Peter and Wendy · Chapter
The Little House explained
After Tootles mistakenly shoots Wendy with an arrow, the Lost Boys panic, fearing Peter's wrath.
What happens
After Tootles mistakenly shoots Wendy with an arrow, the Lost Boys panic, fearing Peter's wrath. Peter returns, discovers Wendy alive because his kiss-button deflected the arrow, and banishes Tinker Bell for a week for instigating the attack. To protect the still-delicate Wendy, Peter orders the boys to build a little house around her. John and Michael arrive, and the construction begins, with Peter treating the entire situation as a blend of make-believe and reality.
Themes in this chapter
Motherhood and Family
Wendy is explicitly asked to be the boys' mother, and the building of the little house symbolizes the creation of a family home in Neverland.
Imagination and Make-Believe
Peter treats the doctor visit and house-building as real, blurring the line between fantasy and reality for the Lost Boys.
Characters to notice
- Peter Pan
Returns to find Wendy shot; forgives Tootles, banishes Tinker Bell, and orchestrates the building of a little house around Wendy.
- Wendy Darling
Shot by Tootles but saved by Peter's kiss-button; lies unconscious as the boys build a house around her.
- Tootles
Admits to shooting Wendy, offers his life in atonement, and is forgiven by Peter.
- Slightly
Plays the doctor in Peter's make-believe game, declaring Wendy cured after a pretend examination.
- Tinker Bell
Revealed as the one who urged Tootles to shoot; banished by Peter for a week.
Key passages
“Ought I? ... I am only a little girl. I have no real experience.”
Wendy hesitates to become the boys' mother, citing her youth and inexperience.
Highlights Wendy's internal conflict between her desire to be maternal and her awareness of her own childhood.
“I cannot strike, there is something stays my hand.”
Peter is unable to kill Tootles, feeling an unseen force preventing him.
Shows Peter's rare moment of mercy and the influence of Wendy's presence.
“Let us build a little house round her.”
Peter decides to construct a small house around the unconscious Wendy.
Symbolizes the creation of a home and Wendy's role as the domestic center of the group.