Article #16-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie

“Remember mumps,” he warned her almost threateningly, and off he went
again. “Mumps one pound, that is what I have put down, but I daresay it
will be more like thirty shillings—don’t speak—measles one five, German
measles half a guinea, makes two fifteen six—don’t waggle your
finger—whooping-cough, say fifteen shillings”—and so on it went, and it
added up differently each time; but at last Wendy just got through,
with mumps reduced to twelve six, and the two kinds of measles treated
as one.

There was the same excitement over John, and Michael had even a
narrower squeak; but both were kept, and soon, you might have seen the
three of them going in a row to Miss Fulsom’s Kindergarten school,
accompanied by their nurse.

Mrs. Darling loved to have everything just so, and Mr. Darling had a
passion for being exactly like his neighbours; so, of course, they had
a nurse. As they were poor, owing to the amount of milk the children
drank, this nurse was a prim Newfoundland dog, called Nana, who had
belonged to no one in particular until the Darlings engaged her. She
had always thought children important, however, and the Darlings had
become acquainted with her in Kensington Gardens, where she spent most
of her spare time peeping into perambulators, and was much hated by
careless nursemaids, whom she followed to their homes and complained of
to their mistresses. She proved to be quite a treasure of a nurse. How
thorough she was at bath-time, and up at any moment of the night if one
of her charges made the slightest cry. Of course her kennel was in the
nursery. She had a genius for knowing when a cough is a thing to have
no patience with and when it needs stocking around your throat. She
believed to her last day in old-fashioned remedies like rhubarb leaf,
and made sounds of contempt over all this new-fangled talk about germs,
and so on. It was a lesson in propriety to see her escorting the
children to school, walking sedately by their side when they were well
behaved, and butting them back into line if they strayed. On John’s
footer days she never once forgot his sweater, and she usually carried
an umbrella in her mouth in case of rain. There is a room in the
basement of Miss Fulsom’s school where the nurses wait. They sat on
forms, while Nana lay on the floor, but that was the only difference.
They affected to ignore her as of an inferior social status to
themselves, and she despised their light talk. She resented visits to
the nursery from Mrs. Darling’s friends, but if they did come she first
whipped off Michael’s pinafore and put him into the one with blue
braiding, and smoothed out Wendy and made a dash at John’s hair.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie**

This passage from Peter Pan (1911) introduces key elements of the Darling household, particularly the family’s financial struggles, their unconventional yet devoted nurse (Nana the dog), and the whimsical yet slightly satirical tone that defines Barrie’s writing. The excerpt blends humor, social commentary, and character development while reinforcing the novel’s central themes of childhood, parental love, and the tension between imagination and societal expectations.

Context of the Passage

The excerpt follows Mr. Darling’s anxious accounting of the children’s medical expenses—an attempt to rationalize the cost of keeping them. This scene occurs early in the novel, establishing the Darlings as a loving but financially strained middle-class family. The passage also introduces Nana, the children’s nursemaid, who is a Newfoundland dog—a fantastical yet oddly practical choice that reflects Barrie’s playful subversion of Victorian norms.

Barrie’s Peter Pan (originally a 1904 play before becoming a novel) is a coming-of-age story in reverse, celebrating childhood’s freedom while critiquing adult rigidity. The Darling parents represent conventional society: Mrs. Darling is nurturing but controlling ("everything just so"), while Mr. Darling is obsessed with financial and social conformity ("a passion for being exactly like his neighbours"). Nana, in contrast, embodies unconditional, instinctive care, making her one of the most morally upright figures in the story.

