I have been thinking about the tale of Peter Pan these days. We all know the story of adventure with the boy who never wanted to grow up. As children we marveled at his ability to fly and his courage in standing up to the villain, Captain Hook. It is a favorite tale of the growing pains of becoming an adult. What we don’t often think about is how strong the women in the story actually are. We have often tended to view them as background characters who provide Peter Pan with the opportunity to be a gallant knight. If we really think about the tale we must surely realize that the ladies are so much more.
Wendy is the most developed character after Peter Pan and Captain Hook. While she is till living in the nursery with her younger brothers she is already quite mature, moving into adult roles without really thinking about it. She is a strong willed and intelligent young woman who assumes the responsibility of mothering the lost boys quite smoothly. Much like most young women she has incredible instincts when it comes to handling the day to day routines and even emergency situations. She is the mature voice in the story, the steady hand that keeps everyone full and happy. As she reads stories to the boys one has to be in awe of her intellectual abilities and her insightfulness in knowing what they need.
Tinkerbell may be a tiny fairy but it is she who saves Peter Pan from being poisoned. Her courage is out-sized as she drinks the foul potion to keep Peter from becoming deathly ill. Her loyalty and concern for Peter is repeated over and over again. She is much stronger and more capable than she at first appears to be.
Tiger Lily is Peter Pan’s pal. She too steadfastly defends her friend with grit and determination. She rescues Peter Pan over and over again, standing up to Captain Hook without thoughts of her own safety.
Even Nana, the dog who watches over Wendy and her brothers, is faithful and protective of her charges. She worries over them and uses her instincts to keep them from harm. She takes her job very seriously.
Societies throughout history have tended to underestimate the courage and intellect of women. For centuries they were mostly relegated to secondary roles, often without benefit of education. They helped with the housework, care of their siblings and eventually bore their own children. They did not get the right to vote in the United States until the twentieth century after fighting incredible battles to get there. Gaining parity with their male counterparts has been an uphill battle that continues to this very day. In some cultures they have even been pushed into regressive situations. Of late groups here in the United States seem intent on forcing them into the old traditional ways of behaving even as they declare that they won’t go back.
I remember being afraid to demonstrate my intelligence in my teen years. I nonetheless worked hard and made good grades because I actually enjoyed learning. I often thought of my father who had encouraged me to read and to explore the world around me. I remembered my Grandma Minnie Bell who regretted her inability to read or write. I wanted to use the gifts I had been given while also wondering if I should hide them. I sensed that some of the young men who were my fellow students found my studiousness to be unattractive. The world was still struggling to accept women as equals to men.
I was in the generation that saw barrier after barrier being torn down by courageous women who carved a pathway for the rest of us. They balanced home and work life and literally led a revolution. Today there are more women graduating from college than men. Women hold executive positions in almost every kind of work. We now can clearly see that women are able handle much more than it was once thought possible.
In spite of this evidence the American people still seem to be unwilling to accept a woman as President. We’ve had worthy candidates along the way but they always just miss gaining the right segment of votes to earn the honor. When they lose there are all kinds of critiques regarding their lack of likability or their inexperience. The same factors are rarely used to assess men.
Hillary Clinton was a star student at her high school, her college, and her law school. Everyone who knew her saw her potential. She stood toe to toe with men throughout her life and yet when she ran for President her resume was judged to be lacking even though she had been a Senator and the Secretary of State. She lost to a millionaire real estate broker and television personality. Somehow his business acumen was judged to be more attuned to a leadership role than hers even though he had backrupted multiple businesses in his rise to fame.
Most recently I heard person after person insist that Kamala Harris did not have enough experience to be the President. They seemed to ignore the fact that she had been a District Attorney, the California Attorney General, a Senator and Vice President of the United States. They instead went with the same man who had defeated Hillary Clinton in spite of his botching of the pandemic response and his attempt to overthrow the legal vote count in the 2020 election. They claimed that Kamala Harris had no platform when she actually did. They would have known this if they had taken to time to listen to her. Instead they bought into the disjointed lies, the fear mongering and strange musings of Donald Trump. Once again the woman lost to an inferior man, most likely because too many Americans are still unable to accept the idea that a woman is capable of doing what was once exclusively a man’s job.
I truly long for the day when such backward thinking is a thing of the past. I have an incredible granddaughter who has the potential to do great things if only she is given the chance to do so. She has already been a featured speaker for her research into minority voting habits. She has worked for a city government, a defense attorney and a district attorney all while making near perfect grades in her college classes. She has even had one of her papers published and will present her findings at an international conference in the spring. She is determined to make a difference in the world and it is my hope that she will not be held back by backward ideas that procalims that she is somehow not equal in abilities to her male peers.
Women will keep moving forward. It’s what we do. One day perhaps we will all understand their incredible powers and we will be excited about welcoming them into executive authority. My wish is that I will live to see it happen. For now I simply refuse to force any woman to go back to the past.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 