Peter Pan
Read the following extract carefully:
"No words of mine can tell you how Wendy despised those pirates. To the boys there was at least some glamour in the pirate calling; but all that she saw was that the ship had not been tidied for years. There was not a porthole on the grimy glass of which you might not have written with your finger “Dirty pig”; and she had already written it on several. But as the boys gathered round her she had no thought, of course, save for them.
“So, my beauty,” said Hook, as if he spoke in syrup, “you are to see your children walk the plank.”
Fine gentlemen though he was, the intensity of his communings had soiled his ruff, and suddenly he knew that she was gazing at it. With a hasty gesture he tried to hide it, but he was too late.
“Are they to die?” asked Wendy, with a look of such frightful contempt that he nearly fainted.
“They are,” he snarled. “Silence all,” he called gloatingly, “for a mother’s last words to her children.”
At this moment Wendy was grand. “These are my last words, dear boys,” she said firmly. “I feel that I have a message to you from your real mothers, and it is this: ‘We hope our sons will die like English gentlemen.’”
Even the pirates were awed, and Tootles cried out hysterically, “I am going to do what my mother hopes. What are you to do, Nibs?”
“What my mother hopes. What are you to do, Twin?”
“What my mother hopes. John, what are—”
But Hook had found his voice again.
“Tie her up!” he shouted.
It was Smee who tied her to the mast. “See here, honey,” he whispered, “I’ll save you if you promise to be my mother.”
But not even for Smee would she make such a promise. “I would almost rather have no children at all,” she said disdainfully.
It is sad to know that not a boy was looking at her as Smee tied her to the mast; the eyes of all were on the plank: that last little walk they were about to take. They were no longer able to hope that they would walk it manfully, for the capacity to think had gone from them; they could stare and shiver only.
Hook smiled on them with his teeth closed, and took a step toward Wendy. His intention was to turn her face so that she should see the boys walking the plank one by one. But he never reached her, he never heard the cry of anguish he hoped to wring from her. He heard something else instead.
It was the terrible tick-tick of the crocodile.
They all heard it—pirates, boys, Wendy; and immediately every head was blown in one direction; not to the water whence the sound proceeded, but toward Hook. All knew that what was about to happen concerned him alone, and that from being actors they were suddenly become spectators."
Consider the exchange between Smee and Wendy:
Smee: "See here, honey, I’ll save you if you promise to be my mother." Wendy: "I would almost rather have no children at all," she said disdainfully.
Task: What do these lines reveal about Smee's character, Wendy's priorities, and the unique, yet complicated, relationship dynamics within the pirate crew?
💡 Writing Tips
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Think about what Smee's offer implies about his own emotional needs and his perception of 'motherhood'. For Wendy, consider why she would rather face death than accept Smee's offer – what does 'motherhood' truly mean to her? Also, reflect on how Smee's role as a less threatening, even pathetic, pirate fits into the overall dynamic of the crew, particularly in contrast to Hook's brutality.
📝 Sample Answer
Smee’s offer to Wendy, calling her 'honey' and promising salvation if she becomes his 'mother,' reveals his profound longing for affection and care. He is depicted as somewhat childlike and vulnerable, seeking the nurturing presence that a mother provides, even from a captive. This highlights his pathetic and less villainous nature compared to other pirates.
Wendy’s disdainful refusal, "I would almost rather have no children at all," forcefully asserts her unwavering commitment to true, selfless motherhood, not merely an adopted role of convenience. Her 'mother' identity is intrinsically linked to love and responsibility, not self-preservation or a forced arrangement with a pirate. This demonstrates her high moral standards and priorities, as she would rather sacrifice herself than compromise her principles of what true mothering entails.
This exchange also sheds light on the complicated dynamics within the pirate crew; Smee, despite being a pirate, is presented as an anomaly capable of a gentler, though misguided, form of emotional attachment, providing a slight, unsettling contrast to Hook’s pure malevolence.
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