The wars
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 so strongly about "what people really do to one another" (Inside Memory 19). Findley feels a great fondness for animals, and this affection surfaces faithfully in many of his literary works. The Wars is a novel wrought with imagery, and the most often recurring pattern is that of animals. Throughout the novel, young Robert Ross' strong connection with animals is continually depicted in his encounters with the creatures. Findley uses Robert to reveal the many similarities between humans and animals. The only quality, w
[seems] to satisfy his own thirst" (The Wars 28). Robert finds it easier to relate to animals than to humans. Later that night, as he sits alone, Robert finds himself "wishing that someone would howl" (28). In his video documentary, The Anatomy of a Writer, Findley describes his affinity for animals when he says that he has "always been in awe of . His beloved sister, Rowena, was closely attached to her pet rabbits. However, when the German makes a sudden move, Robert panics and shoots him. In many ways, Robert's connection to the animals that he encounters alludes to the similarity between all humans and animals. In that moment, his vision is cleared and he sees that the innocent and virtuous animals should not suffer the consequences of human violence. The coyote had known he was there the whole time: maybe the whole of the run across the prairie. Findley attests that there "are so many fascinating things the human race doesn't want to know about itself" (Inside Memory 155). Robert also seems to have a special bond with birds, which often appear in the novel, frequently at times of crisis for Robert. During Robert's run with the coyote, Robert watches as the coyote spies two gophers and notes that the animal "didn't even come down off it's toes.
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Acceptance Essays
