Malouf in his novel uses war as a symbol to expose the dual nature of things in life as well as to probe fundamental questions concerning what life is. He does so by positioning the reader to contend that war accentuates classism despite its precarious nature, that significant changes in life include process of both development and destruction, in addition to existential questions regarding the meaning and purpose of life.
Malouf uses World War One to position the reader to contend that the expectations of class are precarious. Settings throughout ‘Fly Away Peter’ challenge the social status of Malouf’s characters’ by bringing out the strength of one’s character as opposed to the expectations imposed by class. Ashley Crowther owner of The Sanctuary,
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Malouf uses an example of a youthful officer placed in a position of power based solely on his social status, who ends up dying before Jim’s eyes. This officer’s characterisation portrays him as a mere boy incapable of supervising troops. The officer was described as looking no more than ‘twelve years old’ and as someone with ‘boyish nobility.’ Malouf’s portrayal of the officer allows the reader to observe his unfitness for the role which in turn emphasises the accentuation of classism by war consequently demonstrating the dangers in determining one’s outcome from one’s birth.
Malouf uses war to position the reader to contend that significant changes in life include processes of both development and destruction. Malouf does so by exploring the positive and negative aspects emerging from the war. The war itself becomes a
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Existential questions such as ‘what am I doing here?’ and ‘why must I go on?’ are raised in the reader’s mind. In the conclusive mind of Imogen, ‘life wasn’t for anything. It simply was.’ Malouf explores this through the employment of the literary technique of symbolism. The importance of individuality is represented through the cataloguing of people and birds. In the case of Imogen the importance of individuality is represented through her desire to photograph waves ‘at their one moment.’ The symbolism of lists emphasises the importance in appreciating life and all that comes with it. Through the question of ‘why must I go on?’ Malouf contends that in order to develop perception one must persist through difficulties. Throughout ‘Fly Away Peter’ Jim was placed in horrific, life threatening scenarios resulting in him questioning the worth of fighting for life. The first major moment Jim questions the worth of his life is when he falls into a shell hole with Wizzer. The sense of defeat he feels causes him shame and leads him to question whether he should persist or just give in to the pain. This moment shook Jim, but not enough to allow him to give up for he was ‘scared but not sullied.’ Jim’s determination is once again explored when he bravely runs on to No Man’s Land consequently ending his life. In the climax of the novel Jim fights himself to endure the pain and horrors of the war, however this time
Fly Away Peter is unique in its presentation of universal and prominent themes. The significance of the individual, as opposed to the meaning of life, man’s ability to transcend the immediate, the continuity of life and predetermined fate are all examined in a sensitive and perceptive manner. Malouf crafts his three main characters to portray and develop the essence of his main themes. The most prominent of these themes is summarised by Malouf when he said: "We can and must transcend the conditions we find ourselves in, however terrible they may be."
Through these brutal and traumatic scenes, the novel presents several themes, one of which is “Loss of Youth.” These young soldiers endure a lot, pai...
Another part of the hero’s journey is known as “Tests”, these are challenges that the main character must overcome throughout his/her journey. One of the biggest tests that Jim Hawkins endured was dealing with Captain Long John’s betrayal, he and his shipmates engaged in war on the ship as well as the island and he could have been killed at any moment. “The ship shot another cannon, this one barely missed Jim as he struggled to climb the hill” (156). Another test he had to overcome was his fear of leaving his ordinary world, but throughout the story he was able to become independent and handle tasks on his own, which is something he had trouble doing during the start. “I made a promise that I would be the one to bring this treasure home to my mother, and I’m not going to let someone like Long John stop me even if I have to fight him myself” (107). Therefore, the fact that Jim is able to pass these tests proves that he is indeed a hero. He is the one who sets out on his own to sabotage Long John’s plans while they are at the island and succeeds, he is the reason the supreme ordeal is
during the war. This novel is able to portray the overwhelming effects and power war has
Pat Barker's novel Regeneration explores the effects that World War I has on the human condition and more specifically on the condition of the British people. One particular area of exploration is the detrimental presence of class distinctions within the ranks of the British military. This issue of class distinction is addressed specifically on pages 66 and 67 of the novel through a conversation between Billy Prior and Dr. Rivers. The characters' discussion reinforces Barker's theme of the injustices of these class distinctions and the harm they produce on the war front.
