Damaging Impacts: The Importance of Internal Conflicts in "War" Jaiv Patel 12th Grade

It is a widespread belief that war brings peace through destruction, however, in certain circumstances, the destruction is so great that no amount of peace can reconcile the lives and emotion lost. In the short story "War", Timothy Findley writes about Neil, an innocent, coming-of-age boy who is enjoying his summer when suddenly he is stricken by the news of his father is going to war. This unexpected truth takes him by surprise and he falls into a state of shock. Ultimately, this leads to many complications that arise within the story. Although Neil is depicted as a naïve child who has experienced very little about the world, his feelings of envy, unworthiness and distrust cause him to take unexpected actions that reveal the alarming impacts of war upon an individual and their family. Despite war being an external affair between conflicting countries, Neil’s actions highlight the internal conflict within families.

Firstly, the war overseas causes Neil’s father to leave their family unexpectedly causing them to become distant from each other. Secondly, the emptiness of separation has a detrimental effect on a child’s psychological and emotional well-being. Finally, the raging war spreads fear within the heart of Neil’s...