Put me in the kitchen? I think not.

And so I have returned! Miss me? Probably not. Today's post is going to be all about the fairer sex - women. 

Think about the role of women in our society. Doctors, managers, cops, pilots - societal limitations on what a woman can choose as a career path are but a memory of our parents, documented in the dusty pages of history textbooks.

Think about the role of women in your mothers society. My mother grew up in a tiny village of 350 people in Colombia. When she was young, an unspoken law dictated that if you weren't a housewife then you were a housekeeper for another family. That's just how things were.

Think about the role of women during WW1 and even before then. Probably similar to life in Colombia. Women couldn't even vote.

Think about your future. Who do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish?

Now imagine being told no.

No, you can not do that job.

No, you can not further your education.

No, you do not have a voice.

Put me in the kitchen? I think not. I am my own woman. I will accomplish the goals I place before myself. I will surpass any limitations I may encounter. I will rise above the expectations of others and I will have control over my own life. I have a voice.

I say these words to you now and chances are, you believe me. If a women of 1914 and even before then voiced such opinions, they were scoffed at.

World War 1 changed this; it was essentially the catalyst of women's rights and I believe a number of Timothy Findley's characters, Mrs. Ross for example, reflect this change and through them, presents the theme of gender reversal.

Women are typically presented as sentimental, emotional and motherly.

Mrs. Ross is far from that. She is distant, she drinks, she smokes, and she doesn't try to sugar coat life. "We’re all cut off at birth with a knife and left at the mercy of strangers" (23). Mrs. Ross understands what life is really about and she doesn't try to shield Robert from it. She gave him life but she can not live it for him. 

Now you have to understand, I'm not saying that Mrs. Ross is a bad mother. In fact I'm trying to say the opposite. Mrs. Ross cares deeply for her son, but she is also realistic. She knows that she can't live her sons life; she can't protect him from his choices and despite how distant she seems to be, by the end of the novel we realize how deeply connected she is to her son. She feels what he feels and it hurts her.

Mr. Ross on the other hand acts as any good (that can be disputed... maybe any good Hollywood mother should be used instead...) mother should. When Mrs. Ross tells Robert to kill the rabbits, Mr. Ross hires someone else to do the job. He shelters Rob in a way that Mrs. Ross doesn't and when he can't be there in person to protect his son, he gives him a gun. What I find interesting is the gun that he gives Robert is the wrong type of gun, it isn't what he needs. The gun represents something more then just a weapon or protection, it represents the type of parenting that Mr. and Mrs. Ross provide Robert. Mr. Ross, gave Robert the wrong gun; in other words, he is giving Robert the wrong parenting. 

Robert doesn't need to be babied, he needs to be let go of. He needs the type of support that Mrs. Ross gives Robert. 

Although most prominent in Mr. and Mrs. Ross, gender reversal is found throughout the entire novel. Men are supposed to be macho (roughly meaning male chauvinism in spanish). Instead, Findley presents us with a number of male characters like Robert. We learn that Robert bruises easily, and this is one of the most telling things about who Robert is. His bruises are not just external, but internal as well. Just as his skin is easily bruised, his heart and emotions are just as injured. He doesn't belong in war, and we the audience are so aware of this that becomes uncomfortable to read about his experiences on the battle field. Innocence like his should not be destroyed. 

Robert may be observant and driven but it is made clear that he was never meant to kill. Robert is a guardian, a hero, not because of his exploits in war, but because of his care and love for the weak. 

Even the reason why Robert goes to war shows a reversal of gender roles.

Hollywood like to play with our emotions and spin stories about the dashing young man who gets sent off to war to protect his lady friend (although I could never understand how leaving translates to protection...). In typical Hollywood fashion, the young man would face war and return to his lady friend a hero.

It seems Findley doesn't like Hollywood very much.

You see, Robert doesn't go to war for women. In fact women ( a certain Heather Lawson in particular) confuse him. No. Robert doesn't go to war for women. But women do play a part in why he goes to war. 

It is because of women that he leaves. 

When Rowena dies, Robert feels the guilt and failure. He let her die, and now he can't even kill her rabbits. It becomes to much for him to bear and he no longer has a reason for staying at home. He needs to do something and it seems going to war was the best idea. He needs to be a hero again. 

I am sure there are more examples of women being more like men in the novel, but it's late (or early) and this is more for you guys to mull over. But before you go, I'd like to add one more point. 

In my last post I mentioned good ol' Euripides. Well he is back. 

Hollywood may not have had much influence on this novel, but Euripides sure does. You see, he wasn't just known for his satire of a 'hero', but for his strong female characters as well. Sound familiar? Yes, it seems that characters such as Mrs. Ross were a collaboration between Findley and Euripides (or at least the writings left behind by Euripides since he is long dead and all.........) 

Moniquira, Colombia. Home town of my mom.

If you all have time, I think you should listen to this song. It's by Bat For Lashes, and although not explicitly clear, I feel as though this song has a lot to do with this post. It seems as though she is fighting between being a good women, and breaking through those limitations (inner wars? Haha). Give it a listen. Maybe you'll see something in it. Or maybe you won't. Either way, its a good song by a great artist. Enjoy :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Y-mtihWiI&list=FLul9EcPefPSo0035zw0c5Ow&index=45&feature=plpp_video

What makes a hero strong but the foundation of fear he stands upon

I grew up reading fantastic tales of the charming prince out to save his kingdom and win the love of his princess.

