Peter Pan

Peter Pan Literary Elements

Genre

Fiction, both novel and play

Setting and Context

London and Never Land

Narrator and Point of View

No narrator or point of view

Tone and Mood

Childlike, imaginative, romantic, adventurous, melancholy

Protagonist and Antagonist

Peter Pan is the protagonist; Captain Hook is the antagonist.

Major Conflict

The major conflict is the rivalry between Peter and Hook.

Climax

Captain Hook dies when Peter kicks him into the open jaws of the crocodile.

Foreshadowing

Mrs. Darling talking about seeing Peter in the window foreshadows his arrival at the window later that night.

Understatement

The children often understate adult things, articulating them in charmingly naive ways.

Allusions

Allusions to several real-life locations in London, including Kensington Gardens; allusions to North American Indians, to pirates, and to mermaid and fairy mythology.

Imagery

The imagery of Never Land and many of the fantastical elements is fully realized and very detailed.

Paradox

Peter wants Wendy to be his mother, but he also has an aversion to maternal supervision.

Parallelism

Parallel between Captain Hook and Mr. Darling.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

Personification

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