‘Hook,’ the Sequel
In rebuttal to the letter by David Nathan, “Who Needs to Find the Child Within ‘Hook’?” (Dec. 28): The movie is not supposed to be about J. M. Barrie’s concept of Peter Pan. This is Steven Spielberg’s message to us that we are in danger of losing our humanity in the contrived reality of materialistic game play--stocks, land-development deals, lawsuits, etc.
The character of Peter Banning has lost the joy of living, the ability to experience life in fullness. He is a man of fear. He does not have time to experience the joy of his son’s youth. Yet, through recalling his childhood, he discovers his life purpose and his true self and returns to the real world with a fresh and loving attitude toward his life and family.
Discovering the inner child has nothing to do with being childlike. It means to recall the most painful moments in childhood in order to integrate the best qualities of youth into a mature adult life.
Although I agree that this may not have been the theme of Barrie’s original “Peter Pan,” it is an important message for our modern society. MICHAEL KEY
Temple City
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