‘Peter Pan’: the tragic true story that inspired the creation of the boy who ‘didn’t want to grow up’

‘Peter Pan’: the tragic true story that inspired the creation of the boy who ‘didn’t want to grow up’

There are several children’s stories that have dark origins, among them the true story of “Pinocchio” which is not suitable for children and the sad events that inspired the creation of “Peter Pan”.

Many online theories have pointed out that Peter Pan was indeed the villain in his story, because hidden within Disney and author J James Matthew Barrie’s 1911 classic are troubling themes or references.

That’s because its creator was inspired by his own sad childhood to write the story about an elf boy who refuses to grow up and live an adult life.

“Peter Pan”: the dark true story that inspired the character

The story and moral of “Peter Pan” centers on the idea of ​​growing up, maintaining innocence and enjoying childhood, so Peter needs Wendy’s help to understand that the best adventure of all is growing up.

However, in real life JM Barrie became fascinated with the idea of ​​an eternal childhood because he was scarred by various tragedies and loved ones who could never grow up.

The first traumatic event that marked him occurred in 1867, when the author was only 6 years old when one day before his 14th birthday his brother David died in an accident while skating on a frozen lake.

JM Barrie also suffered the loss of two other younger brothers and therefore never decided to have children of his own. Instead, he became very close to the 4 children of the Davies family marriage.

James became the guardian of the boys Jack, George, Michael, Nicholas and Peter (who influenced the name Peter Pan) when their parents died in 1907 and 1910.

The idea that JM Barrie had to grow up while his siblings were dead could never cause him to develop an almost obsession with the concept of childhood.

The origin of “Peter Pan” is inspired by the true story of JM Barrie

Inspired by his siblings and the Davies children, Peter Pan first appears in his 1902 novel The Little White Bird, which tells the story of an adult who befriends a boy named David.

In the story the children are birds living in a garden, but when they lose their wings they become humans and are condemned to grow up. Peter Pan is a boy who has been able to fly again and avoids growing up.

But just like in the story of ‘The Little White Bird’, in the 1911 novel ‘Peter Pan’ and subsequent adaptations, Peter discovers that being a child forever has its consequences and the world around him does not stop.

The themes of loneliness, loss of childhood and avoiding the responsibilities that come with adulthood were things that marked the author and had a great influence on the creation of “Peter Pan”.

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Source: univision

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