Fly Away Peter: Analytical Response

In David Malouf’s Fly Away Peter, the story follows Jim Sadler, an avid bird watcher as he comes to terms with the reality of life through the loss of his innocence and the horrors that he has seen during his tour in World War I. David Malouf uses several literary techniques to express these ideas, such as the contrast between the life Jim has at his bird sanctuary in Queensland and the godlessness at war. Divinity and religion are used frequently as metaphors throughout the novel. This all relates back to the continuum of life that Jim comes to terms with, after losing his innocence.

At the beginning of the book, Malouf portrays the image of Jim in his sanctuary with beautiful blue mountains and farmlands. As he is watching over the swamp in the sanctuary, a shadow is cast over his surroundings while he tries to observe the birds. “…the big shadow was that of a bi-plane…” This is evidence of Malouf’s use of contrast to separate machinery and nature. Malouf uses this shadow to convince the reader that this is an unnatural presence. It demonstrates the destruction of nature, as it is now difficult for Jim to view upon these divine creatures and their surroundings. “It was a new presence here and it made Jim Sadler uneasy.” The introduction of this modern technology is uncomfortable and begins his loss of innocence.

This introduces Ashley Crowther, a Cambridge educated man, who has returned home from his studies in England, as he owns the swamplands. Jim immediately feels a connection; he knows that they are going to be friends. “Something in the silence that existed between them…. made Jim believe that there could be a common ground between them…” Ashley shares the same views on the divinity of the land. “For all his cultivation, he liked what was unmade here and [it] could, without harm, be left that way.” Jim accepts a job to be a curator of Ashley’s prospective bird sanctuary.

This bird sanctuary becomes a very holy place for Jim. He only uses the