Malouf uses the characterisation of Jim and Ashley, to present the different experiences war for each individual. He uses omniscient narration to highlight the class difference between Ashley and Jim, in their first meeting as “one was mounted and the other had his two feet set firmly on the earth.” Positioned on horseback, Malouf highlights the status difference between Ashley and Jim. This is also shown when Ashley is given a higher position in war because of his family wealth, “Ashley Crowther knew these things because he was an officer”, in comparison to Jim who was a frontline soldier. Jim uses his passion for nature as an escape from the trauma of war, “But more reassuring then all this… private reassurance for himself… was the presence
