Essay Database

. 'Fly Away Peter' tells the story of a profound relationship that develops between three very different characters: Jim Saddler, Ashley Crowther and Imogen Harcourt. Their tacit bond is the product of an affinity with the natural world of landscape and wildlife. This tranquility is disrupted by the intrusion of World War One into their lives. The novel explores the effects of the collision between these two worlds on these characters and ultimately affirms the value …

…innocence, just like the birds he loves. When he sees new species of birds in the early part of the novel, he names them. In this he is another Adam before the fall, a namer of animals. Australia is his Garden of Eden. The notion that inspires the whole novel is well expressed in Imogen Harcourt's reflections on Jim's death. She has a vision of all life, great and small, having enormous dignity and integrity.