Peter Pan And Mary Poppins Affirming The Role Of The True Woman - Essay Example

Peter Pan and Mary Poppins: Affirming the Role of the True Woman Literature often has a way of reinforcing or questioning the commonly held beliefs of a particular culture. This is as true of fiction as it is of non-fiction and as true of adult novels as it is of children’s books. By comparing more than one work from a comparable time period, one can begin to appreciate the differences in the way people thought during one time period as opposed to another. Peter Pan, published in the second decade of the 1900s and Mary Poppins, published only slightly later, both reinforce the concept of the mother figure as the ideal woman as one of their major themes. Unlike modern interpretations that hold the female roles of the early 20th century were powerless and meaningless, both of these books reveal flashes of tremendous strength in the form of the female figure, both within and without the traditional roles. Although the two books are similar in their portrayal of the traditional woman, there are some differences. Both Peter Pan and Mary Poppins convey the sense of the traditional female role as something both strong and weak, but Peter Pan remains strongly fixated on this role while Mary Poppins expands a bit beyond it to explore the emerging concept of the new woman. The traditional female role is characterized by the tasks of housewife and motherhood. The character of Wendy in Peter Pan is an excellent example of how the traditional female ideal should appear. In her first interaction with Peter, she demurely sews his shadow back onto his shoe after seeing his hopeless attempts to attach it with soap. Despite her exhaustion and having been shot out of the sky by the misguided arrow of Tootles, Wendy’s first instinct in hearing the accusations of the other boys is to protect the one who didn’t know better by staying Peter’s hand. As soon as she is truly awake, the Lost Boys entreat her to be their mother, a task Wendy takes up with enthusiasm by instantly switching into mother mode: “Come inside at once, you naughty children; I am sure your feet are damp. And before I put you to bed I have just time to finish the story of Cinderella” (Barrie, 2003: 91). Wendy’s chief activities in Neverland consisted of cleaning and cooking, “Really there were whole weeks when, except perhaps with a stocking in the evening, she was never above ground” (Barrie, 2003: 97). Her role as subservient partner is emphasized again and again throughout the story, particularly as the relationships among the children become more solidified. For example, while she might agree with the boys about a particular issue, such as Peter’s lording it over the Indians who have come to serve him, “she was far too loyal a housewife to listen to any complaints against father” (Barrie, 2003: 128). She is recognized as the boys’ mother by Hook, becomes responsible for their welfare upon their return to the real world and is permitted to return once a year for a week (when Peter remembers to come back for her) to conduct his spring cleaning. This type of traditional female role is depicted to a lesser extent in Mary Poppins although it is slightly changed as a result of Mary’s different role. Her role as a female in traditional society is revealed as Mary unpacks her bag upon her arrival. The first item to be removed is a starched white apron that she promptly ties around her waist to announce her position within the house. The list of items that follow are completely in line with the duties of a woman. They consist of “a large cake of Sunlight Soap, a toothbrush, a packet of hairpins, a bottle of scent, a small folding armchair and a box of throat lozenges” (Travers, 1962: 21). The final item is every child’s dreaded evening medicine, but Mary Poppin’s bottle is touched with magic, making it taste like the taker’s favorite liquid. Mary observes all the strict proprieties of a proper Englishwoman through her every action and in her fastidious attention to her outer appearance. Although she enjoys taking pride in her appearance, she demonstrates the appropriate reaction of a well-born woman approached by a low-born man. When the butcher ventures to pay her a compliment by calling her a “nice, handsome young lady”, he is met with the “sight of Mary Poppin’s face. The expression on it was awful … And she took the sausages and turned the perambulator around very quickly, and wheeled it out of the shop in such a way that the Butcher knew he had mortally offended her” (Travers, 1962: 110). Her position within the household is also very much a traditional one, the role of the nanny or governess being to care for the children as well as teach them what they need to know in order to take their proper place in society. Although both novels focus on the importance of the traditional feminine role in society, Travers emphasizes the new concept of the woman that was emerging in society at the time she wrote her stories, a stronger reflection of a trend Barrie illustrated in his book as well. The concept of the new woman was just beginning to be recognized in society at the beginning of the 1900s as the Western world became more industrialized and women began to understand their power. Barrie illustrates this idea in the minor character of Tiger Lily, the Piccaninny Indian princess. Far from the demure position adopted by Wendy, Tiger Lily is depicted as “bringing up the rear, the place of greatest danger” in the Indian war band (Barrie, 2003: 72). The narrator informs the reader that she is “the most beautiful of dusky Dianas and the belle of the Piccaninnies, coquettish, cold and amorous by turns; there is not a brave who would not have the wayward thing to wife, but she staves off the altar with a hatchet” (Barrie, 2003: 72). In this depiction, she is neither the carefully protected and inactive woman of the traditional ideal nor is she participating in the accepted activity of a young girl, the capturing of a husband. She is not stable and calm as a proper young lady should be, but a combination of feelings and attitudes that change at will. Her activities are also not the activities Wendy is involved in. The next time she is seen, Tiger Lily is reportedly caught trying to board the pirate ship with a knife in her teeth and is now bound and doomed to die by drowning on Marooners’ Rock. But she did not falter, utter a word, offer an inglorious resistance or hang around nobly to help aid Peter Pan and Wendy elude the pirates once they’d been tricked to let her go. Although Tiger Lily represents the stronger female character that was beginning to emerge, Mary Poppins illustrates this concept to a much greater extent and in a much more obvious way. While Peter Pan depicts this female in a background role, quickly switching over to the ‘proper’ role after Tiger Lily has been rescued, Mary Poppins herself depicts the strong female in her book. Rather than being subservient to anyone, Mary Poppins informs her employer of the terms of her employment: “The best people, ma’am,’ she said, ‘give every second Thursday, and one till six. And those I shall take or – ‘ Mary Poppins paused, and Mrs. Banks knew what the pause meant. It meant that if she didn’t get what she wanted Mary Poppins would not stay” (Travers, 1962: 26). She is not even forced to suffer the same indignities of magical conjuration as the rest of the world, as is shown in Uncle Wigg’s tea party. While the rest of them must laugh and think funny thoughts to fill themselves with enough Laughing Gas to reach the ceiling, Mary Poppins “put her hands down to her sides and without a laugh, without even the faintest glimmer of a smile, she shot up through the air and sat down beside Jane” (Travers, 1962: 44). Throughout the story, Mary comes and goes as she wishes, or as the wind blows her, and she makes up her own rules as she goes. Although both books explore the major theme of women’s roles, they are different in their approach and their understanding. Both Barrie and Travers recognize the traditional feminine roles within their works, keeping their female characters well within the boundaries of accepted norms most of the time. These roles are predominantly characterized by the tasks of motherhood, caring for the children and seeing to their education and training, such as in the roles of Wendy and of Mary Poppins. However, both books also break these rules by depicting the image of the new woman that was emerging in this time period. The level to which these books explore the idea of the new woman differs perhaps as a result of the earlier authorship of Peter Pan. This is suggested because while Peter Pan recognizes the idea of the new woman, its author does so in the figure of a minor character who appears infrequently in the novel. In contrast, Travers provides new woman characteristics to her main character, bringing her differences into sharper focus even as she allows her to blend seamlessly into her apportioned space. This difference may also be explained by the different genders of the authors – the man writing from a male perspective could only write about the ideal while the woman, writing from a woman’s perspective, was able to see the possibilities. Works Cited Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan. New York: Starscape Books, 2003. Travers, P.L. Mary Poppins. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1962. Read More