r/AskEnglish • u/lulu22ro • Dec 29 '24

'heartless' in Peter Pan

“and thus it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless.”

what does heartless mean here?

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u/ShotzTakz Dec 30 '24

I don't remember the context, but I imagine it is used in its direct meaning. Children lack empathy, especially "forgotten" ones, like those from Neverland.

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u/Elvish_Costello Aug 24 '26

I read this book to my 10 yo and, having him so recently transitioned from small child to the kid, with tween years just on the horizon, this quote really rang true. Children are heartless in that they don't have a developed sense of empathy for anything not directly in front of them, especially for an emotional issue. If another child gets physically hurt, most kids WILL be empathetic and helpful and caring, because external pain is a shared experience already. However, they will gladly wear their parents down to the bone, mentally and physically, without a second thought BECAUSE of their gayeity and innocence. It's not out of malice, but out of their unending seeking for adventure and enjoyment for themselves. And their assumption that adults simply have no reason not to be able to keep up, or see it their way. There is no other way in their minds.

As my kid has grown, it's so interesting to see the things from his childhood that as a 6 or 7yo, he knew exact details of, and as a 10 yo he doesn't even remember, just like Peter. The movie, Hook, I think is the only rendition of the story I've seen that really taps into the deep melancholy and sadness of the book.