Fly Away Peter Essay

“Fly Away Peter is an exploration of Jim’s physical and spiritual journey from innocence to experience through his move from Australia to Europe when joining the war” (Nair 149). Malouf showcases his journey by exploring where Jim originated

The identity of a character can be discovered in many aspects of their contextual and intellectual characteristics determining who or what they are to become. In David Malouf’s 1982 novella Fly Away Peter, Jim Saddler is an employed twitcher in Queensland 1914, one of many young Australians searching for their purpose in life as the war to end all wars breaks out pulling them all in to the trenches. Jim’s search for identity is represented largely through his actions and interactions with others, as well as his thoughts and interests. Malouf presents particular ideas about identity and how it is shaped in his novel, looking particularly at the identity of Jim pre-war and post-war, also the identity possessed by Ashley Crowther with his foreign

When Jim volunteers, he, “…felt the ground tilting… to [Europe]… [feeling] the drag upon him… Down into the pit.” Jim’s turbulent feelings towards war allude to hell, foreshadowing the events to come. Jim has a realisation about war before death, stating, “Time, even in the dimension of his own life, had lost all meaning for him”. This alludes to the Biblical Purgatory, a limbo where humans undergo purification to enter Heaven. Jim’s horrifying experiences and long-service embody this ethereal concept, enhanced by soldiers arriving and dying, cycling forever. A surreal scene is imagined by Jim while dying, with dead ANZAC soldiers digging back to Australia. Jim states, “…hands were intended for… steady digging into the earth, as wings were meant for flying… to another season”, referencing Jim’s ascension into Heaven through the earth. The completion of Jim’s journey alludes to the Biblically-inspired text, Dante’s Divine Comedy. Jim is sent to the Hellish trenches, experiences Purgatory through long-service and digs back to his Heavenly swamp. This embeds the Divine Comedy’s subtext, a soul’s journey towards God, into Fly Away Peter. Biblical allusion provides subtext and foreshadowing, enriching Malouf’s novella with layered

David Malouf's novel ‘Fly Away Peter’ charts out the life of protagonist, Jim Sadler. Jim Sadler starts the novel as an innocent young man who lives on the Coast of Queensland. As Jim shows his love and appreciation for birds, he ends up getting a job at a sanctuary owned by Ashley Crawthaw. His job was to watch for the birds that migrated to and from the sanctuary. Throughout the novel the readers are taken on the journey that Jim faces, from the innocence of a young adult to the horror and brutality of the war. At the beginning of the novel the audience is introduced to Jim while he is gazing in the far distance to where the swamp ended and the farmlands began(Malouf, D. Pg.1). Jim’s love for birds was strong, everything about them just amazed him - he could sit for hours and watch them while naming each as he proceeded into the day. By being in the sanctuary, Jim is protected from the harsh reality of the outside world. Having grown up in the country, he is oblivious to how cruel the world is. Once exposing himself to the outside world and goes to the town centre, without much awareness regarding the war, he feels pressured to join the War Effort. Jim is aware of the need to extend his experiences within life and acknowledges the changes that war will certainly bring. On Jim’s arrival to the trenches he is hit with the harsh reality he thought he would never understand. Being so distant from the

The novel Fly Away Peter expresses specific attitudes and values by encouraging the reader to identify with the central character, Jim Saddler. David Malouf, the author, attempts to expose the brutality of war and encourages readers to realise that one can be living a very sheltered lifestyle oblivious of the cruelty and negative side of life. In this text dealing with the experiences of Jim during World War I and events leading up to his signing up, the author uses biblical allusions, evocative and sensuous imagery, contrast of settings, metaphors and other characters to aid readers to establish an identity for the protagonist. It is through his central character that he communicates his disparaging perspective on war and points out

