"I fight my own struggles just as Elijah does, and every other man, Canadian, English, German, French, Australian, American, Burmese, Austrian, fights his. We all fight on two fronts, the one facing the enemy, the one facing what we do to the enemy." (Page 326) This passage contains one of the most meaningful statements found in this novel and shows not just the struggles of Elijah, Xavier, or even just Canadians. Rather, it shows the difficulties of war for every person involved.
Every person that is involved in any war are deeply affected by what they see, witness, and have to take a part in. I find that as a Canadian, when I think about war, I think about the sacrifice of Canadian men and women and the struggles that they have to go through during and after war. Although that is an important thing to think about, I think it is also important to see that all people involved, no matter where they are from, are fighting a battle within themselves over the things that they do. This battle within each person may look different but every person is affected. I find that it is very easy while reading about the war to imagine the enemies as something in between you and your goal. This passage puts a face on all people involved in the war, not just the Canadians or Allies. Everybody fights a struggle in the war and it is a battle against oneself just as much as against anybody else.
I completely agree with you. Even the family members at home are in some way fighting the war with their loved ones. Some soldiers do not agree with why they are sent to fight and that would make it a lot more difficult to justify what you do as a person at war. Going to war is not something you decide as a career going to war is a complete change in who you are once you return. There is no going back to who you were before and that is what challenges so many people once they return.
ReplyDelete