the real world because it represents growing up, eventually becoming a true father, and assuming adult responsibilities. Like Mrs. Darling, Wendy is also somewhat of an enigma to Peter, as he cannot understand her romantic ideas that come with taking on the motherhood role or her eventual realization that growing older is inescapable and that she must eventually leave Neverland. Peter attempts to play the father role Wendy so desperately wishes he would be, but it results are like seeing a boy trying to wear men’s clothing–the costume does not fit Peter–so he reverts back to his child-likeness. Meanwhile, ironically or not, Peter’s decision to stay in Neverland can be seen as a responsible one, as he knows that there will always be Lost Boys for him to take care of. This attitude can lead readers to view Peter as a sort of father to the children in Neverland, although it contradicts his general attitude of carelessness, being thoughtless and childish throughout the novel. Peter’s deliberate refusal of generational time and his static perspective on life makes him also deny emotional growth as something that comes only from the experience of time and motherly bonds.
However, this notion of motherhood is complicated by the characters of Tiger Lily and Tink. While they exist as characters of the feminine construct, they operate outside of the expectations of motherhood as both characters are described in ways that are primal and often negative or violent. Tiger Lily “staves off the altar with a hatchet” (Barrie pg.61), an example of her tenacity towards violence in the place of romance. While Tinkerbell cannot be the ideal mother for Peter Pan because “she is not very polite” (Barrie pg.36) and has a tendency to curse, pinch, and do evil deeds–think of her initial relationship with Wendy and her attempt at getting Wendy shot by the pirates. These characters exist outside of motherhood because they have actively rebelled against the characteristics that often describe the ideal mother, and both characters are never described as having a relationship with a mother in the first place. Thus Tiger Lily and Tink are the ones who, through their volatile actions and lack of initial contact with the mother, become outsiders to this notion.
Motherhood for Wendy was never a true choice it is an expectation that she, as a female character, is forced to accept and conform to in terms of what is expected of young girls when they eventually move out of childhood. Yet as seen through Peter, motherhood reinforces this notion that it simultaneously recreates and can potentially destroy the eternity of childhood. While characters like Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily cannot operate as the mother figure in Peter Pan, as they exist outside the realm of nurturing, loving caregivers. Peter’s continuous avoidance of adult responsibility signifies his irresponsibility to seriously take care of the Lost Boys, thus leaving him as someone who will always be in need of a maternal figure. Peter, indeed over time, proves this as the eternally little boy will never leave Neverland to grow up, yet he is never alone as Wendy’s daughter and future granddaughters take on the role of maternity in her place as she ages. Peter Pan is ultimately a story of a girl who performs at being a mother through her words and actions to a boy who will never grow up, and late on, eventually passes her motherhood role onto the next generation.
Works Cited:
Barrie, J. M. Peter Pan and Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Arcturus Publishing Ltd, 2018.
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