Use of Foreshadowing (1)

Findley use foreshadowing in the novel to convey the theme of insanity by using events in the book to foreshadow insanity of Robert’s mind. This type of foreshadowing is mainly focused on the deaths of loved ones or war colleagues in Robert’s life. Through this literary device, Findley blames war as being the culprit of insanity in a soldiers mind. These next few posts are mainly focused on this literary device and how it portrays the theme of insanity.

 Robert is faced with many deaths throughout his duration of war right from is early teenage years. At Robert’s deployment since the war, he deals with death after and death and traumatic scene after another. These deaths take a toll on Robert’s mind and the war is only half over at this point of time. It is shown how many deaths have occurred in the war so far when the novel conveys,

“So far, you have read of the deaths of 557, 017 people—one of whom was killed by a streetcar, one of whom died of bronchitis and one of whom died in a barn with her rabbits.” (Findley 162)

All of the people in this quote symbolize someone Robert has lost in the war. The person who died of bronchitis was Robert’s war friend, Harris. Harris was admitted to the war at approximately the same time Robert was. They met in the boat to France when Harris contracted pneumonia. As it worsened, Harris succumbed bronchitis on top of his illness and was admitted to the hospital when they docked in France. Harris was Robert’s best war colleague he ever had and was with him when he passed away. This mentally trampled Robert, having his best friend die before the war even commenced. The girl in the barn with her rabbits was of course, Rowena. As said before, Rowena was Robert’s beloved sister and when she passed, edged him forward to join the army. All of the 557, 017 people who have died so far from the war, died serving their country. All these people in Robert’s life have died and it has taken a toll on him mentally, creating serious side effects that are foreshadowed on later in the novel. The words “So far” have the greatest emphasis in this quote, meaning anyone could be added to the death toll at any given time. These two words, as simple as they may seem, foreshadow significance that in the future Robert could be the next one in the crosshairs and be added to the death toll of the war. Having the feeling that at any time, someone you love could be next could be enough to make a person go insane. This is why this passage foreshadows so much in its simplicity. This quote stresses many things having to deal with death of war and how it leads to insanity.