Peter Pan

by

J.M. Barrie

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Peter Pan Character Analysis

a magical, arrogant boy who will never grow up. Many parents look at their children and wish, along with Mrs. Darling: “Oh, why can’t you remain like this forever!” And many children look at their parents with anxious appraisal and wish for the same thing. Peter Pan is the wish come true. Like all abstractions, he is in equal parts wonderful and terrifying. His immortality and wildness carry him to the dazzling limits of experience, but they take him away from its center, a safe, warm, and secluded place like the nursery. Peter has no fears, so he feels no desire for safety, and he has no memory, so he doesn’t understand change or loss. And there is something else he does not have, though it is an emptiness that is more difficult to name. For convenience, J. M. Barrie calls it ‘heartlessness’, because without it there can’t be anything like love.

Peter Pan Quotes in Peter Pan

The Peter Pan quotes below are all either spoken by Peter Pan or refer to Peter Pan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Children and Heartlessness Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

She dreamt that the Neverland had come too near and that a strange boy had broken through from it. He did not alarm her, for she thought she had seen him before in the faces of many women who have no children.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Mrs. Darling
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 10
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

'It was because I heard father and mother,' he explained in a low voice, 'talking about what I was to be when I became a man.' He was extraordinarily agitated now. 'I don't want ever to be a man,' he said with passion. 'I want always to be a little boy and to have fun. So I ran away to Kensington Gardens and lived a long long time among the fairies.'

Related Characters: Peter Pan (speaker)
Page Number: 31
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

Eventually Peter would dive through the air, and catch Michael just before he could strike the sea, and it was lovely the way he did it; but he always waited till the last moment, and you felt it was his cleverness that interested him and not the saving of human life.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Michael
Page Number: 45
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

The difference between [Peter] and the other boys at such a time was that they knew it was make-believe, while to him make-believe and true were exactly the same thing.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Tootles, Nibs, Slightly, Curly, The Twins
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:

'That doesn't matter,' said Peter, as if he were the only person present who knew all about it, though he was really the one who knew least. 'What we need is just a nice motherly person.'
'Oh dear!' Wendy said, 'you see I feel that is exactly what I am.'

Related Characters: Peter Pan (speaker), Wendy (speaker)
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

Not the pain of this but its unfairness was what dazed Peter. It made him quite helpless. He could only stare, horrified. Every child is affected thus the first time he is treated unfairly. All he thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness. After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but he will never afterwards be quite the same boy. No one ever gets over the first unfairness; no one except Peter. He often met it, but he always forgot it. I suppose that was the real difference between him and all the rest.

Related Characters: Peter Pan
Page Number: 105
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

'You are so queer,' he said, frankly puzzled, 'and Tiger Lily is just the same. There is something she wants to be to me, but she says it is not my mother.'

Related Characters: Peter Pan (speaker), Wendy, Princess Tiger Lily
Page Number: 119
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

Sometimes, though not often, he had dreams, and they were more painful than the dreams of other boys. For hours he could not be separated from these dreams, though he wailed piteously in them. They had to do, I think, with the riddle of his existence.

Related Characters: Peter Pan
Page Number: 142
Explanation and Analysis:

He regretted now that he had given the birds of the island such strange names that they are very wild and difficult of approach.

Related Characters: Peter Pan
Page Number: 149
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

'Pan, who and what art thou?' he cried huskily.
'I'm youth, I'm joy,' Peter answered at a venture, 'I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg.'
This, of course, was nonsense; but it was proof to the unhappy Hook that Peter did not know in the least who or what he was, which is the very pinnacle of good form.

Related Characters: Peter Pan (speaker), Captain Jas. Hook (speaker)
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 172
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

If she was too fond of her rubbishy children she couldn't help it. Look at her in her chair, where she has fallen asleep. The corner of her mouth, where one looks first, is almost withered up. Her hand moves restlessly on her breast as if she had a pain there. Some like Peter best and some like Wendy best, but I like her best.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Wendy, Mrs. Darling
Related Symbols: The Kiss
Page Number: 180
Explanation and Analysis:

He ceased to look at her, but even then she would not let go of him. He skipped about and made funny faces, but when he stopped it was just as if she were inside him, knocking.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Mrs. Darling
Page Number: 184
Explanation and Analysis:

He had ecstasies innumerable that other children can never know; but he was looking through the window at the one joy from which he must be for ever barred.

