In what ways did your study of Fly Away Peter extend your understanding of the inevitability of change in the world?
             In Fly Away Peter David Malouf attempts to explain the inevitability of change in relation to our reality. The journey that two of the main characters take in the novel leads to a realization of the importance of change in our lives. Jim and Imogen are both opposed to the natural cycle of change in some way, yet Jim is more so than Imogen. Jim's sense of self identity is that of a bird that stays within strict limits. He has the ability to 'fly' towards change, as when he takes the job for Ashley, but his self imposed constraints are convenient for him. He embraces a changeless life, living each day as if it is pre-ordained, but not for long; migration is a part of human destiny.
             As he lives his carefree life on the estate, Jim becomes more and more opposed to change. His growing obsession with observing and documenting birds illustrates his need for order and permanency. As he quietly watches the birds, he is observing constant movement. He may watch a bird for only a second, and then it is gone, but he must make them eternal. By documenting and naming the birds he somehow makes them a permanent fixture for him. He believed that "The time span for them was more or less infinite." The photo of the Sandpiper, that Imogen took, was very important to Jim. He was fascinated by the fact that a moment could be 'caught'. For him the presence of the bird was preserved forever in that photo, it needn't ever change. But just as change was a reality for the birds, so it was for Jim. "There were days of big migrations, those last days of August and early September.' Change was approaching Jim, change that he could not fight. "Jim felt the ground tilting towards the place where the war was...The time would come when he wouldn't be able any longer to resist. He wo
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