A Man, a Family, and a Story: Influences on the Creation of J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan"

All that is needed to reach Neverland is a little faith, trust, and pixie dust; at least, this is what children are told when they first hear the story of Peter Pan. However, understanding the story of Peter Pan, which wrestles with topics of love, fear, and growing up, is more complex than merely flying toward the second star to the right and straight on till morning. The early life of James M. Barrie was filled with a deep desire to gain affection after his family faced a great tragedy when he was a child, and this longing is seen throughout his stories. However, his life and writing were changed forever once Barrie met the Llewelyn Davies family, which led to the creation of the boy, Peter Pan. When crafting the character of Peter Pan, Barrie incorporated much of his distraught childhood, his interactions with the Llewelyn Davies family, and his realization of the inevitability of growing up to create the tales of an immortalized boy who never had to grow up.