First of all, The author starts off by comparing all the tribe beliefs to ones throughout history and providing an explanation to almost every unrealistic aspect of the original tale."Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've ever heard. The boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn't win.” This harsh but enthralling quote enhances the story making it unlike any other. Already telling you to not expect the happy ending that all fairy tales end with. It also promises a love of interesting characters and a story to not be forgotten. Another example of this is that the author also shows the complications of loving someone. “There was no twinkle in his eyes. "Maybe I just love some of you. Maybe not enough."Tiger Lily blinked at him, and she didn't understand how anyone could only love a part. Her greedy heart didn't work that way.” Clearly the relationship wasn't always so balanced and when they fought Peter and Tiger Lily found out the ugly truths about their relationship. Anderson obviously wanted to show this life and relationship as dysfunctional and portray how not all stories, like the original Peter Pan or any Disney tale for that matter, is always black and white.
Anderson also wrote often about how Tiger Lily herself was not perfect or ideal in any way. For example she and her adopted father, who was essentially a cross-dresser, even though they had no term for it, were the black sheep of the tribe. No one thought of Tiger Lily as beautiful, especially after she cut off all her hair after the death of her adopted father. “Everyone will think I'm ugly." Tik Tok smiled. "That's true. But we are a small village. We have narrow tastes. There's no telling who else in the world would think you're beautiful.” Even when she calls herself ugly, the people she loves don't deny it they just try to make her feel better. And Tiger Lily has made her own peace with that. Another not so flawless aspect of Tiger Lily is her personality and the way she acts. According to Tinkerbell, “Still, the longer I was around her, the more I could see the colors of her mind and the recesses of her heart. There was a beast in there. But there was also a girl who was afraid of being a beast, and who wondered if other people had beasts in their hearts too. There was strength, and there was also just the determination to look strong. She guarded herself like a secret." Clearly Tiger Lily is a strong young woman but that didn't always go her way. She could be stubborn,envious, rash, and even take things for granted so their loss wouldn't bring her down. This led to the ultimate downfall of her relationship with Peter, along with Wendy.
Even though Peter left to go with Wendy and Tiger Lily was heart broken, I'd like to think that Justice was served and that Peter/ Tiger Lily got both their good and bad Karma. Since Tiger Lily hadn't let Wendy die when she was at the brink of death, she got her not ideal, but happy ending and didn't have to marry a man whom she despised. On the other hand Peter regretted his decision and ended up having to marry Wendy, not the girl whom he'd never forget he'd lost. Overall, the author gave a satisfying and non traditional new happy ending to the story everyone knows and the one no one can forget.
I really liked how you showed that the book compares the character's situations and emotions to real life. I find it interesting that you showed that although the book is fiction it really relates to somethign that could happen in real life, albeit a complicated situation and how you explain that having the point of view of someone who follows Tiger Lily everywhere makes the fairytale more realistic and realtes it more to our lives.
ReplyDeleteElla this was so good! Your spin and interpretation on this text was a great fresh way to look at it. I really got to see this book through your eyes and look at certain themes and examples in the story that I otherwise would never pick up on. High five and keep up the good work!
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