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ENG 4U-The Wars: Literature Analysis Seminar Discussion
The Four Elements
When man’s strife disrupts the harmony of the elements, discord is widespread and man
becomes vulnerable. Robert experiences Greek philosopher Empedocles’ theory of love and
strife, as paralleled by the disharmony of the natural world around him.
EMPEDOCLES- Palozzi
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He associated the elements with the Gods, believing them to be divine and the matter
which makes up all things on earth.
The elements are indestructible, eternal, and sentient; they are conscious and are therefore
able to respond to man’s influence.
Elements can be brought together or separated by the two forces love and strife. Love
fosters harmony. Strife divides matter into the elements it was composed of to create
disharmony.
His cosmic circle defined our existence by a nonstop cycle of peace and destruction; love
and strife.
AIR –Asada
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Air is something all living things need to survive. The conflict in the novel changes this
element into a death dealing massacre, an inversion of what it usually is.
In The Wars, Air is altered into Chlorine Gas, a significant tool of death in the novel. On
page 137, the gas attack begins on Robert and his men. It shows how something we are
always using can be so easily inverted into a deathly alternative.
Air was used in the flamethrower, and with it; “Water burned and snow went up in
smoke.”Such a message of conflicting elements shows the inverse world that is created
when man disturbs the peace. Page 147 is the beginning of the flamethrower, the
‘ultimate weapon’ that harnesses water and air to create fire, scorching the earth and
anything in between.
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EARTH- Bae
Earth conventionally represents life, consistency, safety, nurturance and even closure
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This can be seen in the very beginning at Robert Ross’ home where the war has not
affected yet. He has a barn and lawn, your given the image that he lives in a very lush or
bountiful environment
As man begins to upset the balance of the elements the earth begins to lash back. The earth
becomes a victim of warfare, it is contaminated
“Dung and debris and decaying bodies lay beneath its surface” (pg 76)
“Summers had been blue with flowers. Now it was shallow sea of stinking grey from end to end.
And this is where you fought war” (pg 76)
War has taken the life yielding powers from the earth. This causes the earth to change and
become violent and dangerous.
1) Robert is almost killed by mud at ypres.
- Due to the war and its side effects the new element or new perspective of “mud” is
created
“The mud. There are no good similies. Mud must be a Flemish word. Mud was invented
here. Mudland might have been its name. The ground is the colour of steel. Over most of
the plain there isn’t a trace of topsoil: only sand and clay”. (pg 76)
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The once natural is described as being the colour of steel
Topsoil is a beneficial environment for seeds and young plants, but there is a lack of
now. This life promoting substance has disappeared completely. The ground will kill
young seeds instead of promoting life. War kills young men.
“He stepped towards it expectantly. Suddenly, his right foot went down. All the way
down to the knee through the earth. Dear Jesus – he was going to drown”. (pg 85)
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The once solid life nurturing earth becomes life threatening. There is chlorine in the
mud: this shows that the earth is contaminated, it has been tampered with by people.
2) The Dugout Collapses
- Another example of the earth striking back because of the disturbance of war.
- The dugout which was supposed to be a place of safety and warmth becomes life
threatening.
- Robert worries that Poole has been killed, and if he hadn’t gone outside it would have.
We hear that Poole slept in a ledge carved into the earth for warmth.
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“The yawning noise was made by the spikes as they were drawn from the wooden
supports. The roof was a single sheet of corrugated tin – piled with sandbags and earth. It
didn’t fall. It tipped” (pg 122)
WATER- Palozzi
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Pg 57: Robert’s love of the sea is discussed as that which helps one reach a destination. It
is the element symbolizing a voyage and a search for truth or growth. This is contrasted
to the churning seas of wartime that pose a threat to man when their authenticity and
purpose is lost amid strife. At sea Robert is faced with the killing of the horse, causing
him to become divided emotionally.
Pg 104: While in hospital, Harris speaks of his connection to the sea. In his sleep “he
dreamt of swimming-or of ‘breathing’ in the other element” (Findley 104). At a time of
peace Harris experienced unison with water when he felt as though he could breathe
underwater. It was the harsh conditions at sea during wartime however, which led to his
sickness and death.
Pg 117: Harris stated, “Everyone who’s born has come from the sea...We are the oceanwalking on the land” (Findley 117). Again, Harris illustrates Empedocles’ theory that we
are all made up of the same elements and thus, our actions have a direct influence on the
state of the natural world.
Pg 148: During the gas attack, Rodwell is able to save his toad by putting it underwater.
The toad he says, is in his element. The potential for water to be life-saving for a creature
at peace is demonstrated.
FIRE- Palozzi
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Pg 120: A battle scene describes the countryside as bursting into flames. Fire is the
destructive force of strife which occurs before rebirth is possible.
Pg 147: Fire’s purpose to provide warmth and light is corrupted as flamethrowers are
introduced in battle. Rumours of the flamethrowers left men fearful of believing “fire
could come out of hoses, they thought men couldn’t do this” (Findley 147). Man
challenges the societal norms of what is moral and harnesses the power of fire to cause
mass destruction.
Pg 150: Rodwell shot himself when he witnessed animals being tortured by men “who’d
been in the trenches all through the fire storms without being relieved. Some of them
were madmen...he found them slaughtering rats and mice-burning them alive in their
cooking fires” (Findley 150). The men themselves were burning alive and living a
symbolic hell on earth. The imbalance of the element becomes a danger to man who is
mutilated physically and psychologically.
Pg 152: In Canada the parliament buildings burn to the ground, paralleling the battlefield.
Mrs. Ross “believed her country was being destroyed by fire” (Findley 152). Though
Mrs. Ross deteriorates, she is acute in observing the devastation caused by fire. The
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destruction of the clock is symbolic of the state of chaos and disorder as men loses sanity
and society is degraded.
Works Cited
Smith, Barry D. "Empedocles." Ancient Greek Philosophy. Atlantic Baptist University, 24 Sept.
2008. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.