# The Little House explained — Peter and Wendy

> Chapter companion for Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/vi-the-little-house
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/peter_and_wendy_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters