My Final Thoughts

         At first I thought that this book was gonna be about World War 1. As I finished reading it I realised it wasn’t just about the war in Europe in the early 1900's, but it was more about the wars that the main character was fighting in his own head. I found that it had a slow start and took a while to get into. But almost every page you turned it got slightly more interesting and by the end of the book I could not put it down. I really liked it and connected it to my life in some ways. I really care about animals and find a sense of happiness through them just like Robert Ross had done so many times in the novel. My dog was put down the other day and it was a really sad time in my life for me. I had him for 13 years of my life and considered him a best friend. It really upset me to see him go. I was his guardian I took care of him and fed him everyday. This is sort fo what Robert had with his sister Rowena. Connecting my life to the book really helped me to take it in better and thoroughly enjoy it on a whole different level. I do not read much but I think Timothy Findley’s work has inspired me to begin to broaden my horizons and enjoy literature more. All the time and effort I have put into this book really makes it one of my favourite books I have ever read. Timothy Findley really described everything perfectly. With my good sense of imagination I could imagine myself in the novel as if I was Robert Ross. There was definitely some graphic parts that caught my attention and I had to keep reading. But on the other hand there was some parts that I wish would just end. To be completely honest I thought the novel would be completely different. I thought there would be a lot more fighting and a lot less homosexual intercourse. But throughout the course of the novel you only see one of the Axis soldiers die. It was a lot more of the battles that Robert Ross had to face mentally and overcome. But in the end it was to much for his mind and it imploded on himself. Robert was completely corrupted by the atrocities of war. I think it would be very difficult for anyone to overcome what he had to face and it would have ended the same way. My predictions were way off I believed that Robert would become a veteran and a hero of war. But in fact the exact opposite happened he became insane he went AWOL and killed members of his own army. The main themes I found were innocence and corruption to the mind during the awfulness of war. How the madness of battle can truly drive a person mad. All in all I really enjoyed my Novel thank you for suggesting it to me Ms. Breivik

What put Robert over the edge

        It was a mix of everything I believe that finally sent Robert over the edge. His mind was doomed to be corrupted from joining the army. He was never going to be the same again. The first thing that started his insanity was the death of his beloved sister Rowena, he was her guardian and he loved her so much when she died he wanted to escape his feelings for her by joining the army. This was probably not the best idea because someone who is already really upset should not be going to see horrific images and atrocities of war. The second happening that wasn’t good for Roberts mind was when he had to kill the horse, being the animal lover that Robert is it was very hard for him. When the horse did not die on the first shot he realised it was in pain and this really bothered Robert a lot. The next thing that probably rattled Robert was all the mortar shelling that kept hitting all around him. Thinking at any moment he could die. Especially when his trench collapsed on top of him. The next clue to his madness would be the gas attack he nearly escaped and the German soldier he killed who wanted to let them go free. On top of all this Robert gets raped by four other soldiers. Getting raped alone is enough to corrupt your mind but along with all of this other stuff going on around him in his visit to Europe any person would not be ok. Finally the last thing that was detrimental to him that sent him overboard was an artillery strike that was hitting near the stable where all the horses were. He wanted to go save them but Captain leather disapproved. Robert went against Leathers orders and set free all of the animals Robert went AWOL which means he disobeyed orders and could be court marshalled for this act. The theme in my eyes that was the biggest in this novel was the effects of war on a human being and the way they can change and distort someone’s views. Make them insane and drive them mad. Seeing something as terrible as people dying and the fear of death around every corner can really mess someone up. I believe that this is why Robert had no problems killing two of his own nations army.

"He never saw their faces"

     

Robert burned the picture of his beloved sister

               Rape is never a joke or funny. It is one of the most horrible things that could happen to someone. The feeling of losing all control and be taken advantage of and never feeling pure or innocent again. This is how Robert Ross felt part 4 chapter 5. He was raped by 4 men that belonged to the Canadian forces. " He wanted a clean shirt. He wanted a pair of clean underwear. He wanted his pistol." This quote is right after Robert is raped he is just coming back to his senses and realises what has happened. He feels dirty and unsafe this is why he wants clean clothes and his pistol to protect himself. "Robert sat on the mutilated mattress and opened his kit bag. Everything was there- including the picture of Rowena. Robert burned it in the middle of the floor. This was not an act of anger- but an act of Charity." Robert finds the picture of his deceased sister Rowena and he burns it. He feels as long as he has this picture she is always with him. After he had been raped he didn’t want her with him anymore. She symbolised all the innocence in Roberts life and he burned it out of charity to her. This must have been hard on Robert because this is the last item Robert had to remember his beloved sister. The raping of Robert just adds on to the factor that war has on the human mind. The four men that raped Robert most likely all had problems in their own minds from the terrible memories they had witnessed. Which led them to rape one of their officers. On the other end of the spectrum after being raped Robert fell into a state of insanity. Which highlights the corruption war has on a person.

