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Stylistic Analysis Of The Wars By Timothy Findley

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The Psychoanalytic study of the human mind invented by Sigmund Freud revealed "the complex structuring of unconscious material and to demonstrate the psychic action of repression"( Gay 2006, pp. 64–71). Just as the study of the mind is intended to explain and generalize human behavior by our actions and inability to perform such actions, Timothy Findley 's Robert Ross is seen as a paradigm of these actions and inactions. Timothy FIndley 's Governor general 's award winning for English-language fiction; "The Wars" a book written in 1977, follows a 19-year-old Canadian boy named Robert Ross, enlists in the Recruitment for World war 1 battalion after the death of his younger sister Rowena to escape his guilt and the societal norm, he could not live up to. …show more content…

Upon the beginning of the book the text is seen to be written from a 3rd person omniscient view, however, with a more in-depth look the text is seen to hold many hidden views in the text that is portrayed as a type of "dream," meaning that the text itself represses its real meaning behind obvious words. While Many may say that Robert is just a scared boy amidst the wars, the real war is being fought within the minds of every soldier on the battlefield, moreover Robert himself; by dissecting the human psyche through his actions, the reader is becoming more apparent to the Roberts relativity of truth as it is being used as a type of censor. This "censor" of the text is a more complicated phenomenon is presented under numerous factor such as; the symbols. Actions and setting within the works, the isolation, and alienation of his unconscious and conscious mind, the structural narrative text itself reveals the unconscious structure of the author 's

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It is sometimes difficult for individuals to settle the discrepancy between truth and illusion, and consequently they drive others away, by shutting down. Mrs. Ross, in The Wars by Timothy Findley, is seen as brittle while she is attending church, and cannot deal with the cruel reality of the war and therefore segregates herself from the truth by blacking it out. As a result, she loses her eyesight, and never gets to solve the clash between her awareness of reality and the actuality of the world. She hides behind a veil, and her glasses to distance herself from reality. Mrs. Davenport has to wheel her around in Rowena’s chair to keep her awake, so she doesn’t harbour up subconscious feeling within her dreams, which she is unable to deal with.

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Before World War I, all of Europe in 1914, was tense and like a bomb or a fire was waiting to erupt. Europe had not seen a major war in years, but due to Militarism, Imperialism, Alliances, and Nationalism tensions grew high. Each country was competing to be the best by gaining more territory and growing in their military size and successful economies. World War 1 was waiting to happen and the assassination of the Archduke was the spark that lit Europe up. In All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque we see the effects of the assassination.

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¬¬¬¬¬The Wars Essay The concept of resilience is often described as being able to recover from difficult experiences or pasts, where one’s resilience could be impacted by drastic changes that occur in their lives. It is something that guides one’s decisions and often defines their morals and what individuals perceive to be right or wrong; depending on the situation they are encountering. Resilience is highly dependent on the thought of empathy, where the resilience of people who have experienced empathy will be different from others who haven’t. How individuals deal with these differences determines one’s level of empathy and also impacts their resilience.

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Observing each character, the book draws attention to the inner dialogue and struggles they

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Simultaneously, part of the human mind contains collective unconsciousness which is shared by all members of the human species. As a writer, and playwright Timothy Findley continues to amaze his audience through the development of his characters that are challenged by their own sanity in society. Robert Ross demonstrates the role of an archetypal hero as he comes across many obstacles during his journey that signify pivotal turning points in his life, which are self questioning. The story of Robert’s quest for survival demonstrates a number of archetypal elements, which are evident in terms of the plot, characterization and symbolism found in The Wars. According to psychoanalyst Carl Jung who understood universal patterns and images to be derived from our psychic existence, including thought patterns, dreams and arts.

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Responsibility often comes with the connotations of burden and sacrifice and most of the time, this is true. In The Wars, by Timothy Findley, the concept of responsibility is demonstrated in the character of Mrs. Ross whose duties as a wife and a mother may be viewed as cold, cruel, and purposefully isolating; the complete opposite of the archetype of a compassionate mother figure. However, like each unique individual in society, the way one responds and takes responsibility varies infinitely; Mrs. Ross attempts to dissociate from society when she feels she has not fulfilled her duties and responsibilities. However, her empathetic nature prevents her from completely isolating herself from all sentiment. Rather, she subconsciously internalizes the welfare and hardships faced by others while sacrificing her own well-being.

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He realizes how smart Robert is, and he keeps being shocked as the night goes on. While listening to a show about Cathedrals, Robert asks the narrator to describe him a Cathedral. The narrator tries his hardest, but can not do it. To combat this, Robert takes the narrator's hand and has him close his eyes and together they draw the church just from memory. After drawing the Cathedrals, the narrator describes the picture as, “ It’s really something” (103).He learns how seeing is not everything in life, and how wrong he was with his assumptions about Robert.

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Being raised a Calvinist and led to believe his was one of the elect, Robert’s actions hold almost no meaning for himself because he will be “saved” regardless. This lack of empathy and morality led to a destructive nature and deterioration of his mind. From his upbringing, he was never taught to be strong of will nor firmly rooted in ethics and morality. Instead, he was told that his no matter what he did, he had a place in salvation. This thriving of weakness and lack of control breeds a wildly uncontrolled man who, troubled by his past, must conjure the character of Gil-Martin so that his guilt can be shifted onto another.

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From the beginning of the novel the narrator shows ignorance and prejudice towards Robert, he is fighting with his own of jealousy and insecurity. Being unhappy with his own life, the narrator sees Robert as a possible threat to his usual evening with pot and TV, without realizing that in order to be satisfied he should step out of his habitual

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Robert loves his wife and views her as his soulmate rather than a body to fill empty space. Robert’s physical blindness does not hold him back from feeling, while the narrator’s emotional lack of sight proves more

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Conflict is one of the most basic elements of natural human behavior. Conflict, from a literary standpoint, serves its purpose to create tension within a story, which as a result keeps readers interested and engaged. Whether the conflict is with another person, with nature, or within yourself, it is ubiquitous and unavoidable. In Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, the struggles that Henry faces help to give depth and meaning to the story, as well as develop Henry as a character.

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Through their interactions, the narrator and Robert are able to communicate and understand each other in ways that the narrator never thought possible. This highlights the idea that true communication and understanding are possible only when individuals are willing to put aside their assumptions and biases, and to open themselves to the perspectives of

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For starters, Robert compares himself to how everyone might be feeling by bringing up the fact that he lost a member of his family to a murderer too. This gave people the impression that they were not alone and that Robert had similar emotions to them. A final way Robert makes the reader care is by telling them to do certain things like pray for Martin’s family and the country. Some rhetorical devices used by Robert in his speech were repetition, antithesis, and epistrophe. Repetition is used in the words “we” and “love.”

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The narrator is deeply invested in the activity that he didn’t even open his eyes because he is opened up to a new learning style. The narrator didn’t open his eyes because he is learning to look at things from different perspective. He has now learned to look at his life form Roberts point of view. He also acknowledges that Robert is a cool

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The narrator begins to change as Robert taught him to see beyond the surface of looking. The narrator feels enlightened and opens up to a new world of vision and imagination. This brief experience has a long lasting effect on the narrator. Being able to shut out everything around us allows an individual the ability to become focused on their relationships, intrapersonal well-being, and

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