Archetypes In The Adventures Of Peter Pan

“Faith, trust, and pixie dust!” These are the most notable words from Walt Disney’s Peter Pan, based off of James Barrie’s book titled The Adventures of Peter Pan. It tells the story of three young children—Wendy Darling, John Darling, and Michael Darling—who fly away with the mysterious Peter Pan to Neverland, where they never have to grow up. They encounter everything from mermaids to fairies to pirates. All of this is happening in their imaginations, but they are not aware of that. Imagination is an escape from reality that is needed in society. The text illustrates this point through three archetypes: a window, the action of flying, and Neverland. A window appears several times in Peter Pan. It represents freedom, the portal between

It is a paradise that the children dream of far from the reality they live in; therefore, it fits under the paradise archetype. The book reads,

Of course the Neverlands vary a good deal. John’s for instance, had a lagoon with flamingoes flying over it at which John was shooting, which Michael, who was very small, had a flamingo with lagoons flying over it. John lived in a boat turned upside down on the sands, Michael in a wigwam, Wendy in a house of leaves deftly sewn together. […] On these magical shores children at play are for ever beaching their coracles. We too have been there; we can still hear the sound of the surf, though we shall land no more. (Barrie)

Each Darling child sees Neverland differently; further enhancing the fact that it is in their imaginations. It also mentions that we have been to Neverland, but we cannot stay any longer, referring to adults who have no child-like imagination. This proves that everyone had an imagination as a child, but grew out of it when they matured. Just like Peter, Wendy, John, and Michael, everyone has a goal in their own lives; a goal that is worth jumping through the window and flying to