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Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Peter Pan, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
An aerial view of the novel would show two distinct worlds: the ordinary, rule-bound adult world and the wild, magical child world, separated by several days’ flying. An aerial view of a person’s life might show a similar partitioning. But a closer look at the novel shows a different geography, and a different economy of magic. The adult and child worlds, the ordinary and the magical, are always in close contact. Sometimes they even exchange roles, like the lost boys and the indians, who sometimes “in the middle of a fight … would suddenly change sides.”
In the adult world there is Mrs. Darling, who rearranges her children’s minds at night; there are night-lights who “yawn” and sometimes fall asleep, and stars who shout things like: “Now, Peter!” There is a dog who behaves like a lady, and a man who sleeps in a kennel. Sometimes Neverland “comes too near” the adult world and strange boys break through. And in Neverland there are fairies who fix kitchenware, and pirates who worry about their outfits; there are times when the game of ordinary life is a more fantastic adventure than any of the wonders of imagination. The tragedy of growing up is qualified, minimized, by its partial but continual postponement. No one ever entirely grows up.
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The Fantastic and the Commonplace ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of The Fantastic and the Commonplace appears in each chapter of Peter Pan. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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The Fantastic and the Commonplace Quotes in Peter Pan
Below you will find the important quotes in Peter Pan related to the theme of The Fantastic and the Commonplace.
Chapter 1 Quotes
He got all of her, except the innermost box and the kiss. He never knew about the box, and in time he gave up trying for the kiss.
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In this passage, we get a sense of J.M. Barrie's whimsy and inventiveness. We're told that Mrs. Darling (the mother of the book's main characters) has a "kiss" on her face. This kiss isn't exactly like the word readers are familiar with--instead, a "kiss" is a kind of dimple symbolizing childlike wonder and freedom. There's no way to explain a kiss--if there were, then anybody could have one, including boring adults like Mr. Darling (who tries, but cannot access, his wife's "kiss"). Instead, the kiss is a symbol of youth and its fleetingness, of unadulterated freedom.As the passage makes clear, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dol
It is the nightly custom of every good mother after her children are asleep to rummage in their minds and put things straight for next morning, repacking into their proper places the many articles that have wandered during the day.
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Barrie portrays Mrs. Darling as a kind, loving mother. Like all good mothers, we're told, her duty is to make sure that her children are happy and contented as often as possible--even after they go to bed. Barrie chooses an interesting and inventive metaphor for this idea: he describes Mrs. Darling "sorting" through her children's minds and feelings.It's interesting to note that Barrie begins his novel about a rebellious child by describing a happy, peaceful household. The children are loved and well cared for, and there are no traces of cruelty or poverty. In short, the children in the novel Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequun
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.
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Mrs. Darling is an adult, but she's also a kind, loving mother to her three children. As a result, she can vaguely remember Peter Pan. Peter Pan is a friend to all children: when children go to sleep, they go to Neverland and play with Peter Pan, the leader of children in Neverland. As they grow up, children forget about Neverland, and therefore about Peter Pan. It's a sign of Mrs. Darling's close connection to her children (and her still-present "kiss") that she can remember Peter, however vaguely.The passage is interesting because it suggests that "women who have no children" Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaq
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.
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Once Peter has transported John, Wendy, and Michael to Neverland, he introduces them to his followers, the other boys of Neverland. In Neverland, we quickly learn, Peter is the leader of the other children. And yet Peter seems curiously weak and gullible at times. Here, for instance, he and the children pretend that they're talking to a doctor. Peter thinks that the doctor is real--he's so used to living in an imaginary place (and he himself is imaginary) that he can't distinguish between imaginary and real.Barrie makes a surprisingly complicated point here. The boys are in Neverland, and yet their Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae
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.
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Barrie describes the dreams that Peter has on some nights. Surprisingly, Peter's dreams are fitful, nightmarish, and altogether unfit for a child.Why are Peter's dreams so vivid and so frightening? Barrie suggests that Peter can't handle his own existence--a "riddle" that he's ill-equipped to solve. Peter has no mother or father, and in spite of what he claims, his lack of parents seems to cause him great torment and jealousy (even if his torment only comes out in his dreams). Being a child is a mess of contradictions: children are both arrogant and humble, selfish and generous. Most kids learn Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas a
He regretted now that he had given the birds of the island such strange names that they are very wild and difficult of approach.
