Apologia

Marilyn Adlington
ENG 3UE
Mrs. McConkey
December 5, 2011

Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and The Secret Garden as Universal Classics

A classic is a classic not simply because it is or had been acclaimed or because it conforms to structural rules or definitions. A classic novel is a piece of literary work that will be remembered and significant as having an everlasting effect on the reader for generations beyond the date of publication. This rings true to all three novels studied; Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie; Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll; and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and each are enduring by their own creation of their own individual legacy. Constantly, they are alluded to in popular culture, demonstrating their accomplished stature throughout the ages. The three novels demonstrate an expertise in verisimilitude; a "likeness to truth", bestowing upon the reader a warm spell allowing you to believe and live vicariously through the characters and story. Because the world the reader becomes transported to is essentially constructed by the mind, the novels are able to delve deeper into more mature concepts and universal exploration about not only what it means to be a child, but also the importance of the construction of the mind and creating a world that is all our own.

Each novel speaks to a particular period in a way society can understand and appreciate from a historical and creative standpoint. This appreciation comes out in many forms; in modern society, the revivals of this recognition take place in movies, books, TV shows, and other contemporary forms of entertainment. Undoubtedly, many children and adults alike claim recollection of children's novels such as Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. It is not to say that because a novel or particular story is known to popular culture that they are a classic, however the fact that the legacy of these fantasies have persevered centuries acknowledges that these novels have not finished saying what they have to say. With the recent revivals of all three novels in recent years (Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland in 2010; Peter Pan in 2003; The Secret Garden in 1993; and several films based on the story of Peter Pan such as Finding Neverland in 2004; Return to Neverland in 2002; and Hook in 1991), there is concrete proof that these stories still affect modern society in a powerful way. Furthermore, the characters such as Alice and Peter Pan have inspired many novelists to create entire books revolving around the iconic character, such as the Peter and the Starcatchers series or The Wonderland of Oz, L. Frank Baum's attempt at creating an "American Alice" (Susina 2).  Countless other works have been stimulated by the three novels, such as illustrations (famously done by Salvador Dali) or Disney Park rides (Susina 3). The theme of using the mind and the natural world to heal sicknesses found in The Secret Garden is now a popular method of amelioration, showing even the thoughts present in the novel have lived on in a meaningful way. Due to the continuation of theme present in modern society, it's no surprise that the metaphors and references from all three novels are used constantly in passing and are embedded in the language and ideas of the Western world.

A reason why these novels have been continuously revitalized is because of the escapism they bring. The most acclaimed novels of this sort show an expertise in verisimilitude, allowing "a likeness to truth...to the world they create" ("What Makes A Good Novel"). The novels encapsulate the plausible reality of simplicity and allows the reader to view the world from the utopian eyes of a child. "Wendy and John and Michael stood on tip-toe in the air to get their first sight of the island. Strange to say, they all recognized it at once, and until fear fell upon them they hailed it, not as something long dreamt of and seen at last, but as a familiar friend to whom they were returning home for the holidays," (Barrie, Peter Pan, 43).  The ideal world of children come alive in the pages, and with this, the universal theme of conflict between the innocence of childhood and the responsibility of adulthood is undertaken.  To overcome the obstacles, the characters create a setting constructed by the imagination where they are able to escape growing up until they can face reality with catharsis. "'But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked. 'Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: 'we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.' 'How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice. 'You must be,' said the Cat, 'or you wouldn't have come here.'" (Carroll, Alice in Wonderland, 94). Although the setting contrasts the world the character and the reader are accustomed to, the dream structure, child's point of view, and elegant simplicity of the language allow it to be timeless and believable. "The sun shone down for nearly a week on the secret garden. The Secret Garden was what Mary called it when she was thinking of it. She liked the name, and she liked still more the feeling that when its beautiful old walls shut her in no one knew where she was. It seemed almost like being shut out of the world in some fairy place." (Burnett, The Secret Garden, 72). Barrie, Carroll, and Burnett all completely appreciate and understand the inner yearnings of children and consequently create convincing context and ambiance. 

Without the mature concepts associated with each novel, it would be debateable whether they would have had the lasting effect that they have achieved. This psychological scrutiny is essentially made possible by the fact that the worlds are created by the imagination of a child, and allows the reader to analyze and draw their own conclusions on the deeper meanings associated with the otherwise childlike storylines. With this analysis comes an element of tragedy since as much as the characters try to run from adulthood, they are unable to escape who they are and will inevitably become. "'Let us now,' said Wendy, bracing herself for her finest effort, 'take a peep into the future'; and they all gave themselves the twist that makes peeps into the future easier. 'Years have rolled by, and who is this elegant lady of uncertain age alighting at London Station?' 'O Wendy, who is she?' cried Nibs, every bit as excited as if he didn't know. 'Can it be - yes - no - it is - the fair Wendy!' 'Oh!' 'And who are the two noble portly figure accompanying her, now grow to man's estate? Can they be John and Michael? They are!'" (Barrie 112-113). When the characters escape to their individual alternate reality, often substantially dominated by their subconcious imagination or dreams (as Alice's Wonderland or Wendy's Neverland), they are able to grow, mature, and discover the inescapable truth that no child is able to stay a child forever. There are many catalysts for this discovery for each character. For Wendy, she must overcome her moral battle of leaving Peter and all he symbolizes "Then he unbarred the window. 'Come on, Tink,' he cried, with a frightful sneer at the laws of nature; 'we don't want any silly mothers'; and he flew away." (Barrie 163). In Alice in Wonderland, the catalyst is the garden which leads her into Wonderland. "Alice opened the door and found that it led into a small passage, not much larger than a rate-hole: she knelt down and looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. How she longed to get out of that dark hall, and wander about among those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains..." (Carroll 18-19). To Alice's chagrin, the garden was underwhelming and fraudulent, which leads the reader to cogitate that the ideal of staying a child forever is underwhelming and fraudlent as well. The garden Mary Lennox comes across in The Secret Garden contradicts this idea, instead allowing her to grow because of the affection she acquires by caring for it and consequently the people around her. "... she was inside the wonderful garden and she could come through the door under the ivy at any time and she felt as if she had found a world all her own." (Burnett 64). This allows her to grow in a different way. Alice grows because she learns that her garden is decietful; Mary grows from being decietful to caring because of the garden. 

Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and The Secret Garden are all classic novels. Not only are they relevant in modern society, but they also possess the rare balance of verisimilitude and deeper comprehension due to the resonance of themes and characters. This is highly visible in nearly every genre of popular culture as the characters are unique and interesting and the theme covered in each novel is entirely universal. With these novels, the reader's world is opened up, and with it their imagination.