Essay on Animal Imagery in the Wars

Words: 1823
Pages: 8
Open Document
The abundant animal imagery in Timothy Findley's book The Wars is used to develop characterization and theme. The protagonist, Robert Ross, has a deep connection with animals that reflects his personality and the situations that he faces. This link between Robert and the animals shows the reader that human nature is not much different than animal nature.

The animals in this story are closely related to the characters, especially the character of Robert. Rodwell acknowledges Robert's close union with animals when he draws Robert in his sketchbook as "the only human form" among sketches of animals (155). When Robert sees the drawing, he notices that "the shading [is] not quite human"; it is a combination of animal and human qualities, …show more content…
The sound of that bird haunts Robert to the day he dies (146). Robert associates birds with the perilous times at war that he can never forget.

Findley uses rabbits to represent Rowena and Rodwell, both characters of pureness and compassion. Rowena is very much like her rabbits in that she is defenseless, innocent and dependent on others. When Rowena dies, her rabbits are killed for the simple reason that "they were hers" (17) and Robert is expected to kill them "because he loved her" (19). These justifications seem rather weak to Robert, who wants his sister to still be alive in some form. If the rabbits were killed, it "would imply that Rowena would truly be dead" and Robert cannot accept this ("Animals and Their Significance" 1). He promised Rowena that he would stay with her forever and that the rabbits would stay forever, too. He wants at least one of these promises to be kept. Unfortunately, a soldier is hired to kill the rabbits, and Robert fights him, yelling, "what are soldiers for?" (20). It is ironic that he later becomes a soldier himself and he learns to kill as well. So Rowena's rabbits are killed, "[b]ecause a girl died, and her rabbits survived her" (20).

Instead of the arbitrary killing that takes place with Rowena's rabbits, Rodwell's animals are being constantly protected from the dangers of battle. For example, when the dugout is shaken by mines, Robert sees the rabbit turn "with its eyes
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Animal Imagery in the Wars

Essay about All Quiet on the Western Front Final Turn In

Western Front If a typical teenager would describe a war, he/she would probably refer to some action movies or videos games. The assumption about war is, by their view that war is all about endless action without leaving any “mental scars” and effects on the soldiers. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque suggests otherwise. The book describes Paul's experience in the second company while fighting on French western front in the First World War. From Paul’s perspective, the book exhibits his…

Words 1585 - Pages 7

The Sweetheart Of The Song Tra Bong Analysis

Tim O’Brien uses animal imagery in the story, The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong to support a theme of the novel that war significantly changes a person. One of the best examples, of war changing a person in Mary Anne, she is the fiance of a medic named Mark Fossie, who decided to bring her to Vietnam. When she arrives, she is wearing culottes, and looks like a “cheerleader”(96). When she leaves the camp, she was wearing a “necklace of human tongues”, an object she wouldn’t have dreamt of when…

Words 391 - Pages 2

Battle Royal - Ralph Ellison Research Paper

Battle of a Black Man Ralph Ellison made it clear that Invisible Man was not based on his own experiences. In an interview, he stated, “Let me say right now that my book is not an autobiographical work.” However, it is clear that his culture and the time period of his upbringing affected his writing. This is particularly seen in his descriptions of the treatment of blacks, the African American society, and the revelation of the narrator. Like the characters in “Battle Royal”, African Americans…

Words 1209 - Pages 5

Full Metal Jacket Film Analysis

“Full Metal Jacket” is a hard-hitting film set during the Vietnam War that through strong imagery, theme and characterization shows the harsh reality of war balanced with the human psyche. The film has been a pop culture phenomenon since it released in 1987 that has many famous quotes that you will hear men say amongst themselves in bars. In the time of an unpopular war, civil rights battles, the birth of hippies, and the Cold War you get taken back in time with an extraordinary group of young United…

Words 1089 - Pages 5

Symbolism In The Red Badge Of Courage

growth novel about a young man that becomes a soldier in the Civil War era, has many examples of symbolism and imagery as evident from the very beginning. The Red Badge of Courage, a work of historical fiction, shows the gruesome details of war through the eyes of Henry Fleming, a naive and experienced young man turned soldier. The story is full of symbolism as evident from the title. Stephen Crane’s use of color and animal imagery brings more life to an already gripping story and his graphic description…

Words 963 - Pages 4

All Quiet On The Western Front Rhetorical Analysis

The Struggle Is Real Anti-war means against or opposed to a particular war. In All Quiet on the Western Front written by, Erich Maria Remarque, expressed what happened in World War I which was arresting and writes how young soldiers fight to defend their own country going through many destructive bombardments. Remarque uses imagery and figure of speech as literary devices to express his anti-war theme, or lesson. Using imagery, Remarque is able to communicate an anti-war theme in the novel All Quiet…

Words 454 - Pages 2

Essay about The Wind

Animal Imagery Shown in Macbeth Ryan Timmons Ms. Fisher ENG 3U April 23rd, 2013 In today’s world people are compared to animals in many unique ways. The most common reference is comparing someone to a dog and we have all heard the phrases in which we hear the words “You are as ugly as a dog!” or someone is, “ as loyal as a dog”. The use of these metaphors is called animal imagery. Imagery is using words to create or capture and image or picture in the readers mind. The imagery we are about…

Words 1658 - Pages 7

Summary Of All Quiet On The Western Front

Remarque (1898-1970), a German veteran from World War 1. The novel was first published in 1929 in book form and has 12 chapters. This book describes German Soldiers and their mental states and how young men adapted to the war. All Quiet on the Western Front has many rhetorical devices in it, many themes, and lots of symbolism. All Quiet on the Western Front, tells the story of Paul Baumer, a German soldier who joined the army shortly after World War 1 began. Paul arrives at the front with some…

Words 1100 - Pages 5

Poetry Analysis Essay

How does Wilfred Owen depict the harsh realities of war and human suffering through three to four of the following techniques? Wilfred Owen, one of the leading poets of the First World War, was a young, English soldier, who battled for his country. The poems, Anthem for Doomed Youth and Dulce Et Decorum Est were written while Owen was sitting as an injured soldier in the hospital. The main theme of Dulce Et Decorum Est is the reality of war and the central theme of Anthem for Doomed Youth is the…

Words 947 - Pages 4

Brave new world research paper

people lived. Aldous Huxley captures the essence of this time in his novel Brave New World. In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley reveals that when governments abuse their power it will lead to a society’s demise through symbolism, foreshadowing, and imagery. Aldous Huxley was born on July 26, 1894 in Godalming, Surrey. Aldous was the third son of writer Leonard Huxley and the grandson of famous zoologist. He studied English literature at Ballial College in Oxford and later graduated in 1916. Huxley…

Words 1508 - Pages 7