Fantasy hero to millions the world over, Peter Pan's magical home of Never Land is, like The Secret Garden, instantly appealing to children as a place to escape from adults and never grow old. As timeless as J.M. Barrie's story about Peter and his adventures with the Darling children and the Lost Boys seems, there are more than a few elements in it which are thoroughly outdated. Aside from the sexism present in Barrie's original stage production, the author's treatment of Tiger Lily and the Native American characters in the story is thoroughly cringeworthy. Portraying a tribe as ignorant savages who hunt children and adults alike, Barrie writes that they carry tomahawks and knives, and their naked bodies gleam with paint and oil. Strung around them are scalps, of boys as well as pirates, presenting a stereotypical view of 'American Indians' that was unsurprising for an author who'd never crossed the Atlantic to hold. Still, at least Barrie didn't feature the characters all that much and risk further racial prejudice as Disney did with their 'classic' 1953 animated adaptation of the story. One need only watch the 'What Makes The Red Man Red?' sequence in order to judge just how offensive the story could be: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_at9dOElQk
