Infanzia, tesina (2)

Indice

Introduzione

• ………………………………………………………………………………
• ………………………………………….. 2

Peter Pan and J. M. Barrie

• ……………………………………….…… 3 ………..

Adulthood: the figure of parents and Wendy

• ……………………………………….… 3.

Fear of death: Captain Hook and violence

• ……………………………………………………………. 5.

Barrie’s thoughts and personal interpretation

• …………………………………………….… 6

Die Blechtrommel und Günter Grass

• ………………………………………………………………. 8 ...........

Die Trommel und der Zorn

• ………………………………………………………………. 8

Religion und Politik

• …………………………………………………………………………………. 9

…..

Der Wachstum

• ………………………………………………………………………………

. 10

Peter Pan, Oskar Matzerath e Sigmund Freud

• ……………………………………..……… 12 ………………………………………….

Definizione e analisi

• ………………………………………. 12

… .

James Matthew Barrie & Sigmund Freud

• …………………………………………….. 13

……………………………………………….

Günter Grass & Sigmund Freud

• …....…………………. 14 ………………………………….

Rapporto tra Peter e Oskar

• ……………………………. 15

Considerazioni conclusive

• …………………………………………………………………………… 16

Bibliografia

• ………………………………………………………………………………

………… 17 1

Introduzione

La mia breve tesina, come si evince dal suo titolo, Per esporre dunque

questo tema, ho preso come esempi due dei maggiori capostipiti della

letteratura trattante questo argomento, ossia l’autore scozzese James

Matthew Barrie, che nel 1902 creò il celeberrimo personaggio Peter Pan,

ovvero l’eterno bambino, ed il premio Nobel Günter Grass che scrisse di

Oskar Matzerath nel racconto “Die Blechtrommel – Il tamburo di latta”. In

seguito porterò alcuni esempi tratti dai vari scritti filosofici del neurologo

e psicoanalista Sigmund Freud che parlò della psicologia e dello sviluppo

del bambino.

Scelsi questo argomento all’inizio dell’anno scolastico sebbene avessi

qualche riserbo a riguardo. Non si può pensare all’opera di Barrie senza

che la memoria non ci rimandi alla nostra infanzia e quindi a un periodo

di immaturità, e ciò potrebbe essere quindi considerato come inadeguato

per un esame di Stato. Tuttavia ho desiderato sviluppare questo tema

basandomi sulla mia esperienza personale. La quinta superiore è ciò che

ho sempre considerato il trampolino di lancio verso quella che

“certamente sarà una grande avventura”, e pensavo che mi sarei sentita

subito pronta a entrare nella fase matura della vita. Tuttavia, alle porte di

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questa nuova realtà mi sono trovata piuttosto insicura. Sono arrivata a

pensare che sarebbe stato bello restare piccoli ancora un po’.

Per questo ho scelto questo tema. Perché rimanere nel proprio nido

d’infanzia è certamente una delle scelte per la quale si possa optare ma

il vero mondo è al di fuori, e affrontare la realtà è la vera avventura. Ho

scelto la prima opera in realtà perché sin da piccola consideravo Peter

Pan il mio idolo, per la sua abilità a sfuggire alla realtà. La seconda,

ovvero “Il Tamburo di Latta” l’ho scoperta da poco e, leggendola, mi sono

accorta che le ragioni che mi spingevano a parlare di tutto questo erano

diverse da quando avevo iniziato questo percorso.

Loro non hanno vinto la propria paura, loro sono scappati.

La paura di crescere, quella che io oramai sono riuscita a sconfiggere, è

quella, che una volta superata, ci rende maturi. Si diventa maturi

accettando che quel bambino che è nel nostro cuore dovrà fare spazio

all’adulto che è giusto che noi diventiamo. Ogni tanto è giusto scappare

nella propria “Isola che non c’è”. Come il cantante Edoardo Bennato ci

canta, se ti prendono in giro perché continui a cercarla, non devi darti per

vinto perché “chi ci ha già rinunciato e ti ride alle spalle forse è ancora

più pazzo di te”.

