Hi! I wrote an essay focusing on the weath -vs- spiritual reasons for entering the war as presented in The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy, and I was wondering if anyone can give me some imput or suggestions. This counts as a lot for my class this year, and I would really like to get a good mark. Any suggestions on grammar, structure, ideas and the layout of my thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

As presented in The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy, an obtained desire may prove to be a personal disappointment. The inclination to obtain a personal desire however, be it for wealth, adventure or spirit, may force a man into drastic measures. Throughout The Tin Flute, many of the male characters are presented as going away to World War II to obtain their own personal desires, best described by the symbol of the ‘tin flute’. The different reasons presented for entering the war reflect one character’s immense distress with the contemplation of whether a man should join the army with the intention to become wealthy or for spiritual reasons.

“[Emmanuel] felt an intense distress. It seemed to him that he was alone in the universe, on the edge of the abyss, holding in his hands the most fragile, tenuous of threads, that of the eternal human enigma. Which of the two, wealth or spirit, should sacrifice itself? Which of the two possessed the true power of redemption?” (320)

Emmanuel’s contemplation gives insight into the characters who are presented by Roy as joining the army with the intention of gaining wealth, those who join for spiritual reasons and essentially, which reason is presented as the best in the end.

In the poverty-stricken city of Saint-Henri, Québec, the male habitants are faced with the option of joining the army as a means of gaining wealth and, of obtaining their personal ‘tin flute’ of ensuring a financially secure future for themselves and their loved ones. During the financially devastating time of the Second World War, two characters in particular, Pitou and Eugène are presented as joining the army with the intention to become wealthy. Pitou and Eugène are demonstrated as being brought up in financially unstable families, giving them the incentive to join the army as a means of escaping their financial poverty. The intensity of Pitou’s childhood poverty is best described after he rips his pants and misses three weeks of school, only to return “at last in his older brother’s pants after the brother had died of tuberculosis” (51). Pitou, “ ‘who, never got paid for a day’s work in his life… five years running right and left and all he’s learned is playin’ the guitar’ ” (55), joins the army to become wealthy. For other uneducated young men, such as Eugène, the war gives them the opportunity for a brighter future. Eugène also lived a childhood immersed in poverty, as he has seven siblings and a father who, at the worst of times, is always between jobs. Eugène, who “ ‘gets fed up bumming ten cents here and a quarter there… always hanging around looking for work’ ” (71), feels that the “ ‘army’s the right place for a guy’ ” (71) like him, “ ‘no trade, not much school, it’s the right place’ ” (71). Eugène joins the army, with the personal desire to provide for his family, unlike what his father has done, “ ‘listen, Ma, all the time I’m in the army you’re going to get twenty bucks a month’ ” (72). These two young men set out to fulfill their personal desires of gaining wealth by joining the army, a lifestyle that has the potential to kill them.

Another character presented as joining the army, obtaining both the personal desire for wealth and spiritual desires, is Azarius Lacasse, the ‘dead-beat’ father of eight children. Azarius, a tradesman in the Saint-Henri slums of Montréal, is unable to find work within his trade and is constantly between jobs. Upon joining the army, Azarius visits his wife in the hospital, who has just given birth to their ninth child. He assures his wife that “ ‘you’re going to get a nice cheque every month’ ”(370) and that her “ ‘peace and quiet’s coming’ ” (370). To Azarius, joining the army will ensure a financially secure future for his family, a personal desire that he is passionate about. Azarius also assures his wife that “ ‘the best of all is, you’re going to be rid of me’ ” (371). Azarius feels that he is constantly putting his family through stress, due to his inability to provide for his family at this time. To his family, however, joining the army is a selfish choice on the part of their father and husband, as they are in need of emotional stability during this hard time, “no, no, Azarius, don’t talk to me about peace and quiet… that’s more than we can ask for” (370). Furthermore, to the reader, Azarius’ disguised motives are revealed. Azarius joins the army with the priority of bringing wealth to his family; however, he also went to war for a spiritual adventure, an escape. He “was starting a new life” (371), because “he had a great need for adventures, perils, hazards, he who had failed so miserably in the small things”(372). Going to war is the spiritual escape that Azarius feels he needs, as it is difficult to dream and hope under the conditions of Saint-Henri. Unlike the young and naïve characters of Pitou and Eugène who are influenced by the hype of “a future in the army” (312), Azarius is presented by Roy as joining the army to help his family and also, to save his spiritual self.

