Symbolism in

The Wars
 Findley’s use of symbolism adds to the highly visual nature of his writing
 Findley himself once commented that “everything in that book has a life of
its own. It’s a carrier too – all the objects are carriers of someone else’s
spirit”
 Objects are icons – they have symbolic value attached to them. (eg.
Photograph of Robert as a soldier – p. 48 – 49)
 Symbol that Findley spoke of as being the visual image which leaped into his
mind while writing the novel: the pit
 Symbolizes life or death
 There are many manifestations of the pit throughout the novel (the drain hole in
the sink, the valley where the coyote leads him, the crater where he and his men
have been trapped by gas, the hold of the Massanabie)
 Reflects the nature of WWI: trench warfare – qualities in common?

https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/science/earth/article/2016/06/24/turkmenistans-door-hell-has-been-burning-45-years
Four Elements

 The natural elements (earth, air, fire, water) are featured prominently as
symbols. Their meanings change and evolve throughout the novel.
 Inscribed on Robert’s tombstone: “Earth and air and fire and water”. Why
does Juliet have this inscribed on his tombstone?

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=553152321
Those Greeks!  
 

*based on a diagram from Isidore of Seville, Liber de responsione mundi (Augsburg,

1472). Original in the Huntington Library. Known as the last scholar of the ancient
world, he was born 560 AD, in Cartagena, Spain and died April 4, 636 AD
Task 1:
 Symbols:
 For each symbol, complete the
 Stained glass
following:  Birds
 Provide quotations (1 or 2) that  Rabbits
illustrate the use of the symbol  Horses
 What does the symbol represent?  Coyote
Who or what is it associated with?  Sleep/dreams
 To what effect is the symbol used?  Stones
How important is it to the novel?
 Machines
 pits
Task 2:

 Read the excerpt from Lorraine York’s work of

criticism, and complete the handout entitled
“Earth and Air and Fire and Water”
Journal #5

 What does the inscription on Robert’s

tombstone reveal about one or more of the key
messages in Findley’s The Wars?