This essay examines the significance of the novel, Not Wanted on the Voyage, written by one of Canada's most respected and prolific writers, Timothy Findley (1984). This paper also explores the strengths of David Jefferess' analysis of Findley's "story" as embodied in his journal article entitled "A Pacific (Re)Reading of Timothy Findley's Not Wanted on the Voyage" (2000). Jefferess' remarks in his critique provide a distinct approach to Findley's masterpiece as he questions the "symbolic and literal structures that underpin violence and domination" (Jefferess 139) in such a way that was dissimilar to any of that of the "Findley scholars" (Jefferess 138). Through Findley's "story", he challenges us to question the many aspects and ideologies of society that revolve around power, domination, science and religious beliefs and forces us to re-examine the values and attitudes we posses.
             Not Wanted on the Voyage is not just another rendition of the biblical epic of Noah and the Ark; "Findley rewrites a story that we think we know and understand, the biblical myth of the deluge, and in doing so he undermines the "truth" of the story" (Jefferess 139). In fact, it possesses a far more complex and profound recollection of the parable – after all "Everyone knows it wasn't like that" (Findley 3). Through his account of Noah's Ark, Findley's use of the many reversals between "good" and "evil" permit readers to examine what it means to be virtuous and immoral. Why does Findley portray Noah as corrupt - rather than the kind-hearted old man we are familiar with? Why does he portray God as weak, when the Bible states otherwise: "God's way is perfect...Like a rock...has strength and power" (II Sam.22:31-2)? Why is Lucifer – the Fallen Angel – portrayed as "good" when it ...