Original artwork, not a still
Second to the right, and straight on till morning.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the most charming bad set of directions in literature: a child's idea of an address, with a poetry the real world cannot match. The line works as both a joke and a promise, that wonder is somewhere you reach by heading for the stars and not stopping until dawn. It has become the Neverland's postcode, repeated far beyond the book.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Peter PanShow the scene
In Chapter 3, Wendy has just asked Peter where he lives, and he says it is second to the right and then straight on till morning. She calls it a funny address and he suddenly feels it might be one, then insists it is not, and she asks if that is what they put on letters. He says he gets none. When they set off, the narrator opens Chapter 4, 'The Flight', by repeating the directions and noting that even birds with maps could not have found the Neverland that way, since Peter simply said whatever came into his head.
Sources (1)
- Project Gutenberg, Peter Pan by J. M. BarrieChapter III (Wendy asks where Peter lives) and the start of Chapter IV, The FlightReference checked
Context reviewed
