John F. Kennedy once said “mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.” (Brainy Quotes) This quote describes the message Timothy Findley was trying to convey using the four elements in his novel “The Wars.” The four elements are water, fire, earth, and air. Findley uses Water to show the reader that as Robert goes through the war he slowly loses both his freedom and his clarity. Fire conveys the message that as the war continues people change how they show passion, and how some of the soldiers have lost their humanity. Earth shows the reader that the Earth is human’s home which is supposed to support and protect them, but in times of war, it does the opposite. Lastly, air displays how war disrupts human sanity and sense …show more content…
of community. In the novel “The Wars” the author Timothy Findley uses the four elements to show how human violence can destroy their own surroundings so much that the elements humans need to survive can ultimately be their cause of death, which teaches the reader that destruction of our environment can only lead to the destruction of themselves. Water represents freedom, peace, and clarity. As Robert goes through the war he slowly loses both his freedom and his clarity. At the beginning of the novel Robert sees water as a place of peace and solace. When Harris died, Robert chose to spread his ashes in the best resting place available to him. “They would take the ashes to Greenwich and scatter them on the river. The river is marvellous there and wide and the next best thing to the sea.” (Findley 118) Before Robert has truly experienced war, he perceives water as the most peaceful place to lay Harris to rest, where he will be able to flow freely. He has still not experienced the extreme violence of the war and has not yet seen how water can be used against him. At this point, Robert finds freedom in water. As the war goes on, Robert realizes that places like a bathtub, where he used to find freedom, is no longer safe. “The towel was suddenly yanked from his hand and he stood there naked and defenceless.” (Findley 191) Robert was trying to find peace and clarity by relaxing in the bath. He was unable to do this due to the violent act of his brothers in arms. In a place where he is trying to be free, he is stripped of his freedom and his towel, and is raped. This violence caused by being in war has turned water, Robert’s place of solace, into one of menace. By the end of the novel, water has turned into a means of death. “The fallen animals were dragged, still living, to the ditches where unavoidably they were burned or were drowned. There were no acts of mercy. There was no ammunition to be spared.” (Findley 206) In the beginning of the book, water was a peaceful place to be laid to rest, now at the end of the book; it is a place of unmerciful death. War has stolen Robert’s sense of freedom and his clarity. Fire represents passion, hope, and warmth. As the war continues, people change how they show passion, and fire shows how some of the soldiers have lost their humanity. Before the war started, everyone had hope. They all hoped that their sons would be gone for a couple months and come back. “She was smoking a cigarette and carrying an empty glass.” (Findley 20) Findley uses Mrs. Ross’ cigarette as a symbol for her hope. She says to Robert what she thinks he needs to hear in order for him to survive the war. She hopes her words will help him focus on surviving. As the war continues, people begin to lose their warmth. “But only the letters mailed from France were worthy of this exchange. They had to smell of fire.” (Findley 74) The reason the letters would smell of fire would be because fire was destroying and killing things from the area. This shows how the boys like Stuart have lost any type of warmth they once had. The romanticization of war has changed them, so that they no longer cherish the items that could be the last thing they receive from family members, but instead trade them for something better. The soldiers have also lost their humanity. “The weapon with which the Germans now attacked had been introduced at Verdun. It was something called a ‘flame thrower’ and rumours had come down the line describing it.” (Findley 147) Flame or fire, is vital to human survival. It is also a horrible mechanism of death. The German soldiers have lost their humanity since they would subject other human beings to this caliber of pain and suffering. Findley uses fire to represent how humans can lose their humanity in times of war, while others can use it to preserve hope. Earth represents sturdiness, growth, and protection.
