In Peter and Wendy, written by JM Barrie, characters display specific qualities that are stereotypical of their gender. The characters fit into traditional concepts of masculinity and femininity: Peter is arrogant, stubborn, charismatic and enigmatic towards the women in his life, and Wendy Darling, a young girl whose father wants to remove her from the nursery she shares with her brothers . The two characters embody and perpetuate gender stereotypes and mirror the stereotypes embodied by the adult characters in the story, Mr. and Mrs. Darling. Barrie introduces Mr. Darling as the family worker, a proud businessman. He insistently demands respect and obedience from his wife, his children and his dog Nana. On top of this, he boasts to Wendy that Mrs. Darling not only loves him, but respects him. This perspective is linked to the stereotypical view of the male gender as the main source of income, with a resilient disposition and a need for order. When Mrs. Darling tells him about Peter Pan, he dismisses her concerns, suggesting indifference and lack of concern for the opinions of others. In contrast, Mrs. Darling, his wife, is depicted as a romantic and maternal character. She is a "lovely lady", who has had many suitors but was "won" by Mr. Darling, who reached her first. However, she is a multi-faceted character because her mind is described "like little boxes, one inside the other, coming from the enigmatic East", suggesting that she is, to some extent, an enigma to the other characters, especially Mr. Darling. Beyond that, she exemplifies the characteristics of a “perfect mother.” He puts everything in order, including his children's minds, which is a metaphor for the morals and ethics he instills in them. Although… halfway through the paper… the male characters reveal that not all female characters were written to be “shy [and] dependent.” He also makes a deal with Captain Hook, the antagonist character. Tink is a depiction of the femme fatale, in which a female seeks to fulfill her hidden purpose using feminine wiles such as charm and beauty. She is also manipulative and full of negative emotions, which were not considered appropriate in a woman in the late Victorian era. However, despite Tinker Bell being at odds with the usual female gender roles, she conforms in terms of love. The women share an unrequited attraction to Peter, and as a result their feelings are caught in a limited range between mutual jealousy and silent longing for Peter. Works Cited Bertens, H. Literary Theory: The Basics (The Politics of Class: Marxism), (Abingdon, Routledge, 2001), pp. 94-99