Not much has changed (except maybe the number of pages). 

To this day I still find myself curled up on the couch reading fantasies. Of course the hero has changed. No longer do I find myself cheering for prince. Instead the adventures of the modern day hero takes my imagination hostage. An ordinary person thrown face first into extraordinary circumstances where only a will of steel and superhuman feats of heroism could even hope to overcome such incredible odds, all the while never having to cross the line and betray their morals. Of course the ordinary man rises to the challenge, and of course he prevails, and becomes the hero we all cheer for. Forever leaving a mark in history.

Even in a zombie apocalypse
Rick Grimes is still as
moral as they come. 

Robert Ross is no such hero. Robert Ross was tossed into a war where moral was crushed by the weight of duty. Where ones survival depended on who pulled the trigger first and where most were driven to insanity by their own actions. 

Timothy Findley did not set out to write a novel about a traditional hero. Instead, what he wrote was a novel based on characters so flawed that we all are able to connect and understand their actions. 

That has to be one of the most unsettling things about this book. Not the fact that it tells a tale where the motto is kill or be killed, oh no. At least we could separate ourselves from those actions and put the book down knowing that you are above that. No. The most unsettling thing about this story is the fact that you are not reading a book, you are looking at a mirror that points out each and every one one of your flaws. 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we are all Robert Ross, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't feel slightly off from reading Findley's book. We all have flaws, whether you accept that fact or not and Robert Ross just happens to highlight them.

Now you may be asking yourself, what in the world brought this on? Well. I'll tell you.

Flip open your copy of "The Wars". Go on. Now you should see, right before the story begins, an almost blank page staring back at you, with the words “Never that which is shall die.” EURIPIDES written in the centre.

What does this have to do with heroism and who is this Euripides fellow? If you are anything like me, you probably just shrugged at those questions and flipped the page. But the damn thing wouldn't leave me alone. So I did a little research and as it turns out, Euripides has more to do with the book and this blog entry then you would first think.

Now my good friend Euripides lived something like 2400 years ago in Greece and he wrote tragedies but what is of interest to us is his take on a 'hero'. You see, Euripides created characters with the makings of a hero, but he riddled them with problems, fears and weaknesses. He made them real. Sound familiar?

Euripides and his view of a hero was the backbone of Findley's novel, and together they work to expose heroes for what they really are, “Ordinary people like you and me” (11). “One little David against another.”(31). They turn the idea of a hero upside down, not just in Robert Ross, but in all the characters, after all, what is a hero but an ordinary person? 

Robert Ross failed his sister, he broke command, he killed two men, he died, and he had fears.

Robert Ross loved his sister, he saved the horses, he fought for his country, and all his fears served only as a foundation for a strength that allowed him to save men under his command,

Robert Ross was not the hero I read about when I was a little girl but he is more human and more relatable and more worthy of a hero title then any prince charming before him because unlike prince charming, Robert's strength was built upon a foundation of fear, weakness and fault, not good looks. 

Sometimes they say ignorance is bliss

So you have returned have you? It is time to get down to business.

When you pick up a novel, what is the first thing you see? The title of course.

"The Wars".

2 words and yet it is packed with meaning. Findley sets the novel in a time where young men were being sent to fight a war that would be written about and studied for years after. It was "the war to end all wars." But the title means more then that, the novel is more then that, and each character is more then just a man or women fighting to survive a war that doesn't just take place on a battle feild or in trenches.

Each character is fighting an inner battle, trying to figure out who they are, what their motivations are. Robert Ross in particular seems to be at war with himself and his morals. He is constantly battling with what others tell him to do and what he believes to be right; what he has to do and what he wants to do. His visit to the whorehouse is a good example of this. Does he want to be there? Does he think it's morally right? No, he'd much rather be off running, and yet for the sake of his reputation, he must go.
These inner wars are what makes the characters so relatable, Robert Ross in particular. He is no hero, but he does fight his wars, as we all do.

"The Wars" is more then just a novel about a solider's struggles in war. It is about the wars that rage in each and every person, whether they are a soldier or not, and in my opinion, this title, whether we realize it or not, draws the reader in. It catches our attention, makes us wonder, question, think. Sometimes they say ignorance is bliss. But sometimes you read a novel that shoves the truth in your face. We all have our own wars to fight, whether you acknowledge those wars or not. Timothy Findley's novel makes us aware of our battles and that self reflection is what I believe to be the most rattling aspects of this story.


Well folks. That is all I have to say about the title. Maybe it gave some insight (probably not) into yourself and the war that you face; that we all face.

Until next time :)

We all have our inner wars.

Here we go! Blog number 1: The beginning.

Well hello there. You have stumbled across my wonderful blog.

Seeing as this is my first blog, I really don't know what to write, but I guess I should make some sort of attempt.

Isn't it pretty?

This blog will focus solely on my notes and thoughts on the various books that are being forced upon me in the name of education (not that the books are bad, in fact they are really interesting. But I really do miss the days when I read for fun, not for an exam). Lucky me, I'm starting with "The Wars" by Timothy Findley.

Seeing as I read the book already, my posts are going to be jumping from page to page, referencing later parts of the novel while blabbering on about a specific part of the book, but more importanly, I aim to answer some of my original thoughts and questions that went unanswered through my first read through of the novel. 

So sit back, relax and enjoy my painful attempts at writing a blog about books.

Here we go!