Animal Imagery in the Wars Essays

The rabbits reminded him of Rowena because she shares the same characteristics as her rabbits such as fragility and innocence. Therefore he risks "a blow on [his] head...to help the helpless [animals]" (Quenneville 1). He even helps a rat, an animal associated with disease and death, escape a muddy grave. His conduct greatly contrasts that of the soldiers who kill and torture cats and vermin. This only further exemplifies his compassion for the lives of even of the smallest of creatures.

First, Hunt describes the war and its impacts through personification. “That morning as he looked at the sagging roofs of the house and barn, the general clutter of the ne’er-do-well in the backyard, he felt a dread as if some evil lay close to the ground on its belly and peered out at him”(72). Hunt is personifying the evil and characterizing it with human traits. She also shows how the evil was stalking him, peeking through the holes in the barn door.Another example, is when Hunt uses personification to characterize the war as “a beast with long claws. . .” This shows how the common people of the north viewed the war; people were afraid of the war and the havoc it was causing. The use of the word beast shows how ravaging and vicious the war was; it was creating great fear in the North and in many of the battles, the North was winning. Henceforth , personification can give a book life it never had

The animals in this story are closely related to the characters, especially the character of Robert. Rodwell acknowledges Robert's close union with animals when he draws Robert in his sketchbook as "the only human form" among sketches of animals (155). When Robert sees the drawing, he notices that "the shading [is]

While reading “The Raid” by Leo Tolstoy, one is instantly struck by the strong contrast between the peaceful nature scenes and the violent battle scenes. One minute the sounds of crickets and frogs are charmingly echoing through the night, and the next you can hear the “clang of a heavy gun” and the “sound of bayonets touching one another” (Tolstoy 20). In one scene, the generals and majors stand watching the gory battle below, yet they continue to discuss the beautiful nature around them as if nothing else could possibly be worth their attention (Tolstoy 25). However, upon closer readings, it becomes evident that the war and nature scenes are not as separate as they seem. As the story progresses, the two begin to weave together, until distinguishing them is nearly impossible. Indeed, this subtly merger can be seen throughout multiple scenes as the story evolves.

Robert Ross, the protagonist of Timothy Findley’s novel The Wars undergoes a disturbing violation when his fellow soldiers rape him; this is a significant turning point for Robert’s character and a section of the book Findley uses to address many themes. Throughout the book we witness Robert maturing and experiencing many hardships that will help create the man he becomes. The most significant of these trials is the scene at the insane asylum because it is where Robert looses the last connection to his innocence and his faith in humanity’s virtuousness. Findley also uses this scene to address the topic of homophobia in that era, and

Parallels are drawn between the protagonist, Robert Ross, and many of the animals that appear throughout the novel. Robert appears to have a strong kinship with his animal counterparts. After enlisting in the army, Robert takes a run out on the prairie, where he encounters a coyote. He instinctively begins to follow the creature, and it leads him to a valley where it stops to drink at a small pond. As it drinks, "the sound . . . [crosses] the distance between them and . . . [seems] to satisfy his own thirst" (The Wars 28). Before the coyote leaves, it turns and "[looks] directly at him . . . and [barks] . . .The coyote had known he was there the whole time: maybe the whole of the run across the prairie. Now it was telling Robert that the valley was vacant: safe-and Robert could proceed to the water's edge and drink" (28). Later that night, as he sits alone, Robert finds himself "wishing that someone would howl" (28). Robert also seems to have a special bond with birds, which often appear in the novel, frequently at times of crisis for Robert. After unwittingly leading his men through the fog onto a collapsing dike, the air is suddenly "filled with the shock waves of wings . . . [and] the sound of their motion [sends] a shiver down Robert's back" (81). Subsequently, Robert steps into the sinking mud and is nearly sucked down to his death beneath the earth. Later in the novel, Robert again encounters a bird, and it is at the same

