Analysis Of The Wars By Timothy Findley

The Wars: Through a Formalist Lens

One of the most frequent post-modern genres that the award winning author Timothy Findley writes about is Historiographic metafiction; “a genre interested in problematizing historical discourse and practice, and due to its play with the genre conventions of biography, its metafictionality is more complicated and subtle.” (Wang, 130). This post-modern genre is executed thoroughly in one of Timothy Findley’s finest novels, The Wars. The Wars centres on the very diverse heroic journey Robert Ross, during the World War I and the internal and external struggles which are essentially that he along with the secondary characters are battling. It is ultimately the journey that changes Robert from the innocent boy that

The use of ambiguity in the title provokes the reader attention and encourages the active reading process allowing the reader to think of all the implications/meanings the title could have. To begin, Robert Ross’ difficult journey to survive in the world with his personality where he later discovers his true self through the reoccurring existentialism shown in the novel is an example of one of the interpretations of the title. Lady Juliet spoke about “[seeing] him firing his gun in the woods at a young tree. He had great deal of violence inside that [resulted into this and other times it resulted in] him sitting alone on the terrace or staring out of a window” (Findley 156-157). This confirms Robert’s lost and lonely journey that he was coping with very terribly and also his loss of innocence. Robert’s loss of innocence is an internal war that Robert fights the realities of life/the world is very difficult for him to wrap his head around. Donna Palmateer Pennee states that “figures of childhood and the pastoral perform a contradiction that structures the story of Robert Ross’s loss of innocence” (Pennee 2). The highlighted struggle and change of Robert’s family (specifically Mrs. Ross), after sending Robert off to war. We can see a shift in Mrs. Ross’ actions when the archivist explains how “Mrs. Ross began to seek out storms” (Findley

Ross’ lives, the use of symbolism is depicted in the form of the animals presented in the novel, and the ambiguity represented in the overall title of the novel. The Wars demonstrates an accurate and well use of literary mechanisms to enhance the form of the content, which can be analyzed through a Formalist perspective. Robert’s momentary blindness as an aspect of foreshadowing to Mrs. Ross’ eventual blindness. Both of them guard their emotions closely; Robert has trouble expressing his true feelings; Mrs. Ross refuses to grieve for Rowena. When Mrs. Ross walks in the mud it portrays as a flashback to Robert’s trial in the trenches. These are all the common links found between Robert and Mrs. Ross’ lives that show the theme of madness. There is also a great amount of symbolism used in the form of animals in The Wars; the personification of Rowena’s qualities in the rabbit, and the companionship towards Robert from the dog. Lastly, there is also ambiguity represented in the overall title of the novel; The Wars. This is when: Robert Ross’ difficult journey to survive in the world with his personality that he later discovers his true self through the reoccurring existentialism shown