Made in England, "The road from Singapore" and I think I'll live : reflections on mid-twentieth century national identity

The two memoirs of captivity under the Japanese that I will now discuss in the light of Malouf's account of the national ethos throw into high relief what he calls the "conundrum" of Australian "difference". They also highlight important elements of national identity that Malouf fails to take into consideration. These include a vocal rejection of British class (and caste) privilege, retaliatory scorn for British denigration of "colonials" and an almost religious affirmation of the bush as the source of Australian freedom and egalitarianism. Written as they were by men, both texts also reinforce our sense of the masculinity of the Australian ethos as it is mapped out in Malouf's discussion and raise (again) questions of whether, and/or how, women might (or might not) define and identify with it.