Fly Away Peter

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 how the majority is naïve towards the extent of evil within humanity and sufferings caused by this.

Biblical allusions allows the reader to identify with the protagonist because an intertextual link can be made between the first eight chapters and the "Garden of Eden". This is the section of the novel before Jim's involvement with war where he is living in harmony with nature and his life is full of innocence and happiness. A partnership forms between him, Ashley Crowther and Imogen Harcourt and Jim appears to be in his proper place. We, as the audience, identify with Jim because of the assumption that he is in "paradise…innocence before the fall" similar to the sensuous environment which Adam and Eve experienced. Readers are able to make this biblical connection between Jim and Adam who lived in a perfect state, godlike, until the sin of pride caused his expulsion from paradise, and the beginning of mankind's misery. The flight from Eden is traditionally called the "Fall of man". This intertextual link allows reader to understand Malouf's notion that despite the idea that humans, supposedly rational, ‘higher' creatures, potentially noble and wise, at times stoop to dreadful low points of villainy, in a way which shocks us.