Summary Part 5

Robert leaves Barbara d'Orsey's home and heads back to battle on a small train. Shortly after reaching the bath house, he is brutally raped by an unknown number of his fellow soldiers. When he returns to his room, he finally receives his lost pack, and burns his picture of Rowena as an act of charity, reasoning that it would be horrible for something so innocent to exist in such a messed up world.
Robert then moves back out to the front. The Germans begin firing shells that set everything ablaze. Robert goes to speak to Captain Leather to request that the horses be let out of the barn because if the barn is hit they will all die. Captain Leather refuses Robert's request. Once back at the barn Robert asks his friend Devlin if he would help him release the horses. Devlin contemplates whether or not he should let all the horses die or face the wrath of Captain Leather. Devlin decides to help Robert and runs out to open the gate for the horses. At that moment Captain Leather gets up from hiding beneath a table and looks out the window to see Devlin disobeying his orders. He runs out screaming at him to stop, and calls treason and traitor. Leather pulls out his gun and fires at Devlin killing him. Then he sees Robert and takes aim at him and starts firing but misses because Robert hides between the horses as they are running out. At that moment three shells land and set the barn ablaze, the building where the Captain was and other soldiers were still in, and the field where all the horses had run to ablaze. And soon everything is burning around Robert, even the horses are slowly burning alive. Robert sees Captain Leather struggling to get him, walks over and shoots him in between the eyes.
Robert runs away as he knows he will be court-martialed for disobeying orders. He finds a black horse and a black dog beside it, as he is about to ride the horse down the track he realizes there are horses in the abandoned train and frees a hundred and thirty horses and flees the area. As Robert is riding with all the horses a soldier stops him and asks him to return the horses, Robert pulls out his Webley and shoots him dead. He is a fugitive for some time before finally being caught in a barn with the horses. The soldiers surrounding Robert set the barn on fire in order to force him out. But because it had not rained for days the roof of the barn was extremely dry and lit up in seconds. Before Robert could open the barn doors the roof collapsed on him and the horses, setting them all on fire. Robert is saved but badly burned, and all the horses and the dog are killed. Robert turns down an offer of euthanasia from a nurse before returning home to Canada. He never recovers from his burns but lives for another six years before passing away in 1922.

Summary part 4

Robert receives an invitation to Barbara d'Orsey's home. The majority of this section is told through transcripts via Juliet d'Orsey. Juliet relays through diary entries when she is with them. What she does not tell Robert is that Taffler had both his arms cut off in the war and is just laying on a bed in a room. When Robert sees this he is devastated.
Juliet also tells of Eugene Taffler's attempted suicide. One day she decides to pick some flowers and bring them to Taffler. As she walks in she is faced with a man head first into the floor and bloody streaks all over the walls. Taffler had rubbed his raw stumps where his arms had been against the walls so he could bleed to death. But since Juliet walks in on him she screams and people come and end up saving Taffler.
Juliet has told Robert that the room he had been given had a ghost (Lady Sorrel) who came to it every night to light the candles. And one night Juliet sees Barbara sneak into Robert's room without even knocking. So she thinks it would be a neat prank to dress up as Lady Sorrel carrying a candle and walk into Robert's room to light the candles and leave. As Juliet puts on her costume and walks up to the door she opens a crack and accidentally sees Barbara and Robert Ross make love prior to leaving, which she at first thinks is Robert hurting Barbara. By the end of the chapter, Juliet gives Robert a candle and a box of matches.

PUT YOUR MASKS ON!!!

World War 1 issued gas mask

        The quote, "Put your masks on!" (Findley 123), is shortly after the start of part 3. Robert along with seven men are setting up a mortar turret in a big crater. Half way through setting up this turret all the men get a sense of uneasiness when a bird flies over chirping away. Seconds later they see an ominous noxious green cloud floating there way down into the crater. This is when Robert takes charge and yells for his men to put there masks on. But none of the men have been issued gas masks. "Robert didn’t even think. He just yelled: ‘Jump!’ and leapt into the air. Looking back at the gas and seeing nothing else was to be done."(Findley 124). The men all jumped to the bottom of the crater where there had been many dead corpses rotting. Their death was imminent as the green, pool reeking hands of death sank closer and closer to them. Robert quickly remembered learning in school that urine turns chlorine into crystals. " Piss on them!!!"( Findley 125),Robert yelled to his men. He made them urinate on their shirts and hold it over their mouths as they breathed in the gas it neutralized the toxins. Two men did not survive one inhaled the gas and one died from the shock of braking his legs falling down the crater. This was one of my favourite parts in the novel. Robert really took charge of his men and acted not so innocent and childish for once, he took the lead and saved his men. This is another example of how awful war can really be. Chlorine gas when inhaled burns your insides and your body creates so much saliva and mucus to counteract the burns you basically suffocate yourself in a very painful way. Biological warfare is one of the most scary things to witness and be a part of. This is another reason that war can really make a man go crazy through it’s terrifying soulless acts of death.

