Discussion Question #2, Wendy..everyone wants a Mother even Hook

Originally posted by Karen
on 10/12/04 at 05:28 AM


Since we talked at bit yesterday about Mrs. Darling, let's talk a bit about Wendy today. "The Wendy" plays an important part in the story, for starters, what do you think is Wendy's purpose in the story? Why does Peter Pan want "the Wendy lady?" Also, do you have any thoughts about why Barrie wrote Wendy to be such a strong character?

Ellen

OK, I'm gonna try to post this again. I keep getting knocked out of this site.

I think Barrie made Wendy such a strong character because she was the mother he never had. His mother was too busy making Barrie into his deceased brother to even see James as James. IMHO, Peter Pan was J.M. Barrie and Wendy was Mrs. Barrie. He was making her into the mother he wished he had growing up. That's why Peter Pan wanted "the Wendy lady".

Does this make sense or should I close my Biography magazine and concentrate more on Peter Pan?

Jeppody

Sorry Teach, I missed class yesterday due to JP chatting to me outside of school and we were discussing exciting things and...........heck, I FORGOT!!! Sorry!!

I think I may muck this one up as I know what I want to say, but I cant get my fingers to spell it out, but here goes. I think that Barrie felt that ALL females, even the young ones, want to be good mothers, and he had so wanted to be close to his, that he invented The Wendy Lady, as a surrogate for his own. With Michael missing his own mother so much in the story, I think he made Wendy strong so that she could step in and persuade Michael not to want to go home. Because, of course, then Peter would have lost Wendy as well. Which would also mean that Barrie (if he was the real Peter Pan) would have lost a mother too.

Oh crikey, I know that doesn't read right, but I hope you can understand me. Hey Ellen, give us a peek at your magazine please, I need inspiration here!!!

Anne x

Cindy

I pretty much thought of Barrie as Peter Pan also, but when I was reading I kept picturing Wendy as Sylvia -- probably left over thoughts from Barrie and The Lost Boys. I think Barrie thought of Sylvia as not only the perfect mother, but also the perfect wife. Barrie portrayed Wendy as the perfect mother and the perfect wife, but I think he had Peter Pan deny anything other than motherly feelings because Peter Pan was an innocent and for him to think of Wendy as a wife would mean he had grown up feelings and of course Peter Pan never wanted to grow up. But he did act as a father figure to the whole brood while she acted like the mother figure. He and Wendy did some mom and dad type role-playing later in the book. And Peter Pan did save Wendy twice -- once on the lagoon and then from Hook. To me it felt like more of a guy rescuing the girl type thing, then a son rescuing his mom.

Okay, you all can laugh at this now if you want. But Ellen and Anne stole my original answer and I had to come up with something else. Can I have a desk on the other side of the room please?

Ellen

Hey Anne, that cracked crystal ball comes in handy once in awhile doesn't it?!?!

Karen


You guys are doing great!! I think we are hitting on some really important points!
Good job! And for goodness sake..............y'all quit stealing Cindy's answers........

Ellen

But doesn't she make me sound smart?

Karen

Crikey Ellen, you ARE smart, I don't do anything, you do!

Cindy

I know for a fact you're smart Ellen, Scary Smart!! Three-fourths of the time you write what I want to write before I have a chance to write it! Maybe that crystal ball really does work, otherwise I know a couple people who would be terribly frightened if they knew there was someone else out there who thought like me.

Ellen


I've always believed, Cindy, that great minds think alike! Oh wait, was that great or crazy? Hmmm, I'll have to think on that.....