Samuel Swenson-Reinhold: "On Three Ways of Writing for Children" & Peter Pan

 In the On Stories collection of essays we had the opportunity to engage with for class, I found myself reading past what we actually were supposed to read and encountering this essay titled "On Three Ways of Writing for Children". In this, C.S. Lewis addresses what it means to be an adult and a child in a brilliant fashion, and one of his quotes stuck out to me as relating to the character of Peter Pan. 

"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." (Lewis, "On Three" 50)

I love this. It resonates clearly with what he and Tolkein both talk about in regards to the role of fairy tales and storytelling in that these narratives are not only for children (who just happen to be more open to their lessons). So Peter Pan's character, who lives in Neverland and outright rejects growing up...is he an example of this 'grown up-ness'? In his exuberant embracement of his own reality and his childlike wonder Peter Pan does seem to have it together more than most adults I can think of, and we often look to him as this example of a defiant, joyful spirit. Is this at the heart of storytelling, too? Peter Pan, in my eyes, seems to embody exactly what Lewis refers to as that of a "man". What do you think? 

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