Axis soldier shooting chlorine bombs out of a mortar gun

Summary Part 3

Robert is now experiencing trench warfare at its worst. Following a shelling of the dugout, his fellow soldier Levitt loses his mind, and Robert finds himself close to the brink. Ordered to place guns in a location sure to be a deathtrap, Robert and his men find themselves on the wrong end of a gas attack in the middle of a freezing cold winter. Robert is instructed to place the guns in a crater that is formed by the shelling attacks because these provide the best strategical advantage. As he approaches the crater Robert tells the rest of the men to stay back while he tests it to see if it is safe. He begins climbing across the slide of the crater when he slips down but smashes his knees on a rifle sticking out of the wall of the crater. The rifle has at least stopped his fall but has injured Robert's knees pretty badly. As the rest of the men start climbing down and landing on the rifle to set up the guns there is a gas attack. The bottom of the crater is full of freezing water and many begin jumping into it. Robert takes control with his pistol and instructs the men what to do. He saves the men by telling them to urinate on clothes and hold them over their faces. One man is scared to urinate and Robert must do it for him. After pretending to be dead for hours, Robert finds that they are being watched by an enemy German soldier. Rather than shooting the soldiers, the German allows all of Robert's men to leave the area. Just as Robert is leaving, however, the German makes a quick motion, and Robert turns around and shoots the German. Robert thinks that the German was reaching for his rifle when he was actually reaching for a pair of binoculars to look at the bird flying overhead, and is even more horrified to see that the German has a sniper rifle right beside him, meaning he could have killed Robert and the rest of the soldiers if he had wanted to. Robert hears a bird chirping above him and is then haunted by the sound of the bird from then on.

Chaos in their wings…

While reading this novel I have noticed every time that a bird is seen or heard there is danger just beyond its flapping wings. “ They were both trying to joke. But they couldn’t. There must be something terribly wrong and they knew it but neither one knew how to put it into words. The birds, being gone, had taken some mysterious presence with them. There was an awful sense of void - as if the world had emptied.” (Findley page 76) The birds are symbolising the danger and terrors that are to come. Fleeing from the danger and atrocities of war. Seconds later Robert falls into the big mud pit where he almost loses his life. Then once again later on in the novel “The silence could only mean one thing. The Germans were going to attack. All at once- a bird sang over their heads. Someone swore;  as if the bird had given them away.” (Findley page 122). Robert and his men are planting a mortar gun in a giant crater created by another mortar shell. This crater is twenty feet or less away from the Germans front lines. Seconds after this bird flies above, Toxic chlorine gas is hauntingly approaching the crater that the men are in. It does not say anywhere in the text that the birds are a sign of danger to come, but basically every time any kind of danger that occurs your more then likely to find a bird near by in the reading.

Dear Jesus- he was going to drown

While Robert is leading his men forward through the muddy war grounds he hears noises. As he walks forward leaving his men behind he is engulfed in mud up to his waist.  Trying to twist himself out of the mud he only sank further. Robert is so scared that his hearts pumping and the thought of death in his mind. This is the first time in the novel where Robert feels as if he is going to die.  But after a few more minutes he manages to pull himself free of the muddy hole of doom and save himself. The classic near death experience happens to a lot of people and they are almost never the same after going through the trauma of seeing your life flash before your eyes. I can relate to this I have almost died once in my lifetime which involved me almost drowning in lake Ontario after I flipped my jet ski.This novel is all about Robert trying to save himself from the very start. He tries to save himself from the pain and heartbreak of his little sister by joining with the Canadian Forces only to realise that war is no place for someone who is already slightly mentally unstable. All of the atrocities in war that you can physically smell, touch, taste, hear and see can start to drive a person to insanity. War is no place to forget your problems it will most likely remind you of them and make things a whole lot worse in the long run with all the horrible sightings you may have to endure, which Robert does indeed.

“Something Insidious remarked in Roberts mind”

                  This quote deals with the situation Robert is in while sailing to Europe. After a terrible storm one of the horses on board broke its leg. Robert being the ships stable master had the honour of putting the horse down. After all a horse with a broken leg is useless. Robert being the animal lover he is thinks it is insanity to shoot a horse with a colt pistol. But it must be done. Robert at first thinks he cannot do it he is so afraid. But with an officer watching him he must do it to prove himself as a soldier. He puts the colt behind the horses ear he braces himself but he cant watch because the horse is looking him right in the eyes. Robert pulls the trigger blood manages to get all over him but the horse was not dead it thrashed around as if the devil was trying to take its soul. Robert kept pulling the trigger but the horse would not die “ Jesus; for christ sakes - die “ I need more light ,’ he was shaking; his voice full of anger.” ( Findley page 65)  After Robert pumps the entire clip into the horse he drops to his knees. Imagining this its like a horror movie, the title of this blog and the quote in the novel reminded me of the recent horror movie Insidious that just came out. Robert is so innocent he just experienced his second traumatic experience, brutally slaughtering a horse. The first being the death of his beloved sister. This is hard to do for any person with a heart but for Robert the innocent little animal lover this is insane. After this detrimental experience Robert has had a mental breakdown in which he will never recover from. The Innocence Robert once had is gone. For the first time he has taken the life of a living breathing creature. This really is a huge addition to the theme of innocence and the theme of war corrupting the mind.

