Fly Away Peter, by David Malouf, depicts not only the horrors of war, but the beauty of innocence found in Australian wildlife. In essence, Malouf expresses the concept of binaries, specifically the contrast between innocence and experience, and what it means to be alive. The novel explores the life of Jim Saddler and his love of Australian wildlife, particularly birds, which Malouf then contrasts with his experience of the First World War, in which he later dies. Malouf, through a variety of techniques, including recurring symbols, changes of place, imagery, and changes in time, is able to convey the central ideas of the binary of life and how it is ultimately meaningless. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Malouf uses symbolism to explore how the peace and innocence found in nature contrasts greatly with the horror of experience found in war, but that both are necessary to be whole. Throughout the novel Jim discusses the movement of birds he observes, such as the little wood sandpipers that appear every summer and come, [...], from [overseas]. Through this symbolism, Malouf expresses his belief that in nature birds migrate innocently and peacefully, without any destructive motive. Malouf contrasts this idea with the symbol of the biplane, highlighting the ugliness with which man tries to replicate the beauty of nature. The biplane, an awkward shape [that rises] from an invisible paddock and makes slow turns in the air, is man's attempt to replicate the flight of a bird, which has now become an instrument of war. Malouf points out that there is a parallel between the innocence of bird migration and the destructive motivation of human movement. It is through the symbolic pairing of birds and planes that Malouf conveys his idea that life is composed of both innocence and experience. Malouf also takes advantage of the change of setting within the novel, detailing the natural beauty of Australia and the nightmarish hell of life in the world. trenches, to counter the ideas of innocence and experience. When Ashley returns to Australia after visiting England, she observes the mixtures of dusty blues and greens [and] the sense [the landscape gave of] offering no prospect of [ever] being finished. It is through this imagery that Malouf reinforces the idea that the greatest innocence can be found in nature and that its beauty is one of life's greatest pleasures. Malouf contrasts this idea with images of trenches, rotten planks, gas-soaked mud, rotting corpses [...] all ragged and black, changing the setting to the horrors of the war zone to emphasize the idea of ​​how the experience can completely change our perspective of the world we live in. It is through Malouf's expert use of changing locations that the idea of ​​life's two binaries, innocence and experience, is strengthened. Malouf incorporates a shift in time to address the concept of what it means to be alive, and part-time plays into this. Towards the end of the novel, Malouf quickly moves forward to deal with Imogen's feelings, and this is where the novel comes full circle. Imogen states that everything had changed. The past would not hold and could not be held, and it is through this statement that Malouf conveys the bleak idea that time moves forward and that everything it leaves behind is meaningless. However, this is not the only message that Malouf conveys. The idea that life is forever changing offers some comfort through the promise that new and beautiful things will always emerge, as surfer Imogen, a.