The Wars, written by Timothy Findley, is a story about World War I, and consists of many shocking images passed over to the reader. Findley accomplishes to pull the reader into the narrative itself, so that the reader manages to feel an impact upon him/her-self about what is read. If it was not for this specific skill, or can also be seen as a specific genre, the novel would not have been as successful as it is now. Also, something that helps the book be so triumphant, there is the fact that Findley never overwhelms the reader with too many gruesome details about the World War I. Instead, he breaks the book down to help the reader calm down from everything that is happening. Throughout the essay, there is going to be some commenting on a

In an effort to redeem himself from Rowena’s death, Robert’s goal is to save life, any life, even if it is the life of an animal. To Robert, animals symbolize innocence. He views them as innocent bystanders in a world full of violence and madness. He feels a special connection to them, especially to his totems of horses and dogs. So when Robert is forced to put down the ill horses, this is utterly emotionally heart-breaking. Again he is faced with the murder of innocence. This time, he is the one responsible for such a horrid action. This kind of situation can shape anyone’s character

was not the truth. This book showed the harsh reality of war that most people

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

Throughout the book, it is shown that Robert has a special connection with animals and the environment. The many animals he encounters throughout the story are symbols which reflect on him and his actions. After Robert

Once Robert is back in the battle, there is another, worse attack on the Canadian lines by the Germans. They are being rained on by shells, and Robert fears for the lives of the horses in a nearby barn that is being hit by the shelling, and which Robert fears will collapse at any moment. Over the course of the war, Robert has grown more and more attached to horses, and it’s in his benevolent nature to care for other animals. When Robert tells Captain Leather that he will go back to the barn to save the horses, Leather refuses, saying that it is not necessary. Robert, thinking back to the last time he wanted to go against Captain Leather’s orders, and what arose when he didn’t, realizes that he must go against his orders and free the horses. As Robert is running back to the barn to free the horses, Leather screams at him to stop what he is doing and to follow his orders, but Robert is determined. When Leather pulls his gun on Robert, Robert stops to shoot him, killing Leather. In this time, the barn has been hit by a shell, and is burning, but Robert still runs inside to try to save the horses moments before the roof of the barn collapses on Robert, burning him

Throughout the book, Robert Ross was dependent on his sister, Rowena, and the animals he felt so connected to. Robert more than anything becomes a person who relies more on animals, than he does people. Robert’s reliance on animals starts because of his sister’s love for her rabbits: “ ‘Can the rabbits stay forever, too?’ ‘Yes, Rowena.’ ”(18) His dependence on animals only strengthens as the book goes on, and when Rowena dies, he turns to the animals for guidance and as a replacement for Rowena. On many different occasions, Robert displays his love for animals and disconnection from the real world: “Robert soon became completely disengaged from the other life on the upper decks. He even went below off duty.” (56) Robert shows his lack of connection with the other soldiers on board, and demonstrates his relationship he developed with the animals in the army. Robert’s connection strengthens with animals so much, that towards the end of the book he is willing to break military rules and attempt to save them: “I’m going to break ranks and save these animals.” (183) The heroes, we are custom to today, would not go against the rules to save a bunch of horses. Even though, most would not see Robert as being heroic, because he broke the rules, it was his intentions behind his actions. As

Through their respective otherness both characters utilize their differences to become extraordinary citizens of their ordinary towns. On page 350 of Animal’s People Animal grapples with his identity, defining himself in many different ways during his hallucinatory experience in the jungle. He begins the paragraph “I am a small burning, freezing creature” (Sinha 350). The word creature almost goes beyond zoomorphism and defines Animal’s space in Khaufpur as an other. In fact, the particular word choice of creature is interesting, as it is defined as an animal distinct from a human being.

In both tellings, the birds’ coming signifies a change. In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the albatross comes and suddenly a path opens up in the ice in front of them, conveniently letting them escape from sudden death. Samuel Taylor Coleridge is quoted as saying, "It ate the food it ne'er had eat,/And round and round it flew./The ice did split with a thunder-fit;/The helmsman steered us through!" (Coleridge). On the other hand, in The Raven, it signifies the coming of loneliness and death. The man in The Raven sees the bird as a devil or demon, there only to cause him strife.