Peter Pan has a playful tone that reflects the nature of its youth-centric story. Playful aspects include the plot itself, which contains pirates, fairies, and the immortal Peter Pan; the story's oft-ironic narration; and the inclusion of many moments of humor, as when Peter breaks into the Darling household and the nurse-dog Nana bites his shadow. Sometimes, the narrator uses whimsical descriptors like the "kiss" that is "perfectly conspicuous" in the right corner of Mrs. Darling's mouth. The conversion of an action—kiss—into an intangible quality lends yet more mischief to the text. The story's overall playfulness makes it appealing to a younger audience while maintaining its potential to cultivate nostalgia in older readers.
Another important aspect of this novel's tone is affection, because the narrator displays a sort of grudging admiration for children. On one hand, children seem to be heartless creatures with no concept of time, value, or loss. On the other, children have the most sublime sense of magic and optimism. In Chapter 11, Wendy tells a story about her little family, and the narrator provides the following commentary:
Everything just as it should be, you see. Off we skip like the most heartless things in the world, which is what children are, but so attractive; and we have an entirely selfish time; and then when we have need of special attention we nobly return for it, confident that we shall be embraced instead of smacked.
Here, the narrator compares children to "the most heartless things in the world." However, he amends his statement by saying they are also "so attractive" in their confidence. What exactly is the value of this confidence, and why does it move the narrator? So many adults believe they are unworthy of affection. But children "nobly return" to their friends and family and expect to be "embraced instead of smacked." The simplicity and strength of their confidence differentiates them from adults, because it signifies a sort of optimism that belongs only to children. The narrator's constant push-and-pull between disapproval and grudging affection also contributes to the story's playful tone, because it seems like the narrator himself cannot resist the whimsical charms of the children in this story.