Mrs. Ross downfall

          The day after Robert sets sail to go fight in what’s left of the horrific mud wastelands of  western Europe. The rest of the country is paying visits to the church to go root on there boys and pray for them. To put the power of God on the Canadian side. While the rest of the country is all proud of there young men Mrs. Ross feels very differently on the matter. There isn’t any hope left in her mind. She is still very depressed about  her first child’s death. Now that Robert is taking off to Europe to fight Nazi’s, she believes he is as good as dead. “ shaking one another’s hands as if to congratulate themselves that all their sons had gone away to die” (Findley, page 53) This shows how pathetic she thinks everyone is being, getting excited and proud of their country for fighting a pointless war. One of the biggest themes forming within the novel as I read is innocence. Through animals and Robert but the innocence here is all the young men going off to fight in a battle that they did not engage or even need to be a part of. Canada was still just a starting out country during world war 1 and we were just becoming established as our own. In a way World War 1 took away Canada’s innocence which many believe is a good thing but Mrs. Ross believes this war is idiotic. “ What does it mean- to kill your children? Kill them and then … go in there and sing about it!” (Findley page 54) This is a foreshadowing moment to me. She is so set on Roberts death that I can almost guarantee that he dies by the end of the novel. I will be very surprised if it turns out ok for especially since so many people were slaughtered in the early wars. Another theme coming up in the novel is how war can destroy you mentally. Mrs Ross has had a traumatic experience with her Daughter dieing before her which no parent ever wants. Now that Robert has left for war she has become a little strange in the head. This is most likely why she is saying the things she is about all the people in the church.

Summary Part 2

Robert meets Eugene Taffler, a war hero while in training. Eugene Taffler is very big and strong. Robert's first encounter with him occurs while he is looking for some lost horses. He comes across Taffler throwing stones at glass bottles, and later at a brothel where Taffler is engaging in gay sex with a large male, named "the Swede."
While on the S.S. Massanabie to England, Ross has to kill a horse that broke its leg during a storm. Robert struggles a lot trying to kill the horse, firing and missing many times before landing his shots.

    Robert is now in France and in charge of a convoy. He has become lost in the fog and separated from his men. He falls into a muddy sinkhole and nearly drowns. After 'saving himself' he is met by Poole and Levitt, two of his men.

Beginning of a Theme

 Every story in the history of writing has a theme, some are very easy to come across and some you really have to look for. The one that I have found in “The Wars” is right there in the middle. To some it may be obvious and to others it might be difficult. I believe to what I have read so far in the novel the theme is based around guilt. The guilt that Robert Ross is trying to run away from and hide in hope he forgets it all. The guilt in his mind is the death of his older sister Rowena. As soon as she dies he tries to find a way to leave his home. By joining the army he puts as much space as he can from him and his family. Some foreshadowing that I link  to this theme, is at the beginning of the novel when Robert sets free all of the trapped horses. This makes me think that it is like him trying to free all of his trapped guilt. He also runs away with all of these horses into the woods showing he is running from the guilt and heartbreak he faced. Hopefully this is indeed one of the themes that Timothy Findley has left for me to find. I’m sure the further I read into it the more I will find about either my theme or even a new theme.

Symbols in The novel

There are a few things that I have noticed in the novel. There are many symbolic items or beings in the novel that you don’t see right away, but it begins to become more clear the more you read. The first symbolic phrase you could say I found in the novel is the most obvious and easy to see. It is right on the front cover of the book itself. Its in the title.. “ The Wars”.  You notice that it is plural. This means there are multiple wars happening. The only physical actual war being fought is the World War. But there is many other wars happening in the novel. The wars that Robert Ross are fighting emotionally in his head. Trying to forget the guilt he feels for not being with Rowena when she died. The ways he tried to get over this was to run away and join the army to get as far away from his family and home as he could. Another symbol that appears is Rowena’s rabbits. They symbolize the purity and innocence of Robert Ross. He is 19 years old and really hasn’t lived much of his life. He doesn’t know the evil in the world until he joins the army. He realises just how corrupt and self destroying man really is. Finally the last symbol I have found so far from what I have read is a coyote that Robert runs with in training camp. He runs for a very long time with a wild coyote. The coyote represents the relationship between man and beast. It can mean friendship, companionship, and loyalty towards Robert. The coyote willingly ran with Robert. In this section of the book where Robert runs with the coyote you get your third look of Roberts love for animals. The first being him saving the horses and the second trying to save the rabbits.These symbols all give you hints into the mind of Robert Ross and help you to understand him more clearly.

