Flanagan wrote that his father's experience as a Japanese prisoner of war influenced him to write the book.[7] The character of Evans was also partially based on the Australian hero Edward “Weary” Dunlop, an Australian Army doctor who struggled despite overwhelming odds to care for the men who suffered and died during the construction of the Burma Death Railroad.[5] Like Dorrigo, Dunlop bargained with the Japanese officers in attempts to improve conditions for the "living skeletons" that were his fellow POWs.[5] And like Dorrigo, Dunlop found that many of the Japanese and Korean guards were sadists who thoroughly enjoyed inflicting misery on others.[5]
A bronze statue of Edward Dunlop, situated in the Domain Parklands, Melbourne. The character of Dorrigo Evans is partially based on Dunlop.This content is from Wikipedia. GradeSaver is providing this content as a courtesy until we can offer a professionally written study guide by one of our staff editors. We do not consider this content professional or citable. Please use your discretion when relying on it.
