Australian life
The novel begins with imagery depicted Australia and Australian life, specifically the life of a young well-trained surgeon named Dorrigo. One way of interpreting this is to say that the opening imagery represents the false sense of security Dorrigo has about life in general. He is successful, he lives in community with people who respect him, and he is going to go fight for his country. What could be better?
Pictures of warfare
Then, when he actually goes to war and experiences his training, he realizes that war is going to be way bigger deal than it originally seemed. The war is described through historically accurate depictions of WWII in the Pascific Theater. The imagery of Japan serves as a backdrop for war. When the man sees real combat, the experience is described to be genuinely horrifying, unimaginably so.
Pictures of life in a POW camp
Most of Dorrigo's story takes place after he is captured and sent to a Japanese POW camp (POW = prisoners of war). The camp is brutal and resources are extremely valuable, since the guards often mistreat the inmates and let them starve, etc. The depictions of camp use imagery that underscores how claustrophobic their prison is, and how psychologically horrifying the guards really were. Ultimately, the word that best describes this set of imagery is "hellish." Dorrigo's experience of the camp was hellish.
The subtle imagery of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
At work, Dorrigo was an exceptionally well-received person. In addition to his undeniable medical skills, he also has returned to his profession as a real war hero (for his medical service in the POW camp to Allied soldiers). He even gives speeches at Veteran events, and he is regarded in the community as a hero. But the reader sees the truth underneath his public success. Subtle imagery suggests that Dorrigo is still perplexed and horrified by his wartime experiences. Small scenes and interactions with others reveal that Dorrigo is hiding his true emotions deep within himself, and working through things through meditation.
When Dorrigo seems to be doing nothing in the evenings, he is secretly meditating on his trauma, looking for a way out of his hellish PTSD. The imagery is subtle because PTSD can be subtle, since often people are private about their suffering.