Canada's Involvement In World War 1

      Canada's involvement in the first world war was one of immense proportions. However, this tremendous commitment introduced many Canadians to the horrors of war.  Canada sent over 625,000 men and several thousand women to the front from the years 1914-1918. This was an enormous contribution for a country with a total population of only 8 million. Of all the Canadians that went to fight in the great war, 1 out of every 10 died, and many of those who returned home were damaged either mentally or physically. During the war effort, Canadian solders gained fame for their assault capabilities on the Western front. For this reason, Canadian soldiers were often the ones that had to face many battles in which they were pitted against huge odds, introduced to chemical warfare, and expected all the time to deal with the horrors of trench warfare.



Battle of Ypres





Gas masks used to protect soldiers from chlorine gas



   

 Many of the names, places, people and events that Findley refers to in the Wars have actual historical significance . The Ypres Salient, for example, is the site of an actual battle in which the Canadians gained fame for their heroic action against the Germans in April 1915.Verdun is another battle which was mentioned in the Wars; this was a horrific battle in which half a million men were killed in less than eight months. It was also another instance in which the Canadian military performed at high standards. In Verdun many Canadians lost their lives. The town of Verdun, Quebec, is named after this famous battle ground. Tom Longboat was mentioned in the novel and he is a significant character in Canadian history. Longboat was an Onondaga Indian from a reservation near Hamiltion Ontario. He was a distinguished Canadian marathon runner. Kingston, Ontario, is where Robert Ross went to study military law and trajectory mathematics at The Royal Military College. In the novel the hospital where Canadian Soldiers were taken for medical services was Bois de Madelaine. This was an actual hospital located in France, located 4 miles from Bailleul which was a battle ground referred to as "the last place in civilisation." The Somme offensive was also mentioned in the Wars. This was an actual offensive in which the Canadians floundered in the mud and barbed wire; the Canadians main role in this operation was the amazing seizure of Vimy Ridge.



Vimy Ridge



      On April 15 soldiers of the Canadian army saw action in their first major battle of World War One. On the 22^nd of April the German army advanced in the Ypres sailent. The Germans advanced towards the allied lines behind yellow masses of Chlorine gas. This gas suffocated the French division which were placed to the left of the Canadians. The French forces retreated and a large hole was created in the allied front. What is so significant is that, while the French troops fled, the troops of the Canadian Dominion stood strong. They thinned out their division in order to fill the gap left by the vacant French troops. The German offensive was halted but at an enormous cost. Over 6,000 Canadians lost there lives, many from breathing in chlorine gas. Those who survived were introduced to the true horrors of war.

Part 1 Summary

Robert Ross has enlisted in the army after the death of his sister which he feels guilty about. His sister, Rowena, has recently died from falling out of her wheelchair in their barn while playing with her rabbits. Robert feels guilty because he was unable to save her since he was making love to his pillow in his locked room. He then joins the army to distance himself from the pain. Rowena was in a wheelchair and Robert watched over her. She had rabbits and loved to play with them. When she died, Robert's mother wanted him to kill the rabbits but Robert refused. Instead, Mrs.Ross called someone else to kill the rabbits. In an attempt to stop the rabbit-killing by Teddy Bulge, Robert was beaten up, covered in bruises. Robert's mother came to talk to him as he soaked his bruises in the bathtub. She was drunk and smoking a cigarette when she confronted him, and said there was nothing she could do to stop him from going to war. This is the end of part one in my book " The Wars" by Timothy Findley.

Teddy Budge the Grim Reaper

I do not like Teddy Budge. Teddy Budge is the man that Roberts mother called to come kill the Rabbits. Teddy Budge has no remorse no thought of what he does he just does it. So he was the perfect guy to call to come murder Rowena’s Rabbits.  As Ted was walking into the stable where the rabbits had been kept, Robert ran out and head butted him. Teddy being the big lummox he is beat the living hell out of Robert with the nearest club weapon. Then proceeded to kill every single one of the innocent rabbits that never did anything to anyone. Personally I love animals and could never ever hurt a living creature this is probably why this part slightly bothered me. After Roberts severe beating he is laying In the bathtub while his mother walks in. They begin to talk about Roberts childhood and how he was so serious and how he always persevered. I found this interesting because I learned more about his character.  Roberts mom then went off and said

“ You think Rowena belonged to you. Well I’m here to tell you ,Robert, no one belongs to anyone were all cut off at birth with a knife and left at the mercy of strangers. You hear that? Strangers. I know what you want to do. I know your going to go away and be a soldier. Well - you can go to hell. I’m not responsible. I’m just another stranger. Birth I can give you- but life I cannot. I can’t keep anyone alive. Not anymore”

This whole speech to Robert I found really significant. Robert was probably looking for a reason to stay and not go to war. His mom showing she doesn’t care most likely set it in stone he knew at that moment he was going to war. This was the last time they breathed in one another's presence.

