“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.”10.22.13
― Mortimer J. Adler
Peter Pan - James M. Barrie
Peter Pan is the only novel I've ever read, that actually brought me to tears. The story fascinates me in a way that no other fictional book can, and I've always loved anything and everything that has to do with it. The prospect of never having to grow up has oft occupied my mind, and excited me, but has also led to long thinking periods where I've tried to understand if it would really be a good thing to never have to grow up.
I've always identified closely with Peter Pan, the main character. Last year, in ninth grade, we watched Finding Neverland, a film that focused on the playwright, James M. Barrie. I still have the responses that I wrote back then, after viewing the movie. A lot of the themes and ideas portrayed by that film to me overlapped into my ideas on Barrie's book, Peter Pan. I thought it would be appropriate to share my thoughts from last year in this rationale.
"One of the key themes of Finding Neverland would be "Faith Like a Child." Over and over, throughout the movie, James Barrie encourages the Davie children to believe. He believes in Neverland himself, and he believes in the four Davie boys. As he looks around him, he interprets the things surrounding him as part of one huge story- one overall plot. He sees things through a writer's eye, and translates the events around him into his masterpiece drama- Peter Pan.
When the boys' mother died, James reassured Peter that he could visit his mother in Neverland anytime he wanted, if he just believed. The importance of believing in Neverland, or heaven, as we interpret it, is portrayed in the movie through the production of Peter Pan.
In Peter Pan, he incorporates the theme of believing in things not seen with the addition of fairies. Fairies are, in the story, representing happiness. It was said that when the first baby was born, its first laugh burst into a million fairies. From then on, there would be one fairy for every child. But if someone, anyone, says, "I don't believe in fairies," somewhere in the world, a fairy will drop dead. I believe the meaning behind this aspect of Peter Pan relates to another theme: the happiness in this world. If fairies represent laughter, imagination, and happiness, it is taken away by disbelief, and the joy in life dies- just like the fairies.
In the Bible we are told to have faith like a child- faith in Heaven. To those who are childlike at heart, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven, or in this case, Neverland. Those who don't believe in Neverland are adults at heart. They grew up too quickly- which is yet another theme. Their imaginative minds are dull and lifeless, and they find themselves unable to have faith in things they cannot see."
The more I thought about this, the more my perspective changed. Although I envied the character of Peter Pan and his ability to never have to grow up, I had a nagging suspicion that staying a child forever was not something to be coveted. However, I was cheered after watching Finding Neverland and taking the time to ponder the themes and messages behind it. As a Biblical allegory, Peter Pan's eternal childhood is the righteous part. Matthew 18:3 says: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." It is obvious that to have a childlike heart, or, a childlike faith in Heaven is very precious in God's eyes. For, to a child, everything is black and white- crystal clear. There is no doubt, only simply belief. That is what I want- to never grow up! The hassles and troubles of doubting and failing never came to me until I began to mature. I wish I could go back to my childhood where everything was plain and simple, nothing could take my faith away. I wish I was like Peter Pan, who always believed in the reality that was before him: Heaven.
The character of Wendy Darling in the story was what saddened me. Unfortunately, I discovered that though I aspired to connect best with Peter Pan, I realized that I only connected to him through my dreams and desires: to never grow up. My present state of mind connected realistically with Wendy Darling, which was a sad realization. She chose to grow up. She chose to leave Neverland and become an adult back in the world. Though she has many admirable traits, her story is what brought me to tears. At the end of the book, I bawled to read of what happened to her. This exerpt is taken from the very last pages of the book, when Wendy is a mother, and it has been years and years since Peter has last come to visit her.
"And then one night came the tragedy. It was the spring of the year, and the story had been told for the night, and Jane was now asleep in her bed. Wendy was sitting on the floor, very close to the fire, so as to see to darn, for there was no other light in the nursery; and while she sat darning she heard a crow. Then the window blew open as of old, and Peter dropped in on the floor.
He was exactly the same as ever, and Wendy saw at once that he still had all his first teeth.
He was a little boy, and she was grown up. She huddled by the fire not daring to move, helpless and guilty, a big woman.
"Hullo, Wendy,' he said, not noticing any difference, for he was thinking chiefly of himself; and in the dim ight her white dress might have been the nightgown in ehich he had seen her first.
'Hullo, Peter,' she replied faintly, squeezing herself as small as possible. Something inside her was crying 'Woman, Woman, let go of me.'
'Hullo, where is John?' he asked, suddenly missing the third bed.
'John is not here now,' she gasped.
'Is Michael asleep?' he asked, with a careless glance at Jane.
'Yes,' she answered; and now she felt that she was untrue to Jane as well as to Peter.'
'That is not Michael,' she said quickly, lest a judgment should fall on her.
Peter looked. 'Hullo, is it a new one?'
'Yes.'
'Boy or girl?'
'Girl.'
Now surely he would understand; but not a bit of it.
'Peter,' she said, faltering, 'are you expecting me to fly away with you?'
'Of course; that is why I have come.' He added a little sternly, 'Have you forgotten that this spring-cleaning time?'
She knew it was useless to say that he had let many spring cleaning times pass.
'I can't come,' she said apologetically, ' I have forgotten how to fly.'
'I'll soon teach you again.'
'O Peter, don't waste the fairy dust on me.'
She had risen; and now at last a fear assailed him. 'What is it?' he cried, shrinking.
'I will turn up the light,' she said, 'and then you can see for yourself.'
For almost the only time in his life that I know of, Peter was afraid. 'Don't turn up the light,' he cried.
