When we first read about Malcolm Fraiser it is an "overcast November morning. (Helwig, 1989)". This weather is a symbol of Malcolm's life. His wife died a few years back and his only remaining family lived miles away and they barely keep in touch. The only person that is even remotely close to being Malcolm's friend is Margaret, a woman who comes to the church he works at on a regular basis and occasionally talks to him. The sun represents the happiness that Malcolm could have had in life; the clouds represent the barrier of sadness that keeps him from it. Another symbol of Malcolm is the leaves that Margaret sees on the ground where Malcolm is working. "A few leaves lay singly where Malcolm worked, as if they had been dropped there carefully as decoration or to communicate some obscure message (Helwig, 1989)" The leaves are few and scattered far apart; just like Malcolm and his family. They are also dead, just like Malcolm's connection with his family. The "obscure message" that is mentioned is one to

As much as Margaret wants to change she can not, because she knows that once she starts she will never be able to stop. Margaret, like the drawer, will never change.

David Helwig uses symbolism in order to gives us a better understanding of the characters and their lives. The leaves and the sky lets the reader see how lonely Malcolm is, the drawer helps readers realize how chaotic Margaret's life has been, and the doll shows the reader the mistakes that McAllister has made in his life. Through symbolism the reader gets a special insight into the characters, making Old Wars even more interesting that it already is.

"She looked at the jar of nails, many of them bent, most of them rusted, and knew that she should throw it out, but instead she laid it back where she had found it. If she were to get rid of the jar of nails then she might dispose of the pieces of wood, the tin of cat food, the curtain rod, the three ancient mason jars, and if she did that she might throw out the albums of photographs, the notes for her father's sermons, her mothers old hats, and if once she began she would end by setting the house on fire and tearing off her clothes and dancing naked on the lawn of the church as she watched it burn. (Helwig, 1989).".

Another symbol is the Germa

Some common words found in the essay are:
Russian KGB, Malcolm Fraiser, David Helwig, helwig 1989, wooden doll, jar nails, doll wife, obscure message, life doll, characters lives, mistakes mcallister, malcolm leaves, david helwig,
Approximate Word count = 856
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)