The Four Elements: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire. (2)

                                           "The Wars"

                                                                             (2)

                                                The Four Elements 

All the four elements: Wind water fire and earth are all represented and demonstrated throughout the novel. 

Fire is represented in the novel through blood and death, and the gunfire/ artillery. 

Wind is represented in the novel as the air which is a metaphor of death. A example of this would be when Robert along with his men are attacked by deadly chlorine gas.

 Earth is represented in the novel by mud and trenches that nearly kill Robert by engulfing him into the earth almost making him drown. 

Lastly, Water is represented in the novel by various scenes throughout Roberts journey. One being when Robert is faced with the flooding of his trench and the flood on the battlefields. Also another situation is when he is attending Rowena's funeral. 

FIRE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZPiaSYmj_4

This short clip is only a glimpse of what life was like for a soldier during WWI. This clip is a good example of some of the things Robert had to experience during the war. Roberts violent experiences throughout the war are a representation of fire. All the blood death and violence all falls under the idea of fire.

WIND:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTY7v1Q_vnc

This clip is extremely accurate in understanding how the poisonous gas invented by the Germans had such a horrific affect on other soldiers like Robert. The spread of the gas by air is a representation of one of the four elements known as wind. A big theme in the novel, the wind nearly killed Robert and his soldiers multiple times throughout the novel.

EARTH:
Both these pictures display the terrible conditions on the battlefield throughout WWI. Roberts experiences are very similar if not identical to the soldiers
 on the picture below. When Robert nearly drowned to death as a result of the mud, this represented one of  the four elements (Earth). Also, when the trenches and dugouts collapsed this is a representation of earth as well.

WATER:

"My perception of Earth always looks different after it rains" 
                                                              -Vladimir Nabokov

This quote is fitting to the element of water because after reading the novel, the reader can notice that every time their is a mention of rain (water), their is a significant point of change and transition in Roberts life.
 For example,After  Robert was in his bath talking to his mom, their was immediate change. In addition, during Rowena's funeral, Findley stresses the fact that the rain was harshly coming down. Again this is another example of a point of transition or change for Robert. 

                                       Not only are the four elements seen multiple times in the novel 
                                                  but are also inscribed on Roberts tombstone 

                                             "EARTH AND AIR AND FIRE AND WATER
                                                               ROBERT   R.  ROSS"

                                                              1896                    1922