Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Langston, Douglas

Keywords

Psychopomps, Barrie, J. M., Peter Pan

Area of Concentration

English

Abstract

This thesis focuses on Peter Pan as a psychopomp in the five works of J.M. Barrie. A psychopomp is an otherworldly or mythical being that hovers between life and death with the purpose of guiding souls to what we might loosely call “the other side.” By delving into Peter's many dual natures, including his amorality and innocence, it becomes quite clear that Barrie's works stray from the traditional reading of the tale. Peter operates as a psychopomp by whisking children away from their plane of existence to Neverland, where he constructs an artificial family that he was denied upon being separated from his mother. This is not about a boy who does not want to grow up, rather, a sorrowful narrative about what it means to be rejected from normal society. With this reading, not only does Peter's character take on another dimension, but Wendy's character does as well. She liberates her brothers and the Lost Boys from Neverland, (where they would have with no doubt been eventually killed by Peter) and returns with them back to her home in London. This thesis expands upon readers' conceptions of Peter Pan and gives greater depth to his immortality.

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