Fly Away Peter, written by David Malouf, exposes Australian soldiers’ horrific involvement in World War I by utilising a variety of literary devices to convey his central ideas. Through the experiences of the protagonist, Jim Saddler, Malouf establishes the destructive nature of war on the natural environment, by employing foreshadowing and contrasting imagery. To further highlight the destructive nature of war, Malouf emphasises the dehumanising state of the soldiers by utilising inter-textuality and grotesque imagery. To overcome the destructions of war, Malouf demonstrates Jim’s unique ability to employ a separate reality as a coping mechanism through the bird motif. Lastly, Malouf highlights the perpetuity of life’s natural cycles through

One of the most central messages of David Malouf’s novel Fly Away Peter is that wars amongst humans are a part of our existence which are utterly devoid of purpose or meaning. This theme is portrayed largely by the contrast present in the text. The comparison between the enduring cycle of nature and the fleeting actions of humans, the juxtaposition of an idyllic Queensland lifestyle and a war setting, and the exploration of the idea of hope in the face of sorrow are some examples of techniques employed by the author that reinforce his stance on war.

Malouf evokes the horror and absurdity of war in ‘Fly Away Peter’ through an Australian frame of reference that creates reality for the reader. Discuss.

Throughout ‘Fly Away Peter’ Malouf utilises a variety of literary techniques such as contrast, Imagery, Symbolism and foreshadowing to portray ideas and themes. The title ‘Fly Away Peter’ makes reference to the traditional English nursery rhyme ‘Two Little Dickie Birds’. Moulaf utilises this nursery rhyme to make the connection between themes within ‘Fly Away Peter’ and everyday life.

'Fly Away Peter' is essentially a story about life. Through the life of Jim Saddler the reader becomes aware of the ideas posed by the author, David Malouf. Jim's life, if anything, is indeed a journey, unfolding through various broadening experiences that lead to Jim's eventual understanding of the world and his own self. However, to simply say that this understanding is enhanced solely by his contact with those around him is only true to a certain extent. Jim's journey of life exists on many levels, just one of which is the lessons he learns through his contact with others.

Ralph is intelligent, dedicated, but that doesn’t mean that he is scared and sometimes stubborn. This book is called the Lord of the Flies. Written by William Golding. This essay will be covering 3 symbols that were significant to the book and analyze the symbolism of each. For example, in the second paragraph, it will cover what the fire symbolized and what the “beast” is, the third and fourth paragraph will be about the Lord of The

This chapter as the beginning of the book sets the scene and begins to develop the characters of the novel. The story begins with Jim in the swampland watching birds calmly, looking at how they live their lives, remembering that these small birds have seen more of the world than most people, "has been further and higher than even that clumsy plane" (p.3). As a respectful intruder into the birds' territories, Jim feels that nature is in balance before he notices a biplane begins making circles above the swampland.

In David Malouf’s novel Fly Away Peter, he expresses many ideas in regards to life and nature. Through this he is able to write a story that expresses a balance between good and bad through the use of nature and factitious items. When reading this novel, I was encouraged to reflect on my ideas and experiences of humanity living in harmony with nature, the importance of individuality, and the importance of making good decisions. Humanity living in harmony with nature is an idea within Fly Away Peter which I have thought deeply about when reading this novel.

Frankl quoted that (as cited in Lavelle, 1961, p.205) “Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment”. In other words, all of us have their own distinct mission in life that

Humans are on this planet to adapt, reproduce, and survive. That’s our purpose as human beings. However, as people, I do not believe humans have their own essence. Thinking one person has their own essence would be the same as thinking everything happens for a reason. If people have their own essence, they believe in a purpose to their life that is already set in stone. They follow a path without questioning as if they have no choice in the matter of the course. It is not necessary to have a say in the matter since it is already written out for them. As people grow they change their purpose in life. The longer people live the more times they change their minds. They have experienced more and can understand who they are and what it is they want out of their human experience. It’s irrational to think that thoughts and ideas don’t change as someone ages. I for one, don’t have the same purpose in life that my five-year-old self