Malouf's Fly Away Peter

“And you told me about Leper, that he’s gone crazy. That’s the word, we might as well admit it. Leper’s gone crazy. When I heard that about Leper, then I knew that the war was real, this war and all wars. If a war can drive somebody crazy, then it’s real alright” (Knowles 163). This excerpt from John Knowles’ novel A Separate Peace is the realization from a young student about his classmate, Elwin “Leper” Lepellier. Leper’s sobriquet demonstrates he is unusual and an outcast amongst his class at The Devon School. Leper, a timid, naive, and innocent 17 year old, shocks his peers when he is the first to enlist in the war. He soon returns after escaping from training, mentally broken and an altered character. Thus, Leper suffers from post-traumatic

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

As he lies down to sleep that night, he is overwhelmed by his new surroundings and thinks to himself that "between that earth and that sky I felt erased, blotted out. I did not say my prayers that night; here, I felt, what would be would be" as if he is completely surrendering himself to his new environment (8). But this feeling of helplessness doesn't last long and Jim quickly begins to embrace his new surroundings. His visit to his Grandmother's garden is a point in which we see Jim begin his transformation to his new self

In addition to Jim's superstitious nature, throughout the novel he also demonstrates gullibility. A good example of this

In contrast, the author uses George as a metaphor for those who would fight, kill, and die in the war; this element is an important part of the author’s persuasive strategy. W.D. Howells wants to appeal to the values and the emotional sensibility of his audience, for this reason, Howells portrays George as passive and unsure of himself. George is fearful of the war and he sees no glory in it. He believes that God is peaceful and the idea that God would advocate for war runs counter to George’s belief in peace. In short, the author uses George’s story to illustrate the consequences of war for the reader. This strategy works to persuade a resistant audience to relate to George, hence, lowering their resistance to the anti-war message of this piece.

The true horrors of World War I are difficult to convey through traditional written word. David Malouf’s Fly Away Peter is a novella which uses relatable characters and stereotypes to provide a window for audiences to engage with warfare. This is enhanced by an array of poetic and descriptive language with vivid imagery to truly channel the anguish and confusion of soldiers in war to the audience. Juxtaposition is Malouf’s greatest asset, along with religious symbolism and allusion add subtext to the novella. These techniques allow Malouf to condemn war, create a novella of dualities and illuminate the true meaning life.

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

"Nursery rhymes rely on meter and rhyme to stick into our memories" ("Twinkle Twinkle"). Yet, much like our own experiences, "we do not remember just the words; " ("Twinkle Twinkle") or events, we recall the many actions and movements that bring each tale to life. Two Little Dicky Birds exemplifies this notion, as the physical actions associated with each line resemble the many travels we make throughout our lives ("Twinkle Twinkle"). Being together, exploring the world and coming home, are all stages of our lifelong journey. However, the mimicry of the characters (Peter and Paul) imply the necessity of companionship along this voyage.

Malouf’s ‘Fly Away Peter’ uses an Australian frame of reference to display the horrors and absurdity of war. The way in which Malouf writes creates reality – the reader can suspend disbelief and believe that the events in the novella are actually real. When we read ‘Fly Away Peter’, we see the story through Jim’s eyes. Jim is a bird watcher, and he is Australian. Ashley, his employer, was born in Australia and educated in England. Ashley has inherited the land on which Jim watches the birds. The Australian frame of reference is seen through Jim, juxtaposed with

Throughout the novel Moulaf uses the literary technique of narration to tell parts of the story. “The world Jim found himself in...” this narrator figure symbolises God. Jim and Ashley also symbolise angels. This references the first quote Moulaf placed in the front of the novel. The “divine creature” is an angel. Jim and Ashley are angels incarnated in a human form, and the ‘flying away’ is the time on earth and the coming back is the return to heaven. In the novel Jim dies from injuries sustained form a battle, and in this the cycle of his life is complete and he returns to heaven.

`Fly Away Peter' by David Malouf - To what extent is Jim's understanding of self enhanced by his contact with those around him?

     Jim was brought up as a Methodist. He became quickly fascinated with the pulpit oratory. Vera Price, a childhood playmate remembers, ”He’d always be the preacher, standing up making sermons”(Axthelm 54). Even at the young age of seven Vera, recalls Jim’s speeches encouraging strict discipline. She remembers occasions when Jim was playing with other children and “he’d hit them with a stick and make them cry. He had a power that most boys don’t have”(Axthelm 54). As Jim matured into a young adult this internal power he possessed was not fully matured. In high school Jim was in the popular crowd, but never the leader of the pack. “Only in retrospect does anyone claim to have spotted seeds of the horror to come.’ I had a hunch something bad was going to happen to him,’ says a middle-aged man in Lynn. He was smart as a whip. But he had some strange ideas. He never fit in with the town. He was different”(Axthelm 54).

On the other hand, Jim was not given the same amount of freedom as Huck. To Jim, freedom is the thing he strives for the most in his life. "Jim was fidgeting up and down past me. We neither of us could keep still. Every time he danced around and says, “Dah’s Cairo!”’ (Page 88). This exemplifies Jim’s joy of the voyage to Cairo and just the thought of freedom. Though they are not that close to Cairo when he says this, just floating around on the raft and knowing that he will be there soon is enough excitement for him. “Dah, now, Huck, what I tell you? What I tell you up dah on Jackson Islan’?... en it’s come true; en heah she is!” (Page 293). This demonstrates Jim’s journey coming to an end and him finally reaching pure freedom and having true happiness.

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.

I know I keep going back to Jim but the movie covers him in depth the most, but he sees that if he is willing to quit his band that he will be able to have more intimacy and teaching moments with his children. He is also starting to understand that if he is going to do these teaching moments he is going to have to be around a lot more because then he would be better able to help his children with emotion regulation and other important teaching moments. Jim can start to understand that when he is home his children are becoming better connected with him, and as we have talked in lecture father child play is one of the most important things in a child’s young life. In class we have also talked about the importance of being there as a father so the children do not experience these emotions alone during play, because this can cause the child to not develop the proper way to express emotions when he/