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In this funny passage, Peter considers the birds of Neverland, whom Peter himself has named. Peter's friends have just been abducted by Captain Hook and his gang of pirates, and Peter is trying to think of a way to rescue them. He regrets giving the birds such complicated names, since their names make them wild and frightening.The passage could be interpreted as childish nonsense, but there's actually a complex point here. On some level, Peter knows that Neverland is imaginary (and he's imaginary, too)--but he refuses to admit it consciously. Peter has invented most of Neverland, so the names he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptate
Chapter 14 Quotes
There was little sound, and none agreeable save the whir of the ship's sewing machine at which Smee sat, ever industrious and obliging, the essence of the commonplace, pathetic Smee.
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As the chapter begins, we're introduced to Captain Hook in more detail. Hook surveys his ship, the Jolly Roger, which is surprisingly calm and orderly. One would think that a pirate's ship would be overflowing with action and fighting--on the contrary, Hook's ship is pretty orderly.Why such an orderly ship? Since Hook is a symbol of the antagonism of the adult world--basically everything Peter hates--it's only appropriate that his ship should be neat, boring, and "industrious." Peter Pan despises rules and orders of any kind--that's why he's living in Neverland in the first place. Hook's ship is a reminder of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aper
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.
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Here Peter Pan and Captain Hook have their climactic "showdown." As he stabs Hook in the ribs, Peter tells Hook that he is the embodiment of joy and youth.Peter's claims seem nonsensical--after all, we've seen that Peter can be selfish and narcissistic to the extreme. And yet Peter possesses an innate goodness and innocence simply because he's a young child--without any effort, he is a "good person."The passage reinforces Captain Hook's greatest fear. As the embodiment of the adult world, Hook is obsessed with the question of how to be good and proper. But no matter how hard Hook tries, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam co
The other boys were flying around him now, flouting, scornful; and as he staggered about the deck striking up at them impotently, his mind was no longer with them; it was slouching in the playing fields of long ago, or being sent up for good, or watching the wall-game from a famous wall. And his shoes were right, and his waistcoat was right, and his tie was right, and his socks were right.
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In this poignant passage, Captain Hook--at this point wounded in the ribs, and sensing that he doesn't have long to live--imagines the days when he was only a child, long ago. Hook is surrounded by young boys who attack him, and furthermore, Hook seems unable to defend himself from the boys' attacks--Barrie notes that his sword is "impotent." As Hook draws closer and closer to death, he daydreams about his carefree youth.To quote the movie The Wild Bunch, "We all dream of being a child again, even the worst of us. Maybe the worst most of all." Hook, in spite Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. R
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.
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In this passage, Barrie describes Mrs. Darling, a woman who feels an unqualified, complete love for her children, no matter who they are or what they do. Barrie's description is Mrs. Darling is poignant because it emphasizes her tenuous connection to the world of children: her "kiss" (the dimple on her mouth) is almost gone--i.e., her connection to the gentle world of youth is dangling by a thread. Furthermore, the passage emphasizes Mrs. Darling's mortality--note the descrption of the "pain in her breast" (some have suggested that Barrie based Mrs. Darling on a beloved friend who was dying of tuberculosis).The Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusam
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.
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Peter has allowed the Darling children to return to their home, and he watches sadly as John, Wendy, and Michael embrace their mother--the scene is brimming with joy and love. Peter is sad because, in spite of the joys of Neverland, he'll never be able to enjoy the pleasure of having a mother and father. Peter has left his family long ago--his disgust for adults everywhere (and his parents' supposed refusal to let him back through the window) has separated him from family forever.Note that the passage specifies that Peter is barred from the joy of having a family, not Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor
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.
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In this passage, Peter leaves Wendy and the Darlings for a year: he's flying back to Neverland alone. But Peter takes one memento of his time with the Darlings: the "kiss" hidden in Mrs. Darling's face.The meaning of Mrs. Darling's "kiss" is so ambiguous that it's difficult to tell exactly what Barrie is trying to say in this passage. Peter has been craving a mother-figure in his life, though he's always denied it. Now, Peter is flying back to Neverland with a tiny sign that he does have a mother--Mrs. Darling. Mrs. Darling may not be his literal mother, but Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores.
It is only the gay and innocent and heartless who can fly.
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In this passage, Barrie sums up his point: to be a child is joyful, exciting, but also incredibly selfish. Children, he's shown, are blessed with a natural sense of morality and innocence. But children are also selfish and fickle--they tend to care about themselves far more than they care about others. Only adults can truly care about other people in a lasting, responsible way.Ultimately, Wendy grows up into a woman because she genuinely cares more about other people than she cares about being young and happy. Wendy is a surprisingly noble character--she loves Neverland, but loves other people more. She's Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad
