'Malouf is concerned to portray the transformation of innocence into experience, but in the process to maintain integrity. His mood is optimistic rather than despairing.'
             Fly Away Peter is a novel written by David Malouf. It is set in the period of world war one with the first half in rural Queensland and the second in the war in France. The author describes a journey from innocence to experience that young soldiers like Jim go through as a result of wartime experiences. While exploring this journey, Malouf manages to maintain a degree of integrity by showing the whole picture of war. He allows us to see both the positive and the negative sides to war. While the book depicts the horrors of war, it also gives an optimistic view by giving the impression that life will still go on and there will be a future after the war.
             Before going to the war in Europe, Jim led very secluded life in Queensland, making him very innocent and unaware of the horrors life can bring. There were several instances in the book which demonstrate this innocence. For example, he described photography as a mystery, he had never heard of Wagner, and was unaware of the word 'refugee'. He wasn't well educated and had not had the opportunity to travel outside of Queensland. He had limited experience of the world, and preferred the safe, comfortable world in which he lived. Prior to meeting Ashley, he had been drifting along in life without any definite purpose. He was afraid of change and new things. He felt that the opportunity given to him by Ashley to watch the bird migration had changed his life. His views on these migration patterns help us to understand his innocence by allowing us to see that he has a small view in contrast to the map the birds must have in their heads as they travel across the globe. When Jim first !
             arrived in Europe, he had no idea what to expect from the war and found himself in a world that was 'un...