Peter Pan & Sir James Matthew Barrie

Introduction

In this first part I will talk about the stunning success of Sir James

Matthew Barrie, Scottish author, play writer and novelist born in 1860. Of

all his works, his masterpiece and consequently his undoubtedly most

appreciated writings were those of the Peter Pan series, including The

Little White Bird, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and Peter Pan.

Sir Barrie was inspired, for the character of Peter, by the Greek god Pan,

son of Hermes, known for his skill at imitating whence Barrie was inspired

to create the attitude of Peter in the counterfeiting of his voice.

3

Furthermore he took inspiration from it also for another feature, albeit

secondary, peculiar to Peter: the zuffolo. In fact we see Peter creating a

reed flute, instrument of the god that, in love with a nymph that

attempting to escape turned into reeds, created this musical instrument

which reminded the sound of her voice.

Adulthood, the figure of parents and Wendy

Sir Barrie begins the play by giving advice to his group of actors, in fact

he writes that everybody, whether adults or children, "must wear child’s

outlook on life" as if it were the only prestige.

1

Certainly the figure of Peter Pan is essential for the analysis of the work.

Peter is a child who does not even know his age and perceives reality as

sole and deadly source of evil in the world. In the short time that this

kind of elf spends in the company of the Darling brothers we can fully

understand how he sees the world.

Peter tells Wendy of a conversation he heard between his parents "I

heard Father and Mother talking of what I was to be when I became a

man," so as he panicked, he flew to the Neverland. However, once he

2

convinced himself to return to his mother, who had literally closed the

window from which he was supposed to return. In its place he saw

another child. This event completely shattered irrevocably little Peter’s

world.

Then in this particular point we can notice this huge trauma that shook

the mind of the little Peter. It’s normal for a child then, thinking that

parents, in this case the real villains to Peter, “not even newborn have

accostumated us not to think but to give us this illusion, always with the

excuse of the reason” . This is the most important point of the entire

3

work. Speaking on the other hand of the Darlings’ parents, we can see

how they greatly differ. First, their father George is a regular bank

employee, "so similar to others" that you recognize him from where he

4

Note

Barrie Peter Pan, o il bambino che non voleva crescere,

1 James M., Feltrinelli, 3° edizione,

Classici, 2008 Incipit

Barrie Peter Pan, o il bambino che non voleva crescere,

2 James M., Feltrinelli, 3° edizione,

Classici, 2008 Pag 65

Ma che sarà...,

3 Edoardo Bennato, Ricordi SMLR 6279, 1980

Barrie Peter Pan, o il bambino che non voleva crescere,

4 James M., Feltrinelli, 3° edizione,

4

Classici, Pag 41

sits and not from his face. George is the typical stereotype of severe

father with high expectations, so as to impose a definite future of his

choice to the children, using the excuse that he, at their age, had to

abandon his dreams too. Apparently this man is unkind towards his

children, for example when he discovers that his eldest daughter, Wendy,

continues narrating "nonsense" stories to her brothers, intending in that

case Peter Pan stories.

Afterwards, Mrs. Darling, occupies a quite important role as her very

essence of mother is exactly the thing around which the entire novel

revolves. The mother of the three brothers seems more reasonable and

willing to understand what is happening to their children. It is always

difficult on the other hand for children to understand what parents

experience or feel, as both certainly have had to sacrifice some of their

dreams and it is increasingly difficult for them, over the years, re-open

the “drawer” in which they were placed and then be forced to close it

again. 5

Similarly analyzing the character of Wendy in fact, we can see that even

though the age of the two children seems almost identical, though not

knowing exactly Peter’s one, behaviors and thoughts are almost

diametrically contrasting. Wendy, during the whole length of the book,

has always the bond of reason inside. She is in love with Peter, but knows

she has to grow up indeed she wants to take him to London with her,

although he refuses. During the play, Wendy tries desperately to make

Peter feel something but the child rejects it. Wendy asks repeatedly Peter

how he feels about her, and he says he feels as "a devoted son," , he

6

doesn’t understand what she and Tiger Lily feel and he shows the fear of

being the real father of the Lost Boys. Wendy becomes in a sense the

Lost Boys’ mother (Hook explains that in a few words saying "The nest

must have fallen into the water, but would the bird desert her eggs?" ),

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so that even the crew of the Jolly Roger wants to have one.