The Use of Animal Imagery in "The Wars" by Timothy Findley.

Sigmund Freud once argued that "our species has a volcanic potential to erupt in aggression . . . [and] that we harbour not only positive survival instincts but also a self-destructive 'death instinct', which we usually displace towards others in aggression" (Myers 666). Timothy Findley, born in 1930 in Toronto, Canada, explores our human predilection towards violence in his third novel, The Wars. It is human brutality that initiates the horrors of World War I, the war that takes place in this narrative. Findley dedicated this novel to the memory of his uncle, Thomas Irving Findley, who 'died at home of injuries inflicted in the First World War" (Cude 75) and may have propelled him to feel

Timothy Findley in his novel The Wars uses a postmodern device where the narration is nonlinear in chronology, making it subjective and more based on memory, ultimately deeming the reader’s perception of the past and the present to be precarious and unreliable. The Wars focuses on a young Canadian WWI officer named Robert Ross. Robert’s story is recounted after his death through many other characters such as Marian Turner, Lady Juliet d’Orsey, and the archivists. Yet, these characters are separated from Robert Ross through one main medium: time. Since these characters are separated from Robert Ross through time and space, the consistency of their perception comes

Archetypal within The Wars Archetypal is known as recurring patterns in literature, provided in Timothy Findley’s novel The Wars. Timothy Findley was born in 1930, he was a phenomenal writer, and was a Canadian novelist and playwright The content exhibits the war that has been continuing for a considerable length of time, leaving a scar in history that continues rehashing itself. Many individuals across the world are fighting for: freedom, religious beliefs and mostly for their children’s future. In this text, Findley gives the readers a perspective on World War One and the effects it had throughout the text.

Many novels have been written about the great wars, but few are as absorbing, captivating and still capable of showing all the horrors of the battle as Timothy Findley's "The Wars"1. After reading the novel, critics and readers have been quick to point out the vast examples of symbolism shown throughout the novel. Even the author himself commented at the vast examples of symbolism throughout the novel, "Everything in that book has a life of its own. It's a carrier too -- all the objects are carriers of someone else's spirit"2. Although the novel is very symbolic, the most bare-faced and self explicit symbols are the natural elements that are inscribed on Robert's gravestone, "Earth and Air and Fire and Water"3. The symbolism of the

Throughout the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, there is a diverse amount of motifs present, including the use of animals. Himmelstoss, a hostile commander, in charge of Paul’s company is compared to a beast. In a long speech Kat gives to the company, he says, “In himself man is essentially like a beast, only he butters it over like slice of bread with a little decorum. The army is based on that; one man must always have power over the other” (Remarque 44). This quote emphasizes the relationship between animals and humans, based on fueling off of power over others. Himmelstoss is like an animal- or beast, because he craves dominance, but turns it off when he is among his hierarchies. In chapter five, animals are also present when horses

I wonder if this is a foreshadow to Robert’s death in the future. We know that Robert will die by committing an act of compassion. Can we predict that he will die saving animals?

Robert comes in contact with a German soldier when he and his battery are trying to plant the gun beds. This situation showcases the fact that, despite how hard he tries, Robert is not always able to overcome the corruption of war. Expanding sentence. In war, a soldier’s duty is to kill the enemy and in the novel Robert’s gun is symbolic of this duty.

Timothy Findley’s The War is a wartime novel that mainly chronicles the horrors of the First World War. The novel revolves around a young Canadian officer named Robert Ross and his experiences in trench warfare during The War to End All Wars. In The Wars, Findley effectively depicts the lasting impacts on those involved, not only including the physical injuries and lacerations from battle, but also the inner trauma sustained from the mental and emotional warfare while at war. What is interesting about Findley’s wartime novel is that he utilizes narrative devices to give the novel a detached, factual voice that effectively encapsulates it as a historical piece. He plays around with the role of a nameless researcher who finds, examines and assembles historical pieces like letters/correspondences, family photographs, cablegrams, and other archival means to construct Ross’ compelling story. This use of private texts contrasted and combined with the public texts and the story itself subjects the story to a literary gap that breeds factual indiscretion. The attempts to be as authentic as possible poses the novel to the peril of coming off as too contrived. By straddling the lines between fiction and non-fiction, the author’s voice is at risk of unreliable narration. It is interesting to note that Findley contrasts and interweaves Ross’ personal story against

Robert struggles with his own morals but ultimately he is able to accomplish the task of killing the animal, an act that Robert was unable to do before the war. Findley uses Robert’s love for animals to portray the influence the war is having on his mentality and therefore the impact it is having on his innocence.

Robert Thacker’s article Reading North Through the One-Way Mirror: Canadian Literature, the Canadian Literary Institution, and Alice Munro presents an American reading on various subjects found Canadian literature. Amongst many subjects discussed in the article, Thacker mentioned Canadian landscapes numerous times. Using novels such as Timothy Findley’s The Wars, he described the importance put by Canadian authors on the landscape through their descriptions of sceneries. The author explains how this makes it harder for some American reviewers to understand the Canadian point of view, “whether through ignorance or often, disdain or indifference” (Thacker 2). Findley’s The War is the recreation of a Torontonian named Robert Ross who was in the

The birds question develops the mood into a somber overcast, and gives the reader perspective on the foolishness of

“Juana moved to the entrance and looked out. She peered like an owl from the hole in the mountain …” Page 37

The Wars by Timothy Findley is written in 1997 and tells a story about a young Canadian officer who enlisted in the “Great War”. The protagonist of the novel is Robert Ross, a nineteen year old man who tries to escape the harsh and unhappy reality of his sister 's death and the social norms of Victorian upper-class society. Robert Ross is secretive and withdrawn, he shares his feelings only with his handicapped sister, Rowena. Robert Ross is compassionate towards his father but avoids confrontation with his mother as she is depressed and bitter about the birth of her handicapped child. Robert 's existence is

The Utilization of Binary Linguistic Enemy in the Context of War most books on condition of fighting traditionally see stand outside in the domain. A creator like Timothy Findley can mark a novel less about war however all the more about the physiological effect at the forefront of one 's thoughts in view of war. The Wars is an intense and aggravating book with a lot of phonetic connections. Timothy Findley 's Governor General 's Award-winning novel of the First World War recounts the account of Robert Ross, a youthful Canadian who enrolls himself in the armed force after the demise of his sister, Rowena. Robert needs to adapt to difficulties of war, and make the move into masculinity and grow new convictions with a specific end goal to

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the use of birds is relied heavily upon in order to showcase the persistent unnatural images constructed around Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Shortly after the play commences, the Captain notifies King Duncan that Macbeth's forces defeated Macdonwald’s rebels. The King then questions if the attack “dismayed”(1.2.37) Macbeth and Banquo. The Captain, attempting to be humorous, jokes: “Yes/as sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion”(1.2.39).