Additionally, Emmanuel Létourneau is another character who is presented as joining the army, not with the desire of gaining wealth, but because of his spiritual desires. Unlike the other men presented by Roy as going away to war, Emmanuel is very wealthy and does not need to go to war to become rich. He could stay home with his family and well-paying job, but out of his own passion, chooses to go away to war. Again, unlike the other characters presented who feel as if they have no other option than joining the army, Emmanuel is the only one who feels that the war should be the only option. To Emmanuel, “to make war you had to be filled with love, with a vehement passion, exalted, intoxicated, otherwise the whole thing was inhuman and absurd” (315). Emmanuel is presented by Roy as going to war because “he loved France, he loved humanity, he was distressed by the suffering of the conquered peoples” (299). Due to the suffering of people because of war, Emmanuel feels passionately that “war must be destroyed” (379). Emmanuel feels an intense distress in his passion for fighting in the war because he feels his reason for joining the army is the noble one and that the war should be fought by only those who are passionate about the cause. To Emmanuel, it seems “incredible, impossible” (316) that Pitou is in the army, “Pitou, the kid of their group, the one they’d still had to protect not so long ago” (316). He can name “twenty, fifty, a hundred” (314) men, including Pitou, Eugène and Azarius, who do not have “a clear idea who [the tools of death] were to be used against” (314). He does not understand how these men are “lead off to war” (315) without at least the “idea of justice, beauty and brotherhood” (315). Upon contemplating the other men’s reasons for joining the army, he begins to question his motives for going to war and if “he still possesses such an ideal himself” (315). He asks himself if he can “keep intact his ideal, the passion of his youth, or would he succumb to making war without realizing where it was talking him?” (315) He questions his motives for going to war; however, his reasons for fighting in the war are strengthened upon his departure, when an older woman “from the movement of her lips”(378) says “ ‘there’ll be an end, someday there’ll be an end’ ” (378). This idea is Emmanuel’s entire reason for joining the army and is what essentially encourages him to take drastic means to defend his country. Overall, Emmanuel’s noble reason for going to war is due to his immense passion for the political cause, a spiritual choice on his part.

To complete a task to the best of one’s ability, one must be passionate, set out to accomplish a goal and be aware of the consequences of one’s actions. Considering Pitou and Eugène’s reasons for joining the army, they do not appear to be passionate about the cause, nor do they understand the severity and danger of war. Seemingly, Azarius Lacasse is merely focused on his great adventure, which will bring financial stability to his family, to be able to realize the seriousness of war. In contrast, Emmanuel Létourneau’s passion-driven reasons for joining the army, to defend his country, reflect his understanding and acceptance of sacrificing his life to the war, “the ones who join up, we’re giving everything we have to give, maybe our arms or our two legs” (319-320). For these reasons, Emmanuel’s personal and passionate desires to defend his country can only be fulfilled in the army, making his reason for entering the war presented by Roy as the best in the end. By presenting these different reasons for going to war, Gabrielle Roy demonstrates the immense impact the war has on the entire world during this time. She illustrates the effects that poverty has on many families, forcing some men to take drastic measures for a solution, and also, outlines the nationalistic views of some men. The severity and seriousness of war, foreshadowed with “low in the sky, dark clouds heralded the storm”(383) reflects each character in their fight, and the unfortunate probable loss of those who are not passionate about the cause.

I don't have alot to offer here - structually and gramatically, your essay is good.

The one point I do have though, is that you look at it from the standpoint of wealth vs spiritually. You target the spiritual part as "passion" - based on the story is there a way to direct more towards spirituality itself? Since your position in the beginning of your essay is to focus on wealth vs spiritually and I do not think that your final paragraph represents that - you end with the focus on wealth vs passion. Passion and Spirituality are not interchangeable.