Related Characters: Peter Pan
Page Number: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

He took Mrs. Darling's kiss with him. The kiss that had been for no one else Peter took quite easily. Funny. But she seemed satisfied.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Mrs. Darling
Related Symbols: The Kiss
Page Number: 191
Explanation and Analysis:
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Peter Pan Quotes in Peter Pan

The Peter Pan quotes below are all either spoken by Peter Pan or refer to Peter Pan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Children and Heartlessness Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

She dreamt that the Neverland had come too near and that a strange boy had broken through from it. He did not alarm her, for she thought she had seen him before in the faces of many women who have no children.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Mrs. Darling
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 10
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

'It was because I heard father and mother,' he explained in a low voice, 'talking about what I was to be when I became a man.' He was extraordinarily agitated now. 'I don't want ever to be a man,' he said with passion. 'I want always to be a little boy and to have fun. So I ran away to Kensington Gardens and lived a long long time among the fairies.'

Related Characters: Peter Pan (speaker)
Page Number: 31
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

Eventually Peter would dive through the air, and catch Michael just before he could strike the sea, and it was lovely the way he did it; but he always waited till the last moment, and you felt it was his cleverness that interested him and not the saving of human life.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Michael
Page Number: 45
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

The difference between [Peter] and the other boys at such a time was that they knew it was make-believe, while to him make-believe and true were exactly the same thing.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Tootles, Nibs, Slightly, Curly, The Twins
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:

'That doesn't matter,' said Peter, as if he were the only person present who knew all about it, though he was really the one who knew least. 'What we need is just a nice motherly person.'
'Oh dear!' Wendy said, 'you see I feel that is exactly what I am.'

Related Characters: Peter Pan (speaker), Wendy (speaker)
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 82
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

Not the pain of this but its unfairness was what dazed Peter. It made him quite helpless. He could only stare, horrified. Every child is affected thus the first time he is treated unfairly. All he thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness. After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but he will never afterwards be quite the same boy. No one ever gets over the first unfairness; no one except Peter. He often met it, but he always forgot it. I suppose that was the real difference between him and all the rest.

Related Characters: Peter Pan
Page Number: 105
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

'You are so queer,' he said, frankly puzzled, 'and Tiger Lily is just the same. There is something she wants to be to me, but she says it is not my mother.'

Related Characters: Peter Pan (speaker), Wendy, Princess Tiger Lily
Page Number: 119
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

Sometimes, though not often, he had dreams, and they were more painful than the dreams of other boys. For hours he could not be separated from these dreams, though he wailed piteously in them. They had to do, I think, with the riddle of his existence.

Related Characters: Peter Pan
Page Number: 142
Explanation and Analysis:

He regretted now that he had given the birds of the island such strange names that they are very wild and difficult of approach.

Related Characters: Peter Pan
Page Number: 149
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

'Pan, who and what art thou?' he cried huskily.
'I'm youth, I'm joy,' Peter answered at a venture, 'I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg.'
This, of course, was nonsense; but it was proof to the unhappy Hook that Peter did not know in the least who or what he was, which is the very pinnacle of good form.

Related Characters: Peter Pan (speaker), Captain Jas. Hook (speaker)
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 172
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

If she was too fond of her rubbishy children she couldn't help it. Look at her in her chair, where she has fallen asleep. The corner of her mouth, where one looks first, is almost withered up. Her hand moves restlessly on her breast as if she had a pain there. Some like Peter best and some like Wendy best, but I like her best.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Wendy, Mrs. Darling
Related Symbols: The Kiss
Page Number: 180
Explanation and Analysis:

He ceased to look at her, but even then she would not let go of him. He skipped about and made funny faces, but when he stopped it was just as if she were inside him, knocking.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Mrs. Darling
Page Number: 184
Explanation and Analysis:

He had ecstasies innumerable that other children can never know; but he was looking through the window at the one joy from which he must be for ever barred.

Related Characters: Peter Pan
Page Number: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

He took Mrs. Darling's kiss with him. The kiss that had been for no one else Peter took quite easily. Funny. But she seemed satisfied.

Related Characters: Peter Pan, Mrs. Darling
Related Symbols: The Kiss
Page Number: 191
Explanation and Analysis: