Classics Out Loud

After flying over several seas and perhaps days and nights, Wendy, John and Michael work out how to eat and sleep on their long flight. Finally, they have their first view of Neverland island. Tink gets an opportunity to create mischief for Wendy when she is separated from the others.

Peter returns to the nursery to get his shadow, and can't find it. His sobbing wakes Wendy, and they meet in real life.  Peter enchants Wendy and promises her all of her play-dreams if she would come to Neverland and tell stories to him and the lost boys.
 
Wendy won't leave without Michael and John, so Peter teaches them all to fly.  The Darling parents rush home when Nanna works out that there's something strange going on, but will they get home in time before the children leave for Neverland?

The chapter opens with Mrs Darling working out what to do with Peter's shadow that was left behind after his abrupt exit.

The Darlings recall the never-to-be-forgotten Friday evening. where all the usual aspects of the night-time routine are present, except for the clues the author gives us that this evening doesn't end up the way they usually do.

Strikingly different to the Disney version in our memories, J.M.  Barrie's novel, rich in allegories and metaphors, is as much for adults as it is for children.

The novel opens by introducing us to the Darling family. Exploring the what it means to be young and free to imagine your own world, we see already that the Darling children's view of the real world is translucent.  It is Mrs Darling that first meets Peter Pan in our story, as she wakes from dreams of her own childhood.

Gregor, injured from the last encounter with his father, retreats to his room while experiencing family life only as a voyeur.  His family adjusts to their new financial circumstances, including taking on tenants. But it is upon hearing his beloved sister's violin playing that Gregor makes his presence known and causes his family to decide that they must be rid of Gregor, once and for all.

Gregor is incarcerated in his room and his parents try to work out how to manage now without Gregor's income, while his sister Grete does what she can for his situation despite her revulsion.  Gregor escapes from his room and this sets up a confrontation with his father.

In  Franz Kafka's classic story of alienation, we open to Gregor Samsa, travelling salesman, who upon waking realises that he has been transformed into an insect. 

Since that family has been completely dependant on Gregor to pay for their lifestyle, including paying off debts his father owes, it's clear they'll need to change to cope with their new situation. We follow the family as they respond and undergo their own transformation, while Gregor, in his own way, is still trying to please them.

First published in 1915, this absurd novella reads reads like a surprisingly modern commentary on dependence, change and "otherness".