# Peter Pan — Peter and Wendy character guide > Peter Pan in Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Peter, Pan, cunning Peter **First appearance:** 0000-i-peter-breaks-through ## Snapshot The boy who ran away to Kensington Gardens rather than grow up, he flies into London nurseries looking for a mother and a good story. ## Who they are Peter is the eternal child-commander of Neverland, ruling the Lost Boys with cocky bravado and forgetting his own adventures almost as fast as he has them. He craves Wendy's stories and mothering but recoils from any bond that might tether or change him, and his carelessness cuts even those who adore him. His arrival at the Darling nursery is the hinge on which the whole story swings, pulling three ordinary children out of Bloomsbury and into the pirate-haunted island of his imagination. ## Relationships ### [Wendy Darling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/wendy_darling) _romantic_ A complex bond of innocent romantic tension and maternal affection, with Wendy longing for a traditional romance and Peter desiring a mother figure. ### [Tinker Bell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/tinker_bell) _friendship_ Tinker Bell is Peter's fiercely loyal fairy companion, often jealous of his attention to Wendy but devoted to him. ### [Captain Hook](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/captain_hook) _rivalry_ A bitter and obsessive enmity, with Hook seeking revenge for Peter cutting off his hand and feeding it to a crocodile. ### [John Darling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/john_darling) _friendship_ John admires Peter's adventurous spirit and follows him to Neverland, acting as a brave but cautious companion. ### [Michael Darling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/michael_darling) _friendship_ Michael is awestruck by Peter's magical abilities and eagerly follows him, though he remains childishly dependent on Wendy. ### [Mrs. Darling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/mrs_darling) _psychological_ Mrs. Darling has a haunting, maternal awareness of Peter as a mysterious figure who steals children's hearts, representing both wonder and loss. ### [Jane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/jane) _friendship_ Jane becomes Peter's new companion in Wendy's absence, sharing a similar innocent and adventurous bond as her mother once did. ### [Slightly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/slightly) _friendship_ Slightly is one of the Lost Boys, a loyal follower of Peter who admires him but often suffers from Peter's forgetfulness and arrogance. ### [Wendy Darling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/wendy_darling) _romantic_ A complex bond of innocent romantic tension and maternal affection, with Wendy longing for a traditional romance and Peter desiring a mother figure. ### [Wendy Darling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/wendy_darling) _romantic_ A complex bond of innocent romantic tension and maternal affection, with Wendy longing for a traditional romance and Peter desiring a mother figure. ### [Tinker Bell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/tinker_bell) _friendship_ Tinker Bell is Peter's fiercely loyal fairy companion, often jealous of his attention to Wendy but devoted to him. ### [Captain Hook](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/captain_hook) _rivalry_ A bitter and obsessive enmity, with Hook seeking revenge for Peter cutting off his hand and feeding it to a crocodile. ## In the story ### [Peter Breaks Through](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/i-peter-breaks-through) Introduced as the boy who never grows up; he enters the nursery through the window, clad in skeleton leaves, and gnashes his teeth at Mrs. Darling. ### [The Shadow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/ii-the-shadow) Visits the nursery, loses his shadow when Nana closes the window, and escapes into the night. ### [Come Away, Come Away!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/iii-come-away-come-away) Persuades Wendy to come to Neverland, teaches flying, and reveals his desire to remain a boy forever. ### [The Flight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/iv-the-flight) Leads the flight, shows forgetfulness about Wendy, and demonstrates bravery and a desire for adventure, insisting on facing Hook himself. ### [The Island Come True](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/v-the-island-come-true) His return revitalizes the Neverland; he is the captain the lost boys seek and the target of Hook's revenge. ### [The Little House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/vi-the-little-house) Returns to find Wendy shot; forgives Tootles, banishes Tinker Bell, and orchestrates the building of a little house around Wendy. ### [The Home Under the Ground](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/vii-the-home-under-the-ground) Despises all mothers except Wendy; cannot write or spell; invents a game of pretending not to have adventures; often forgets his adventures; changes sides in fights. ### [The Mermaids' Lagoon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/viii-the-mermaids-lagoon) Peter demonstrates his bravery and cunning by imitating Hook's voice to free Tiger Lily, and later confronts the real Hook. ### [The Never Bird](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/ix-the-never-bird) Stranded on the rock, he is saved by the Never Bird and cleverly uses Starkey's hat to save her eggs. ### [X: The Happy Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/x-the-happy-home) Acts as father figure, enjoys the redskins' reverence, and reveals he sees Wendy as a mother, not a romantic partner. ### [Wendy's Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/xi-wendy-s-story) Peter reveals his belief that mothers forget their children, based on his own experience of returning to find his window barred and another boy in his bed. He refuses to leave Neverland, wanting to remain a little boy forever. ### [The Children Are Carried Off](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/xii-the-children-are-carried-off) Mistakenly interprets the tom-tom as a sign of Indian victory, leading the children into the trap. ### [XIII: Do You Believe in Fairies?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/xiii-do-you-believe-in-fairies) Peter sleeps through Hook's poisoning of his medicine, is awakened by Tinker Bell's knock, and after Tink drinks the poison, he desperately calls on children to clap to save her. He then arms himself and sets out to rescue Wendy. ### [The Pirate Ship](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/xiv-the-pirate-ship) Peter surprises everyone by climbing aboard the ship in place of the crocodile, ticking to mimic the sound. He signs to the boys to keep quiet and prepare for action. ### [Hook or Me This Time](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/xv-hook-or-me-this-time) Returns to the ship, frees the children, and duels Hook to the death. ### [The Return Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/xvi-the-return-home) Attempts to bar the window to force Wendy back to Neverland, but relents after seeing Mrs. Darling's tears. ### [When Wendy Grew Up](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/chapters/xvii-when-wendy-grew-up) Returns to find Wendy grown up; takes Jane as his new mother. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters/peter_pan - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/peter_and_wendy_se/characters