Earth is human’s home which its purpose is to support and protect them, but in times of war, it does the opposite. Before the war, Robert could trust the ground beneath him. As he goes through the war, he realizes that the ground can be just as deadly as bullets. “Soon after they’d passed the gopher holes the coyote broke from the trot to a canter. Robert adjusted his stride accordingly and, at first found there was little difficulty keeping pace.” (Findley 26) Findley uses foreshadowing in this quote by referencing the holes in the ground and predicts that soon Robert won’t be able to trust the terrain. “Suddenly, his right foot went down. All the way down to the knee through the earth.” (Findley 85) The earth beneath Robert could no longer support him. He almost drowned in the mud and he almost led his brothers in arms to the same fate. Just like the earth, some things in his life can no longer support him. “The bunk is lying on top of me and I think it’s full of earth.” (Findley 122) The bunk in their dugout has collapsed on top of Captain Rodwell and Robert. This dugout was supposed to protect them and ended up almost killing them. In times of war, there aren’t many places to find shelter. Even digging yourself into the ground for protection no longer
works. Air represents communication and intelligence. Air shows how war disrupts human sanity and sense of community. War has made many people feel no longer connected to other humans and caused insanity and lack of intelligence in some soldiers. “The man had been trapped in a fire and his vocal cords destroyed when he swallowed the flames.” (Findley 107) The violence of the war has stripped Captain Villiers from being able to communicate with his voice ever again. He isn’t even able to speak to his love Barbara, which causes him to lose his sanity. Other soldiers have also lost their sanity. “The shells could be heard in the air when they got about four seconds distant from you. Standing up after one of the closer calls, a bright young man with popping eyes turned to Robert and gushed at him: ‘isn’t it marvelous!’” (Findley 128) The war has tainted this young man’s intelligence. He finds an object whizzing past him that has the potential to kill him, exciting, which proves he has also lost his sanity. War similarly causes others to lose their sense of community. “Slithering over the crater’s rim – a pale blue fog appeared. Like a veil his mother might’ve worn.” (Findley 137) The use of gas in the air represents how humans are no longer unified; they are no longer part of a community. The war has caused the disruption of human sanity, and sense of community. In the novel “The Wars” the author Timothy Findley uses the four elements to show how human violence can destroy their own surroundings so much that the elements humans need to survive can ultimately be their cause of death, which teaches the reader that destruction of our environment can only lead to destruction of them and their humanity. Water shows the reader how war causes people to lose their clarity and freedom. Fire exemplifies to the reader how many have lost their humanity. Earth illustrates to the reader that in times of war, the earth can no longer protect you. To conclude, air shows the reader that many can lose their sanity due to war. Just as Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” (Brainy Quotes)
Throughout The Wars, there are many characters introduced that have their own personal internal or even external battles that they face during their time being represented in the novel. Two such characters are Robert Ross who is depicted as the main character of the book and his mother Mrs. Ross who also plays a large part in the story. These two face similar and different wars that they lose and win at different turns. The mother must face her internal struggle with sending her son off to war to most likely die in the name of king and country. She may not have sent him, but he did choose to go and she couldn’t make him change his mind this led to many scenes of her coming to grips with losing her second child in only a few years after her eldest daughter Rowena, who was very sickly and delicate, had a bad fall and passed away.
“Every war is everyone’s war”... war will bring out the worst in even the strongest and kindest people. The book tells about how ones greed for something can destroy everything for both people and animals leaving them broken beyond repair, leaving them only with questions… Will they ever see their family again? Will they ever experience what it’s like to
Within his novel The Wars, Timothy Findley, deconstructs the concept of friend and enemy. Jacques Derrida, the founder of deconstruction stated, “Deconstruction takes place, it is an event that does not await the deliberation, consciousness or organization of a subject, or even of modernity. It deconstructs it-self. It can be deconstructed.” (Mapp, 781). Jacques Derrida believed deconstruction happens on its own, and therefore one does not need to consciously deconstruct a text, as it is an unconscious process that one need not deliberate. In the text The Wars, Findley makes the assumption that one’s enemy is their closest friend. Oxford Dictionaries defines the term “enemy”, as a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something. Within a war the concept of friend and enemy is certainly evident; soldiers are deployed from all around the world fighting alongside their country and their allies, this being their “friends”, to ultimately defeat the “enemy”. In the text, the protagonist, Robert Ross and his men are commanded by Captain Leather to set up gun beds close to the German lines. While setting up, Robert Ross and his men are unmasked by the Germans, and after luckily surviving a gas attack, Robert Ross and his men encounter a German sniper sent to watch and kill them, who instead, ended up risking his own life to free them all. “He could have killed them all. Surely that had been his intention. But he’d relented. Why” (Findley, 131)? Robert Ross realizes that the German soldier had a rifle beside him the entire time, which he could of used to kill them all, but did not. As an enemy of Ross and his men, this young German soldier should have, being inimical to these soldiers, shot and killed them as he intended....
Throughout Timothy Findley’s The Wars novel, Robert Ross has a special connection to nature and wildlife. He is happiest when connected to the animal world, especially horses. By the end of the novel, Robert realizes he has no regard for human life, instead he feels peace and belonging when he is with animals and will do anything to protect them even if it costs him his life. The animals Robert has a special connection to the most and contribute to his ties to nature getting stronger are the coyote, the horses, and the dog.
Robert Ross is a sensitive, private boy; last person you would expect to sign up to fight in World War One. In The Wars by Timothy Findley, symbols are used in conjunction with Ross’ story to cause readers to reflect on symbols in their own lives, and to allow then to dive deeper into the world of an innocent boy who is placed into a cruel war. The various symbols in The Wars provide for a graphic and reflective reading experience by emphasizing Robert’s connection with nature, his past, and his experiences during the war.
War has been a constant part of human history. It has greatly affected the lives of people around the world. These effects, however, are extremely detrimental. Soldiers must shoulder extreme stress on the battlefield. Those that cannot mentally overcome these challenges may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sadly, some resort to suicide to escape their insecurities. Soldiers, however, are not the only ones affected by wars; family members also experience mental hardships when their loved ones are sent to war. Timothy Findley accurately portrays the detrimental effects wars have on individuals in his masterpiece The Wars.
