Peter Pan

Peter Pan was an interesting novel to read since I had so many encounters with the story as a child. My most vivid memory of the Peter Pan story was the classic Disney movie. The Disney version is much different than Barrie's version. I enjoyed following Wendy's desire to be an adult, at the age of 22 I have a desire to be considered an adult and take care of those who are younger. I tutor a first grader and I see myself using techniques that my mom used to help me with spelling and math. You can also see Wendy mimic her mother's parenting roll when taking care of the lost boys. I think this act of mimicking parents is the most natural way of nurturing. We want to give others what we have been given by our mothers. 

Another interesting point is that Peter Pan is adamant about not being a man and growing up, yet he is the leader of the lost boys, which automatically gives him grownup-like responsibilities. Wendy also calls him father, on the face this freaks him out, but there are points in the story in which he takes on the role voluntarily.  

Heroes of All Sorts

We have explored Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Golden Compass. We compared the heroes of these stories and how they are similar and different. One similarity even found in the Wizard of Earthsea as well, was the fact that all these heroic characters had companions that were people as well as animals. I feel that animals are easy for readers to relate to because most of us have grown up caring for a pet.  The pet in return bring unconditional love and happiness to the owner. Ged had Otec, Harry had Hedwig, and Lyra had Pen.  While the relationships between these heros and their human friends differed from author to author the animal theme was more consistent.