Celebration of the Straw Man

This is a fictional adventure yarn that gives insight into part of New Zealand’s rural culture from the predepression years, the impact of World War II on a family and their struggle to cope, and the magic of companionship in the New Zealand backcountry. The story is loosely based on my parents, with Dad never seeming to adjust to what he experienced in Italy during the Second World War. I explore how this adjustment might have been better achieved through a series of fictional incidents and support from his mate Charlie. Bill’s journey is about his growth towards comprehending the meaning of a couple of metaphors in the context of overwhelming guilt, his path to self-acceptance, and his relationship with his wife Joan and their children. The setting is non-specific but is largely consistent with the Southland region of New Zealand, and Monte Cassino, Italy.