She let her hands play in th ehair of the tragic boy. She was not a little girl heart-broken about him; she was a grown woman smiling at it all, but they were wet eyed smiles.
Then she turned up the light, and Peter saw. He gave a cry of pain; and when the tall beautiful creature stooped to lift him in her arms he drew back sharply.
'What is it?' he cried again.
She had to tell him. 'I am old, Peter. I am ever so much more than twenty. I grew up long ago.'
'You promised not to!'"
" . . . . Peter continued to cry, and soon his sobs woke Jane. She sat up in bed, and was interested at once.
'Boy,' she said, 'why are you crying?'
Peter rose and bowed to her, and she bowed to him from the bed.
'Hullo,' he said.
'Hullo,' said Jane.
'My name is Peter Pan,' he told her.
'Yes, I know.'
'I came back for my mother,' he explained, 'to take her to the Neverland.'
'Yes, I know,' Jane said, 'I have been waiting for you.'
When Wendy returned diffidently she found Peter sitting on the bedpost crowing gloriously, while Jane in her nighty was flying around the room in solemn ecstasy.
'She is my mother,' Peter explained; and Jane descended and stood by his side, with the look in her face that he liked to see on ladies when they gazed at him.
'He does so need a mother,' Jane said.
'Yes, I know.' Wendy admitted rather forlornly; 'no one knows it so well as I.'
'Good-bye,' said Peter to Wendy; and he rose in the air, and the shameless Jane rose with him; it was already her easiest way of moving about."
". . . . Of course in the end Wendy let them fly away together. Our last glimpse of her shows her at the window, watching them receding into the sky until they were as small as stars.
As you look at Wendy, you may see her hair becoming white, and her figure little again, for all this happened long ago. Jane is now a common grown-up, with a daughter called Margaret; and every spring-cleaning time, except when he forgets, Peter comes for Margaret and takes her to the Neverland, where she tells him stories about himself, to which he listens eagerly. When Margaret grows up she will have a daughter, who is to be Peter's mother in turn; and thus it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless."
As I read that part of the book again and copied it out, I felt that same sense of sadness wash over me that I felt the first time I ever read. I could write so much about it- the emotions it brings are almost endless. I'll just have to pick and choose.
Jane is described as being 'shameless.' Our grade ten theme is, 'Unashamed,' which is fitting. A big part of that meaning, at least to me, is the idea of having a childlike faith. As a child, I wasn't ashamed of knowing Christ. As a child, I was as innocent as Peter Pan. I was ignorant of the evil in this world, and it was pure bliss, I now realize. Unlike Peter Pan, however, I wanted to grow up. In that way, I was like Wendy. When I began to grow older, however, I regretted so much, just like Wendy did when she saw Peter Pan, an innocent, oblivious child, and wished for that state of mind again.
Innocence and ignorance fascinate me, for it seems impossible to ever go back to them once they have been blemished. I know that I am far from innocent now- due to my craving for knowledge of worldly things. What I wanted to know so badly, I know. And I wish I didn't.
Thankfully, we have a God that can make us innocent in His sight once more- even though we don't feel like it. We may feel dirty, guilty, and... 'grown up,' but God has purified us, and forgiven us, whether it feels like it or not. The hardest part of this Christianity thing, though, is having that childlike faith, where everything is as clear as rain.
This is why I love the story of Peter Pan. There are so many other things that I learned and pondered as I read the book, and they are all intertwined with each other. Jesus talked about how those who are like children, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In Peter Pan's instance, his inheritance was the Neverland- a never ending childhood, belief, and joy. We have Heaven to look forward to for those things!
10.25.13
Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
Anne Shirley is my role model. I've read the book numerous times, but I could never get sick of it. If I could choose any fictional character to meet, instead of my beloved elves and hobbits, instead of Peter Pan or my favourite superheroes, I think I would choose Anne Shirley.
Anne Shirley is also one of the most well-known and well-loved fictional heroines and, to top it all off, she's Canadian! Is it possible for her to be any better?!
I aspire to be like her, and in no way is she portrayed as being a perfect person, which might be part of the reason as to why I love her character so much. She's just a regular girl, in fact, one who had an extremely rough life. But the part that encourages me and makes me want to be just like her, is her attitude towards life. Though, in most peoples' eyes, she has every right to view life as dreadfully dreary and depressing, she sees it as precisely the opposite. I laugh out loud at her misadventures, and I empathize with every mistake she makes, no matter how humorous.
She has got to have some of the best, most inspirational theories and quotes that I've ever read. Some of my absolute favourites:
"It's not what the world holds for you, it's what you bring to it."
“There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting.”
“Look at that sea, girls--all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.”
“That's the worst of growing up, and I'm beginning to realize it. The things you wanted so much when you were a child don't seem half so wonderful to you when you get them.”
Anne: "But have you ever noticed one encouraging thing about me, Marilla? I never make the same mistake twice."
Marilla: "I don't know as that's much benefit when you're always making new ones."
Anne: "Oh, don't you see, Marilla? There must be a limit to the mistakes one person can make, and when I get to the end of them, then I'll be through with them. That's a very comforting thought."
Need I really say more? I am so uplifted when I read L.M. Montgomery's books about my beloved Anne Shirley. Though they're not your typical adventure books, and they're not the fantasy novels that I do so love, they are definitely equal to them, if not better. They are filled with morals and values, laughter, and great thoughts to ponder, which, for me, is especially important. I love to think, and I love to create, just like Anne.
