Paul likewise casts aside his future as a promising writer, another Goethe or Schiller according to Professor Kantorek, his mother observing "Oh Paul. You're a soldier now, aren't you? Somehow, I don't seem to know you." He devotes his entire being to his cause, even at the expense of his relationships. Even though they are victims of their naivety, it illustrates that both Jim and Paul are courageous enough to set aside their own ambitions and even sense of self with the intention of achieving something greater than themselves. These actions are humble, yet highlight the dangers of manipulation by others, martyrs made of innocent young men. The protagonists leap from the promise and safety of their previous lives, into the depths of war and go as far as reaching their own deaths in an effort to attain peace.
Through the use of metaphorical devices, Malouf and Milestone portray the enduring beauty that life presents even amid the utter bleakness of war, and the chance for new beginnings that generates hope for the future. Malouf bestows a vital hope upon Jim in the form of the appearance of migratory birds, and also explores the cycle of life. The character Imogen realizes this infinitesimal process through the movements of ocean waves, "She watched the waves build, hang and fall, one after the other in decades, in centuries." ch18 pg132 Milestone however, offers hope by way of another form of naturalistic appreciation. Paul's reaching for a butterfly in the scene of his death is recognition of beauty and a connection to his pre-military life, proving the capacity to exercise humanistic qualities even at his lowest point. Furthermore, Paul along with two comrades liaise with three French women, this act transcending the conflict between the opposing sides. It demonstrates charity born of courageous defiance and ultimately, the favoring of altruism over cruelty. Malouf's reoccurrence of birds is a reminder of their nonviolence, that if another species within nature can remain so unfailingly harmonious, then humans may also have his power.
