David Malouf's Fly Away Peter; 'Enemies, like friends, told you who you were.' To what extent is Jim's understanding of self enhanced by his contact with those around him?

'Fly Away Peter' is essentially a story about life. Through the life of Jim Saddler the reader becomes aware of the ideas posed by the author, David Malouf. Jim's life, if anything, is indeed a journey, unfolding through various broadening experiences that lead to Jim's eventual understanding of the world and his own self. However, to simply say that this understanding is enhanced solely by his contact with those around him is only true to …

…have crippled another man. Thus it is with Jim that his journey to an understanding of self was, to a certain extent, enhanced by his contact with those around him. However, it would perhaps be more appropriate to say that this idea is just one level of Jim's journey to understanding, and there are many more, perhaps more significant levels of Jim's journey, that do not involve others, but simply Jim and his private reflections.