Themes in the Excerpt

The Cost of Childhood (Literally and Figuratively)
- Mr. Darling’s accounting of illnesses ("mumps one pound," "measles one five") reduces parenthood to a financial transaction, highlighting how adulthood commodifies love. His cold calculation contrasts with the children’s later escape to Neverland, where such concerns don’t exist.
- The negotiation over the children’s worth ("Wendy just got through, with mumps reduced to twelve six") is darkly humorous but also tragic—it suggests that children are a burden in the adult world, foreshadowing Mr. Darling’s later regret when they disappear.
Class and Social Conformity
- The Darlings hire a nurse because it’s expected, not because they can afford one. Their poverty is tied to their children’s needs ("owing to the amount of milk the children drank"), emphasizing how society prioritizes appearances over genuine care.
- Nana, a dog, is a satirical jab at Victorian class hierarchies. The human nurses at Miss Fulsom’s school ignore her ("affected to ignore her as of inferior social status"), while Nana despises their frivolity, reinforcing Barrie’s critique of empty social rituals.
Nana as the Ideal Caregiver
- Nana is more competent than any human nurse: she administers old-fashioned remedies, enforces discipline ("butting them back into line"), and anticipates needs (carrying an umbrella, remembering John’s sweater).
- Her instinctive understanding of children ("she had always thought children important") contrasts with Mr. Darling’s calculating indifference. Barrie suggests that true nurturing comes from intuition, not social norms.
The Conflict Between Imagination and Reality
- The absurdity of a dog as a nanny is played straight, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. This mirrors the novel’s broader theme: childhood is a magical space that adults dismiss or exploit.
- The nurses’ disdain for Nana symbolizes how society rejects what it doesn’t understand, much like how adults dismiss Neverland as mere fantasy.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

Dark Humor & Irony
- Mr. Darling’s clinical listing of illnesses ("whooping-cough, say fifteen shillings") is macabrely funny—he treats sickness like a grocery list. The repetition ("and so on it went, and it added up differently each time") emphasizes his obsession with control.
- The phrase "don’t waggle your finger" interrupts his monologue, suggesting Wendy’s silent protest, adding a layer of childlike defiance beneath the adult’s authority.
Juxtaposition
- Mr. Darling’s cold math vs. Nana’s warm care: He sees children as expenses; she sees them as precious charges.
- Human nurses’ superficiality vs. Nana’s competence: The nurses gossip on forms, while Nana lies on the floor, silently judging them.
Anthropomorphism & Satire
- Nana is given human traits (she "despised their light talk," "resented visits") but remains a dog, creating a comic yet poignant figure. Barrie uses her to mock Victorian class snobbery—a dog is more dignified than the human nurses.
- The detail that she "made sounds of contempt over all this new-fangled talk about germs" satirizes resistance to scientific progress, a nod to how tradition and modernity clash.
Symbolism
- Nana’s kennel in the nursery: Represents how childhood and animalistic instinct belong together, while adulthood (symbolized by the parents’ bedroom) is separate and rigid.
- The umbrella in her mouth: Shows her practicality and foresight, traits lacking in the human adults.
Foreshadowing
- The financial strain hints at the emotional cost of the children’s eventual disappearance—Mr. Darling’s regret will stem from realizing too late that love isn’t quantifiable.
- Nana’s protectiveness ("she first whipped off Michael’s pinafore") foreshadows her desperation when the children are taken by Peter Pan.

Significance of the Passage

Establishing the Darlings’ Flaws
- The parents are not villains, but their preoccupation with social norms makes them emotionally absent, setting up their later redemption when they realize the value of imagination and unconditional love.
Nana as a Foil to Peter Pan
- Both Nana and Peter protect children, but while Nana grounds them in reality (discipline, health, routine), Peter offers escape. Their contrast highlights the tension between responsibility and freedom in parenting.
Critique of Edwardian Society
- Barrie mocks the middle class’s obsession with appearances (hiring a nurse they can’t afford) and rigid gender roles (a dog is a better caregiver than human women).
- The nurses’ snobbery reflects class prejudice, while Nana’s competence undermines it, suggesting true worth isn’t tied to social status.
The Fragility of Childhood
- The accounting scene is a metaphor for how adulthood erodes wonder. The children’s later flight to Neverland is a rebellion against this commodification of their existence.

Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This excerpt is more than just introduction—it’s a microcosm of the novel’s central conflicts:

Adulthood vs. Childhood (Mr. Darling’s ledger vs. the children’s eventual escape).
Society’s Rules vs. Natural Instinct (Nana’s care vs. the nurses’ pretensions).
Love as Transaction vs. Love as Sacrifice (the parents’ initial calculation vs. their later heartbreak).

