Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook

The pirates represent The Tension Between Childhood and Adulthood. Initially, they are portrayed as the primary antagonists in the boys’ lives, for Peter and his boys have always fought the pirates in their “games.” Peter believes that there is “nothing better than killing pirates” (120), and as the story progresses, it becomes clear that the pirates are a major source of genuine, frightening violence that transcends the limits of make-believe. In fact, they genuinely fear and hate Peter, particularly after he burns their camp, and they take that hatred and fear out on the boys that are still under his direct control. However, the pirates’ violence often goes well beyond even what Peter is willing to do. The narrative strongly implies that the pirates violently rape and murder any women they manage to bring to their camp. At the end of the story, Peter’s reign of terror has become so extreme that Jamie, Charlie, and Nod have no choice but to join the pirates anyway. This conclusion suggests that adulthood offers no escape from violence; if anything, growing up means that violence can escalate even further.