...In ancient Greek civilization, a theory was constructed which proposed that everything on earth was made up of the four natural elements: earth, water, air and fire, which work simultaneously to create one united universe (Hebert). The symbolism concerning the natural elements plays a significant role within Timothy Findley’s The Wars, as he demonstrates an evolution of the archetypal symbolic nature of the elements. In this novel, a young Canadian troop by the name of Robert Ross is being studied by a researcher after his notable death. The novel entails that the reader follows him through his journey in the war and provides a personal opinion on his experiences throughout. Robert Ross, the protagonist of the story, is also seen as a character...
Words: 1295 - Pages: 6
...In The Wars, the further the story progresses, the more and more dark the imagery becomes. The Wars in its entirety is a novel which contains many symbols, these symbols provide detailed imagery, in depth meaning’s and themes, thus allowing many different interpretations from reader to reader to be generated. Firstly, through Timothy Findley’s use of Earth elements in The Wars, many different themes can be taken from the use of the symbols and from what context they are used in. Secondly, due to the war taking place in the novel, many different animals are under distress or not acting normally, and are therefore used as symbols illustrating a specific theme. To begin, the Earth element of fire is regularly used all through the novel. Regardless of when or where the symbol of fire is used, fire represents two themes, both the theme of death and the theme of agony. After Robert goes against his own military and decides to release the horses from the barn near the front lines, Robert then tries to hide inside another barn (with his dog, horse, and the other horses) to escape the convoy after him (The convoy lights the barn on fire to flush Robert out). Someone says: “But just as the walls began to fall in on top of the fifty horses-all of them...
Words: 835 - Pages: 4
...Everyone makes mistakes whether the mistake is intentional or unintentional there is a lesson to be learned from every mistake, similar to what Timothy Findley portrayed in the short story “War”. In this short story there is a boy named Neil who is a young 10 year old visiting a friend, Arthur Robertson over the summer in Muskoka Ontario. Throughout the story Neil shares his experiences of 1940 he has when Neil’s father registers to join the army to fight in World War II. Throughout the story Neil questions himself about what he had done wrong that is making his father leave. Findley examines three different conflicts within the story in which the protagonist must overcome to completely understand why his father is leaving. The first conflict Neil overcomes his thoughts is Neil himself verses his own self-conscious, The second conflict Neil faces is when Neil verses society lastly the final conflict Neil overcomes is Neil verses his parents all of these conflicts help Neil overcome his feelings for his father’s departure. Findley’s short story “War” is about a depressed young boy whose father is being deployed to fight in the war. Findley shows a hidden relation along the lines of how Neil’s character development is shaped by conflicts in the story. Timothy Findley shows young Neil go through a series of events that help him overcome his feelings for his father. There are multiple ways that help Neil overcome the feelings that he has over his father joining the army. One...
Words: 1134 - Pages: 5
...The Wars by Timothy Findley Novel Study 1. Journal Entries Character Sketch Robert Ross, the “nineteen years old” protagonist in Timothy Findley’s The Wars is: -innocent: “Robert is easily bruised” this can be interpreted in the sense that Robert represents innocence which is can be easily corrupted by bad things such as war. -introverted: “Robert avoided them through the journey-wanting to protect the last of his privacy”“he was studious and careful: exact. He watched the men around him from a distance...he found excuses to keep them at bay” -compassionate: Robert is compassionate towards the weak and helpless like his mentally challenged sister Rowena for whom he was a loving “guardian”. When he was forced to shoot the wounded horse on the convoy ship, it really pained Robert to shoot the animal and when it took more than one shot to kill it, Robert felt bad for not putting it out of its misery to the point he gets frustrated with himself and the horse -a leader: Robert was a person who could lead and follow, although he knew that Captain Leather’s orders to place the gun beds in a bad spot he followed his orders and during the gas attack he was able to direct his men, who weren’t issued gas masks, to safety (he told them to urinate on their handkerchiefs). One of his men was in shock and was unable to urinate so Robert, the only person with a gas mask, gave his mask to the soldier. Furthermore, when they were ‘escaping’ the German, Robert, made...
Words: 2033 - Pages: 9