"Because he loved her"

"Because he loved her" This really stuck out to me while I was reading. This was said by Roberts mother after Rowena died. The family was discussing what will happen with Rowena’s rabbits. Robert’s mother wanted him to kill the rabbits, it does not say why. All it says is the quote above. I believe she says this because she knows Robert is joining the Canadian Forces and he has to be able to kill for no good reason. She is trying to prepare him. Also earlier on in the story Rowena and Robert had a conversation that went like this :
“Robert?”
“Yes Rowena?”
“ Will you stay with me forever?”
“ Yes Rowena.”
“ Can the rabbits stay forever, too?”
“ Yes Rowena.”
After the death or Rowena it said “This was Forever. Now the rabbits had to be killed”

    Robert would do anything to keep the Rabbits alive but nothing he could say would save them they were doomed. His mother wanted them dead and that was their  fate. Although Robert wouldn’t do it, his mother made a call and got someone with no remorse to kill Rowena’s rabbits. I don’t believe Roberts mother would just kill the rabbits for no reason. She must be following what Rowena asked Robert. Now that he can no longer be with her forever, he is joining the army. Now that the rabbits can’t be with her forever they have to die. I also believe that she thinks Robert is going to die while he is in battle. But like I said it was said  because she is trying to make him a cold killer instead of a soft big hearted young man.

"People got on and off just as if the world wasnt going to end."

"People got on and off just as if the world wasn’t going to end." I noticed this line in the book and found it quite strange. It was an odd thing for the narrator to say especially since he knew the world had not ended because he is telling this story many years later. After reading it a few more times i realized the narrator was putting himself in Robert's shoes. feeling the sorrow from the death of his older sister who he loved so dearly and would do anything for because he was her guardian. He changed the point of view from his own to Roberts. Robert feels as though he has nothing left to live for, so he decides he’s going to join the army to try and get away from everything that will remind him so much of his sister Rowena. He doesn’t realise the hardship of war when he makes this decision. He doesn’t know that he is not ready to face what happens and the consequences involved in battle. This was very irrational of him to do. But losing the person you care about most in the world can be detrimental to you train of thought. You may do something very impulsive that you would regret later on. Putting myself in Robert’s position I would be thinking the same way. I have nothing to live for and my existence might as well not be here anymore. This is what I comprehended from the quote above, Robert Ross had nothing more to live for and basically thought his world was over.

Marian Turner archives

I was just reading Marian Turners’ first transcript of the novel and she talks a lot about Robert Ross. She said she didn’t want to describe his looks because she thought that it would say to much about his possibilities. Eventually she said he was very handsome and very muscular. One part that really stood out to me was when she said “ The Human body - well- it’s  like the mind I guess, terribly impressive until you put it in jeopardy. Then It becomes such a delicate thing- like glass” then she talks about how it was the war that is crazy and not Robert Ross. This really stands out to me that the war really impacts Robert and he becomes crazy from all the horrible, terrible, inhumane memories and sightings that go along with war. Then at the end of the transcript by Marian Turner she says “Robert Ross was no Hitler. That was his problem.” This entire transcript by Marian Turner stood out to me. It tells that Robert Ross encountered many things while he was fighting the war in Europe and that he witnessed many things that really messed him up mentally. This probably happened to millions of people during these wars and in modern day wars too. Seeing your friends die, being shot at, being poisoned with chlorine gases and smelling the powerful stench of death is more then enough to make the most normal member of society turn into a crazy, insane person. I cant imagine being in a trench for months at a time being poured on by the elements, being eaten by rats and housing in mud it would be terrible and nobody could say differently. I put myself in Roberts shoes and feel that if I witnessed half the things he had to go through I would probably not be the same person I am today because of the scarring memories and horrible images.The quote about Robert not being like Hitler in my mind means Hitler knew exactly what he wanted and knew exactly what he had to do to get it, through any means if he had to kill entire races... meaning he was remorseless he wasn’t effected by sadness or death he was not phased he didn’t have much of a soul. Robert having a big heart felt bad about killing anything he could not handle the stress of war and was really afraid of killing and death which is not the assets associated with war.

"The Wars" Characters

Robert Ross: Was 19 years old when he enlisted into the Canadian Forces. He is a compassionate loving man who is also very handsome. He suffers the loss of his older sister Rowena who he loved very much. He received a lot of guilt and sorrow when his sister died and blamed himself for not watching over her because he considered himself her guardian. He loses touch with his mother because of the death of his sister and becomes closer to his father. He then joins the army to further himself away from his family and the memories of Rowena.

Rowena Ross: Rowena is Robert's older sister, whom Robert felt a connection to from a very early age. She was hydro-cephalic, meaning she was born with water in the brain. This caused her to have an adult sized head but a body of a ten-year-old, and made her unable to walk. Robert acted as her guardian for most of his life. She was 25 years old when she fell out of her wheel chair in their barn and shortly after, passed away. Because of Robert's protective nature towards her, he felt extreme guilt for not being there to watch her and make sure nothing happened, like that. However, she remained in Robert's heart and mind throughout the rest of the novel and was constantly referenced. Rowena also had ten rabbits that she looked after and kept as pets while she was alive that Mrs. Ross insisted be killed, against Robert's wishes, shortly after Rowena's death.