Barrie’s whimsical yet biting tone makes the passage both charming and critical, inviting readers to question what it means to grow up. The humor softens the harsh reality—that children are often undervalued until they’re gone—while Nana’s presence offers a glimmer of hope: true love doesn’t need to be rationalized.

In the end, this scene sets the stage for the entire story’s emotional core: the pain of losing childhood’s magic, and the desperate wish to hold onto it—just as the Darlings will later wish they had.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of Mr. Darling’s accounting of the children’s illnesses serves primarily to:

A. expose the absurdity of reducing parental love to a financial ledger, thereby critiquing the dehumanising effects of adult pragmatism.
B. illustrate the economic hardships faced by the Darling family, grounding the narrative in the socio-historical realities of Edwardian England.
C. foreshadow the children’s eventual disappearance by establishing Mr. Darling’s emotional detachment from his offspring.
D. contrast the meticulous nature of Victorian parenting with the carefree spontaneity of Neverland’s inhabitants.
E. underscore the inevitability of adulthood’s responsibilities, framing the children’s escape as an irresponsible fantasy.

Question 2

Nana’s role in the passage can best be interpreted as a narrative device that:

A. reinforces the novel’s fantastical tone by normalising the absurdity of a dog functioning as a human caregiver.
B. serves as a comedic foil to the human nurses, highlighting their incompetence through exaggerated animal behaviour.
C. symbolises the decline of traditional values, as her old-fashioned remedies are dismissed by modern medical discourse.
D. represents the unconditional, instinctive love that the Darling parents initially fail to provide.
E. critiques the rigid class structures of Edwardian society by positioning an animal as morally and practically superior to human servants.

Question 3

The phrase "don’t waggle your finger" in Mr. Darling’s monologue is most effectively read as:

A. a literal command to Wendy, reflecting the patriarchal authority of Victorian fathers over their children.
B. an interruption that subtly reveals Wendy’s silent resistance, undermining the control Mr. Darling attempts to assert.
C. a moment of dark humour, emphasising the absurdity of treating childhood illnesses as negotiable commodities.
D. a narrative aside directed at the reader, breaking the fourth wall to invite judgment of Mr. Darling’s behaviour.
E. an example of stream-of-consciousness writing, capturing the fragmented nature of Mr. Darling’s anxious thoughts.

Question 4

The human nurses’ treatment of Nana—"They affected to ignore her as of an inferior social status to themselves"—is most thematically significant because it:

A. demonstrates the hypocrisy of the working class, who despite their own marginalised position, enforce social hierarchies.
B. provides a realistic depiction of the tensions between animal and human labour in early 20th-century domestic service.
C. illustrates the novel’s broader argument that competence is irrelevant in a society obsessed with superficial status.
D. mirrors the Darlings’ own preoccupation with social conformity, extending the critique to all layers of Edwardian society.
E. foreshadows the children’s rejection of adult society, as they later align themselves with Nana’s instinctive world over human pretensions.

Question 5

The passage’s closing image—Nana "whipping off Michael’s pinafore" and adjusting the children’s appearances before visitors—is most richly interpreted as:

A. a demonstration of Nana’s fastidiousness, aligning her with Mrs. Darling’s desire for perfection.
B. an assertion of her authority over the children, reinforcing the novel’s theme of disciplined upbringing.
C. a moment of maternal pride, revealing her investment in the children’s social presentation despite her animal nature.
D. a subversive act that exposes the performativity of respectability, as even a dog understands the rules of human pretense.
E. a transition from the nursery’s private chaos to the public facade of the Darling household, marking the boundary between childhood and adulthood.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: A

Why A is most correct: The passage’s focus on Mr. Darling’s ledger is not merely about economic hardship but about the reduction of children to line items, a darkly comic indictment of how adult priorities distort love. Barrie’s tone—particularly the repetition of "don’t speak" and the haggling over shillings—highlights the absurdity of treating affection as a transaction. This aligns with the novel’s broader critique of adulthood’s loss of imagination and emotional authenticity. The accounting scene is less about literal poverty (B) and more about the moral poverty of commodifying relationships.