Peter pan and mary poppins Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Peter pan and mary poppins - Essay Example They both also allow a chance for adults and children alike to be children again, and go back to that time when nothing mattered except having fun. However, the two stories also have their subtle differences as well. It is true both of them contain high amounts of fantasy and neither of them are set in the real world, and both of them take place to some extent in London, however there are several different running themes that could come into conflict with each other if one was to compare and contrast the two stories. Peter Pan, also known as the Boy Who Never Grew Up originally started as a play back in the early nineteen hundreds. It was then adapted into a book under the title of Peter Pan and Wendy. The story follows the fantasy tale of Peter Pan, a boy who never grew up who lives in never land with the Lost Boys. He is assisted in his mischievous ways by his trusty fairy Tinker bell. The fantasy elements in Peter Pan help keep the story light and full of imagination, which is why it is often filed as a children's tales; and to some degree it is. But beneath the surface is a message that is just as important, if not more important for everyone to understand. Hidden behind the pirates and flying fairies is the message of love and staying true to yourself and true to your youth, and that is a message that every person, child and adult, can listen to and take advice from. This wanting to never ... This seems to be a somewhat subtle way of the author saying that you can shirk growing up as long as you want to, but you also have to be able to accept the responsibilities that come with not growing up. The characters of Peter Pan and Wendy also form literary foils of each other within the work of the novels. Where Peter represents the light heartiness and joys of child hood, Wendy seems to take on a more motherly role, as she has felt the pain and suffering that Peter ignores and doesn't let get to him. These two characters almost play off each other, as Peter and Wendy begin to learn a little more about each other, as well as a little more about how each other looks at life. And while all of this is going on, the evil Captain Hook represents the worrying adult, the darker side of growing up, and the constant fear of time and the next step. Romantic themes also run rampant in the story, with the hormones of Peter struggling with the different female archetypes represented in the story by Wendy, Tinkerbelle, and Tiger Lily. Most of these elements have been severely played down or removed in the later adaptations of this work, however they are clearly and strongly present in the original version of the tale. This subtle tale of love also parallels the feelings of growing up, and how Peter is reluctant to settle down with any of the women in his life and instead ops for the looseness he gets by being Never lands most eligible bachelor. Another subtle theme is often thought to be only done to limit the size of the cast, but the characters of Wendy's father and Captain Hook are often played by the same man. While this may hold little value in the book version of the tale, the subtle connections between these two character's effects on the plot and