The title of this novel, “The Wars” is illusory. Upon first glance, it makes one expect a protagonist who goes to an actual war, uses physical strength to fight on the battlefield and becomes a war hero.While part of that is true, there are also other significances of the war associated with this title. This novel recounts the journey of the protagonist, Robert Ross as he starts out as a shy, introvert and an inexperienced person before he goes to war; he experiences a change in himself as a result of the people and the battle(s) that he fights with the factors in his surroundings. Therefore, “The Wars” doesn’t necessarily mean the war with the enemy but it includes the wars at home, wars against nature and wars of relationships. Which
War always seems to have no end. A war between countries can cross the world, whether it is considered a world war or not. No one can be saved from the reaches of a violent war, not even those locked in a safe haven. War looms over all who recognize it. For some, knowing the war will be their future provides a reason for living, but for others the war represents the snatching of their lives without their consent. Every reaction to war in A Separate Peace is different, as in life. In the novel, about boys coming of age during World War II, John Knowles uses character development, negative diction, and setting to argue that war forever changes the way we see the world and forces us to mature rapidly.
The Wars written by Timothy Findley shares a great relation to many of the ideas surrounding postmodern society, thus implementing many of the prominent ideas of the time around politics and societal norms into the plot of the story itself. Findley successfully depicts the plot of the novel taking place in the early 1900's; a time in which the western world was emerging from an industrial revolution, bringing radically foreign ideas on politics in the world, including the materialization of the Marxist political theory. The seemingly negative reception of the Marxist theory has denied it the right as a valid political view. One thing that cannot be denied is that a majority of the foundational ideas of the theory, describe basic human society and nature very accurately, which is something Findley explores in depth. The ideologies of power, class, and struggle are key factors in Marxism. These are the ideas that usually dictate; many of the actions that we make as people and in the journey's that we encounter in our lives. "Marxism attempts to reveal the ways in which our socioeconomic system is the ultimate source of our experience" (Tyson 277). The protagonist in The Wars ,Robert Ross, is an example of this experience. He is a young man from an elitist family that encounters these ideologies throughout his journey. The archetypal journey of Robert Ross in The Wars contains many elements of political theory from Marxism, showcased through the class system, the distinction between the oppressors and the oppressed, and the revolutionary actions that occur.
Many people say that the metal of a man is found in his ability to keep his ideals in spite of anything that life can through at you. If a man is found to have done these things he can be called a hero. Through a lifelong need to accept responsibility for all living things, Robert Ross defines his heroism by keeping faith with his ideals despite the betrayal, despair and tragedy he suffers throughout the course of The Wars by Timothy Findley.
The Struggles in life is something everyone is faced with whether it is physical, emotional mental or personal struggles. These struggles are capable of shaping an individual’s personality and outlook on life. Timothy Findley’s novel The Wars, shows that struggles lead to the character’s ultimate inner struggles, outer struggles and self-discovery. War exists in a person’s physical and psychological aspects. In The Wars, Robert Ross goes to war and fights a personal and physical battle.
War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, written by the talented author Chris Hedges, gives us provoking thoughts that are somewhat painful to read but at the same time are quite personal confessions. Chris Hedges, a talented journalist to say the least, brings nearly 15 years of being a foreign correspondent to this book and subjectively concludes how all of his world experiences tie together. Throughout his book, he unifies themes present in all wars he experienced first hand. The most important themes I was able to draw from this book were, war skews reality, dominates culture, seduces society with its heroic attributes, distorts memory, and supports a cause, and allures us by a constant battle between death and love.
One who is righteous, pure, and ethical obtains a solid moral compass. A lack of morality in an individual results in insanity. This is shown in Timothy Findley’s The Wars; the war corrupts individual’s integrity which ultimately leads to their insanity. Robert Ross and Rodwell depict lunacy as war demoralizes them. As individuals receive commands that violate their virtues, as a repercussion a person will become irrational.
Amongst military theorists and practitioners who studied war, its origin and implications, Carl von Clausewitz assumes a place among the most prominent figures. With his book On War, he demonstrated his capability to provide thorough historical analysis and conclusions of the conflicts in which he was engaged, and as a philosopher he reflected about all encompassing aspects of war. Today, Western armies conduct modern warfare in a dynamic environment composed of flexible and multiple threats in which civilians form a substantial part. Studying Clausewitz provides current military and political leadership useful insights to understand twenty-first century warfare. He explains the nature of war, provides an analytical tool to understand the chaos of warfare, and he argues for well educated and adaptable leadership capable of creative thinking. Although he died before his work was complete, his writing style was ambiguous and unclear at some moments, and current technology reduced some of his tactics obsolete, his work still arouses and inspires military and political strategists and analysts.
The translation of the “Sun Tzu: The Art of War” ancient Chinese text has been given by many different writers. Samuel B. Griffith, Brigadier General, retired, U.S. Marine Corps; is a proven strategist that studied the English commandoes war fighting skills as a Captain. As a Major, Griffith was hand picked to serve as Executive Officer under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Merritt Edson of the 1st Raider Battalion, one of the battalions that perfected the amphibious landings during World War II. Samuel B. Griffith gives his in-depth study on “Sun Tzu: The Art of War” and how Mao Tse-tung used the strategies and teachings of Sun Tzu while commanding the Red Army of China. Griffith’s translation of Sun Tzu’s work is written in three parts: Introduction, Translation, and Appendix.