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Loyalty And Betrayal : Timothy Findley 's The Wars

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Contrast is an integral part of everyday life. Without contrast, everything becomes one-dimensional and bland. In a traumatic experience, such as during a war, the very nature of it creates and amplifies these contrasts within the human spirit. Timothy Findley’s The Wars is an excellent example of how contrast is created. Some examples of these contrasts are kindness and cruelty, courage and cowardice, but the most important contrast created by Findley in the novel is the one between loyalty and betrayal. In our society today, loyalty is a trait that is valued by many, despite its relative weakness compared to betrayal. This is because many will remember the times when they were betrayed, yet will only remember a handful of times …show more content…

When Harris’ body is cremated upon his death as a result of a series of unfortunate events, and Robert is left with the box of ashes. Robert decides that Harris deserves a burial at sea, and enlists Taffler to help dispose of the ashes in a small impromptu ceremony. These simple acts show that Robert is loyal to Harris, and shares a strong bond of trust, regardless of whether he is living or not. In disposing of Harris’ ashes in a way he deemed appropriate, it also shows that loyalty transcends life itself. By having Robert taking care of Harris, Findley demonstrates how even in a time of distress, people can still be loyal, and show trust to one another. On the other hand, the horrendous nature of war also creates many occasions where trust is betrayed. The betrayal of trust is much stronger than loyalty, as betrayal causes affects all parties in a negative manner with irreversible effects. One example of this is after the gas attack, Robert and his men are still in a crater when he realizes they are being watched by a German sniper. After a wordless exchange, Robert determines that “whatever [the German’s] intentions – the German obviously intended them all to go free” (Findley 144). This moment shows that a sense of trust can still be shared between individuals in time of distress, regardless of their affiliation. However, Robert betrays this trust, killing

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