(The anatomy of a skeleton with Hydro cephalic)

Thomas Ross: Commonly referred to as Mr. Ross in the novel, who is the father of Robert Ross. He was the more lenient parent in the family and loved every member enough to encourage Robert to go for what he wants, but be lenient towards Rowena's death and the accusations that were made. The relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Ross becomes helpless after Rowena's death and Robert's enlisting in the army.

Marian Elizabeth Ross:  Mrs. Ross is Robert's mother who has issues with closeness to people that she truly loves. She believes it’s hopeless to try and keep people alive. This way of being "distant" from the ones she loves is displayed early on in the novel when she joins Robert in the bathroom during his bath. She tells him that "people in the world are all born alone and at the hands of strangers" and tells him that she could do nothing to keep him alive from the moment he was cut away from her. This statement makes it seem as though she doesn't care about Robert going off to the army because she can't keep him alive anyways.

Marian Turner: Marian Turner is a young nurse during the war. She is introduced through transcripts and she tells about Robert when he was a young man.

Part 1 Important, Yay or Nayyyyyy?





    In the first part of this novel I mean the very first page it starts off with the main Character Robert Ross in what appears to be a war zone. He is incredibly hurt and in a whole lot of pain. He is on a set of train tracks with a city directly behind him and the countryside to magdalene wood in front of him. To his left was an abandoned train to which there is no clues to what happened to the engineer and his crew. Standing directly in front of Mr. Robert Ross is a big black mare. Aka a horse that is the pun in my title... Also there was a dog who greeted him happily as well. Anyways Robert checks out the horse and climbs atop of it. As Robert and his two new acquaintances rode off into the night. The horse stopped abruptly and let out a big nayyy. There was other horses among the abandoned train. Robert then said " All Right, Then we shall all go together" he released the horses from within the train and he let out over 100 horses, 130 to be exact. Robert his two new acquaintances and the other 130 horses took off down the tracks towards the Magdalene wood at 1 am in the morning the book referenced the moon as "rising red".



Abandoned Train



The Moon Rising Red





     After reading this first passage of my novel the wars I come to the conclusion Robert Ross really has a soft spot for animals. He really cares for all living things. I get this from the fact that he made two quick friends with this Dog and Mare. He also took the time to release all 130 horses from the abandoned train, and in turn saved all their lives when his was in danger from being so hurt and wounded.



Bailleul a small town in France where Robert Ross currently is



     A theme I pick up from the first couple of pages is abandonment. This appears to me because Robert Ross is clearly running away from something, my guess would be his commanding officers. Another clue to this would be the horses are left there abandoned almost like Ross is doing to his fellow soldiers and company. When he releases the horses they all flee into the forest. symbolizing that he is fleeing away from something. I find this really important to the novel and I know its going to be a big part of it. I believe that this exact part will come up later on closer to the end because I did not get a whole lot of details and it is very important I know so.

Summary article 3 in more detail ;)

Brett Perry
Ms. Breivik
ENG4U
March, 4/2011

In this article the author critically analyzes the commentary and the photographic technique that Timothy Findley portrays in the novel “The Wars”. The photo narration that Findley depicts is truly amazing the description he gives basically paints the exact same picture in everyone’s head. The article includes a whole venue of the opinions from timothy Findley’s peers and critics. Most authors believe Findley was amazing and all the critics in this article analyze Findley the same way and say he is great a deserves the title of “BEST”.

Summary Article 2 Also in more detail :D

Brett Perry
Ms. Breivik
ENG4U
March, 4/2011

Sullivan, Rosemary. "Findley, Timothy (Obituary)." The Canadian Encyclopedia. 15 July 2002. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012305.

When a writer dies, he becomes his words. Timothy Findley who died on June 20 at 71, left behind an extraordinary body of work. We will read his books differently now, knowing there will be no more of them.
Findley's death has special poignancy. His generation of writers changed Canadian culture forever.

Findley had alot of strength in his writing and savagely critzised his weaknesses

 Findley turned 47 the year The Wars was published. His first two novels had been greeted lukewarmly, and he was stuck writing scripts for television and radio.

What will his legacy be? In the long run of history, most great writers have only two or three works that last.
Findley's will be The Wars.

As I begin my reading, I hold to a comment he made about The Wars: "Dreadful things happen, but the book ends up saying 'Yes!' " That's what moves me about Timothy Findley: despite the darkness he perceived, he always found the stamina to affirm.

Summary Article 1 In more detail :)

Brett Perry
Ms. Breivik
ENG4U
March, 2/2011

Gale Database. “Timothy Findley.” Gale Literary Databases February 25/2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/GLD/hits?r=d&origSearch=true&o=DataType&n=10&l=d&c=1&locID=stc23378&secondary=false&u=CLC&t=KW&s=3&NA=timothy+findley&TI=the+wars&GD=%22Male%22>

    In this article on the  Gale literary databases archive there is a lot of information on Timothy Findley. There is his personnel life information his career and his books published along with some other useful info, but the most useful part of this website was its critical reception and its other criticism on Timothy Findley. It talks about how Findley has thematic interests. It even talks about the ways he portrays the characters in his novels with a certain psychological insight that makes them seem real while you are trying to grasp your mind around the novel. John F Hulcoop says that Findley is the second best writer in Canadian history only next too Margaret Attwood. At the bottom of this webpage there is a list of essays that I could go to and read more on the criticism on Timothy Findley.

