Peter Pan

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response for each prompt using the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Childhood is often seen as a time of innocence. However, Peter commits several acts that cannot be considered innocent, including killing Captain Hook. 

• In what ways is Peter no longer the child he wanted to be forever? (topic sentence)
• Identify and discuss examples of Peter’s actions, experiences, and ideas, then explain how they are  not as child-like as he wants to be.
• In your concluding sentence(s), explain Peter’s motivations behind wanting to remain a child. 

2. Peter Pan adamantly proclaims that he does not like mothers, yet he brings Wendy to the island to act as a mother figure to the lost boys.

• Why does Peter bring a mother figure to the island despite his negative feelings about mothers?  (topic sentence)
• Identify examples of the ways in which Wendy is important to the function of Peter’s household and explain why these functions may outweigh his negative feelings.
• In your concluding sentences, explain what Wendy’s role in Peter Pan might represent about Barrie’s attitudes toward women and their importance to children.

3. In Peter Pan, there appear to be few adults on the island.

• Why is Neverland mostly inhabited by children? (topic sentence)
• Identify examples of adult characters who are on the island or unable to visit the island as adults. Explain the underlying meaning behind this aspect of Neverland.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how Barrie’s description of Neverland supports what he believes about the thoughts of children and adults.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. In Peter Pan there are several references to birds. Make a connection between birds and Peter Pan’s life. What roles do they play in his life? How are birds similar to Peter Pan in literal or figurative ways? What connections can you make between the birds and broader themes of the novel?

2. After Wendy’s experience with Peter in Neverland, her daughter and granddaughter eventually end up joining Peter in Neverland for spring cleaning. What might this multi-generational experience signify in the novel? How is Neverland linked to childhood? What connections can you make between the forgetfulness and inconsistencies of Peter’s comings and goings and the themes of Growing Up and Knowledge and Ignorance?

3. Wendy fears that she will forget her parents and forces her brothers to describe in detail what they remember about them. How does her fear affect the lost boys? Do Wendy’s memories of her parents influence the lost boys’ decision to stay with the Darlings? What connections can you make to the theme A Mother’s Role?