KidLit Forum

|Summary of the story

The novel begins with Mr. and Mrs. Darling's marriage, shortly followed by the birth of their children. After a few years, we find Mrs. Darling worrying about her children's fascination with a mysterious boy named Peter Pan. She has heard rumours of a strange boy who lives with the fairies and has found disturbing evidence that he has visited the nursery. She shares her concerns with Mr. Darling but he is selfish and unconcerned. This helps Peter who swoops in later that night and convinces Wendy to run away. He teaches the Darling children to fly, and they head out the window to Neverland.
Once there, Wendy becomes the surrogate mother of the Lost Boys. Wendy is thrilled with a traditional domestic role. She does the household chores and fusses lovingly over the boys. She encourages Peter to do the same, calling him the father of the group. He is willing to play along but only up to a point. Peter needs reassurance that it is all make-believe.
However, all is not peaceful on the island. In addition to the Lost Boys, there are wild animals, Indians, and pirates. Captain Hook is the main antagonist of the novel and is the leader of the pirates. Hook is a direct opposite of Peter Pan. He is angry and obsessed with others' opinions of him, but most importantly he is vengeful and wants revenge against Peter because in an earlier sword fight, Peter cut off Hook's right hand and flung it to a passing crocodile. In contrast, Peter is innocent; he doesn't really understand the concept of evil. He also forgets the wrongs that are done to him almost as soon as they happen.
Throughout the novel, Wendy preaches about the importance of a mother's love, convincing the boys that Mrs. Darling will leave the nursery window open, waiting for them forever. Peter doesn't understand this kind of devotion and makes the mistake of convincing the others that it's not true. His own mother, he claims, had forgotten all about him. She'd even had another son to replace him. He says this to convince them to stay in Neverland but his plan backfires. Wendy immediately decides to return home, and all the boys beg to come with her.
In the end, Wendy's faith is justified. The nursery window is open, and Mrs. Darling is not only overjoyed to see her children, she offers to adopt the Lost Boys without a second thought.