The Wars and Echoes Selections Comparison: How Well Does Findley Portray War in his Novel? Julia Tilson 12th Grade

Although each historical fiction story based on war has different characters, settings, and sub-plots, certain elements are common among other stories and those of Timothy Findley’s The Wars. The elements make Findley’s fictional tale seem more realistic and true to history. These factors include facing the four elements, as well as corruption, bravery, and the circumstances that influence the choice to enlist. They show the similarities between different people in war.

In war, soldiers battle not only each other, but the natural elements as well. Robert faces the four elements in war. This is reflected on his tombstone: EARTH AND AIR AND FIRE AND WATER ROBERT R. ROSS 1896 1922 (Findley 217) In On the road to Berlin, water takes corpses out to sea and brings them back. It covers them with sand and then uncovers them (Pyle 360). In A Story of War and Change, the post is on fire, and three soldiers are trapped inside. The narrator exhales air into the mouth of the dying soldier (Kiarash 365). In The Wars, the elements show that war was more than just man-vs.-man, as the soldiers face the elements of the natural war. Fire represents battle: “Fire storms raged along the front. Men were exploded where they stood - blown apart by...