The postman is typical of Sorrell's quirky Neo-Romantic imagination.  As with compositions such as his masterpiece The Long Journey, (1936), the narrative both engages and unsettles the viewer - the composition suggest that more of the story is unfolding beyond the confines of the space into which the viewer peers but cannot see beyond.   Sorrell's vision was informed by a profound respect for nature which provided a consistant source of inspiration for him.  As an active environmentalist - he campaigned in the 1950's to protect local fields, woodlands and hedgerows threatened by urban development - his vision was tempered, at times, by a a sense of foreboding.