War deprives soldiers of so much that there is nothing more to take. No longer afraid, they give up inside waiting for the peace that will come with death. War not only takes adolescence, but plasters life with images of death and destruction. Seeger and Remarque demonstrate the theme of a lost generation of men in war through diction, repetition, and personification to relate to their readers that though inevitable and unpredictable, death is not something to be feared, but to calmly be accepted and perhaps anticipated. The men who fight in wars are cast out from society, due to a misunderstanding of the impact of such a dark experience in the formative years of a man’s life, thus being known as the lost generation.
War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, written by the talented author Chris Hedges, gives us provoking thoughts that are somewhat painful to read but at the same time are quite personal confessions. Chris Hedges, a talented journalist to say the least, brings nearly 15 years of being a foreign correspondent to this book and subjectively concludes how all of his world experiences tie together. Throughout his book, he unifies themes present in all wars he experienced first hand. The most important themes I was able to draw from this book were, war skews reality, dominates culture, seduces society with its heroic attributes, distorts memory, and supports a cause, and allures us by a constant battle between death and love.
While soldiers are often perceived as glorious heroes in romantic literature, this is not always true as the trauma of fighting in war has many detrimental side effects. In Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front, the story of a young German soldier is told as he adapts to the harsh life of a World War I soldier. Fighting along the Western Front, nineteen year old Paul Baumer and his comrades begin to experience some of the hardest things that war has to offer. Paul’s old self gradually begins to deteriorate as he is awakened to the harsh reality of World War 1, depriving him from his childhood, numbing all normal human emotions and distancing the future, reducing the quality of his life. At the age of nineteen, Paul naively enlists in World War 1, blind to the fact he has now taken away his own childhood.
In Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and in Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone, both authors commentate on the romanticism of violence that is often associated with war. Because of this, the authors are able to dispel misconceptions surrounding war. Furthermore, the memoirs allow the authors reflect upon their own experiences of war during their childhoods, as well as examine how cultural shifts perpetuated by both war and the increased influence of western culture that took place within their cultures shaped who they became. Through their memoirs, the authors portray the reality of war and violence through cultural experiences.
War always seems to have no end. A war between countries can cross the world, whether it is considered a world war or not. No one can be saved from the reaches of a violent war, not even those locked in a safe haven. War looms over all who recognize it. For some, knowing the war will be their future provides a reason for living, but for others the war represents the snatching of their lives without their consent. Every reaction to war in A Separate Peace is different, as in life. In the novel, about boys coming of age during World War II, John Knowles uses character development, negative diction, and setting to argue that war forever changes the way we see the world and forces us to mature rapidly.
The final part of the novel tells of the anarchy of the days immediately after the end of the war and ends with Jim being reunited with his parents. Again, the fascination is with the people and how they react to their new found freedom.
Jim has been proven, especially towards the end of the novel, how brave he is. Towards the end of the novel, Tom gets shot when trying to
The physical effects of war overwhelm the naïve causing pain and suffering. Initially, war entangles the lives of youth, destroying the innocence that they experience as an aspect of their life. The girl “glid[ing] gracefully down the path” (1) and the boy “rid[ing] eagerly down the road” (9) have their enjoyable realities striped by the harshness of war. Likewise, war enters women’s lives creating turmoil. The woman who works “deftly in the fields” ( ) no longer is able to experience the offerings of life. The “wire cuts,” ( ) pushing her away from the normal flow of life. In addition, man undergoes tragic obstacles as a result of war. “A man walks nobly and alone” ( ) before the horrible effects of war set in on his life causing disruptions. War enters the life of man destroying the bond man shares with his beloved environment ( ).
`Fly Away Peter' by David Malouf is a powerful war story in which the author has used contrasting settings and strong symbolism to clearly portray his own ideas and opinions of war, and further the readers understanding of the text.
Throughout their lives, people must deal with the horrific and violent side of humanity. The side of humanity is shown through the act of war. This is shown in Erich Remarque’s novel, “All Quiet on the Western Front”. War is by far the most horrible thing that the human race has to go through. The participants in the war suffer irreversible damage by the atrocities they witness and the things they go through.