Brett Perry

Ms. Breivik

ENG4U

Feb,25/11

SECONDARY SOURCES

The Author: Timothy Findley

Title: The Wars

    Timothy Findley is one of the most famous Canadian authors ever. He writes about a whole bunch of different genres and successfully communicates his idea in ways the reader can understand and live in their heads. Findley is a prize winning author that constantly makes references to historical events, figures and other books. Timothy Findley constantly writes on themes of history, isolation, identity, war, madness and authority. These themes are interesting to me and this is why I am interested in Timothy Findleys writing.

    Timothy Findley was born in Toronto Canada ,October,30/1930. He attended Rosedale public school and St. Andrews college and Jarvis Collegiate in Toronto. At a young age Timothy’s father abandoned the family and joined the Canadian armed forces this is what leads me to believe he wrote “The Wars”. He also learned of sorrow when he was little because of a sibling that passed away. Timothy came out of the closet when he was in high school and wanted to pursue a career in dance or acting. After he got some jobs acting he wanted to become a writer. He wrote a whole bunch of novels with many different genres. “ The last of the crazy people” and “Can you see me” to name a few. Findley has been awarded many prestigious awards that authors can win such as Canada Council award, 1968, 1978; Armstrong award, for radio writing, 1971;  1975; Governor General's award, 1977; City of Toronto Book award, 1977, 1994; Anik award, for television writing, 1980; Canadian Authors Association prize, 1985, 1991, 1994. Timothy Findley died at the age of 71 on june,21/2002.

    Some other books Timothy Findley wrote were: The Last of the crazy people, The butterfly plague, Famous last words, Not wanted on the Voyage, The telling of lies and Spadework to name a few. Findley doesn’t have a set genre to his stories like most authors he was very unique at what he did. His genres can range from fiction to non fiction, fantasy to real life everyday problems, happyness to sadness whatever he felt like writing about he wrote about.

    When Timothy Findley was 9 years old world war 2 began and his father left his family to go fight the battles for Canada. This is most likely what influenced him the most in his entire life to write a novel about battles and the hardships of war. He lost a sibling when at an early age as well which makes sense as why he can capture the depression and sadness the war depicts, lots of lives are lost and many men are not the same after war.

    The themes that Findley most liked to write about are history, isolation, identity, war, madness and authority. I figure these themes interested him a lot and he related the most to them. He was a homosexual and back in his day it was not tolerated to be gay. He was most likely was isolated and was afraid of his true identity. He was scared to show his true colours and probably felt alone in the world and very different almost like an alien.

Mordecai Richler

    Findley's death has special poignancy. His generation of writers changed Canadian culture forever. There was a time in the 1960s and '70s when writers and critics could be found anxiously discussing Canadian identity, asking why Canadians had an inferiority complex, and wondering about our place in the world. But authors like Robertson Davies , Mordecai Richler, Al Purdy, Margaret Laurenceand Timothy Findley - all now gone - answered those questions simply by writing passionately about their own place, no apologies needed. Now no one says with stupefaction: "You want to be a Canadian author!" Instead, young writers talk of agents and international advances, confident that the world is paying attention. But only a few are left of the remarkable generation who made this possible. Sullivan, Rosemary. "Findley, Timothy (Obituary)." The Canadian Encyclopedia. 15 July 2002. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012305>.

I decided to add this paragraph into my blog as my part of a comparison between Timothy Findley and other very famous Canadian authors. This paragraph talks about how intelligent these writers were which included Timothy Findley and how any questions that people had were able to get answered within there writing because they were so intelligent and beautifully written novels.


Gale Database. “Timothy Findley.” Gale Literary Databases February 25/2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/GLD/hits?r=d&origSearch=true&o=DataType&n=10&l=d&c=1&locID=stc23378&secondary=false&u=CLC&t=KW&s=3&NA=timothy+findley&TI=the+wars&GD=%22Male%22>

Sullivan, Rosemary. "Findley, Timothy (Obituary)." The Canadian Encyclopedia. 15 July 2002. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012305>.

Williams, David. "A Force of Interruption: The Photography of History in Timothy Findley's The Wars." Canadian Literature 194(2007):54. eLibrary. Web. 24 Oct. 2010.

<http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/elibweb/curriculumca/do/document?set=search&dictionaryClick=&secondaryNav=&groupid=1&requestid=lib_canada&resultid=6&edition=&ts=6FEA76E4B0853678B75DA037E6400F66_1287971584081&start=1&publicationId=&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B148089385#citation>

BOOK CHOICE SUBMISSION

Brett Perry                                BRETT PERRY

Ms. Breivic      
ENG4U

Feb/14/11

Book Choice Submission

    Novel: The Wars

    Author: Timothy Findley

    Publication date: 1977

    Pages: 190

     I have chosen the novel the wars because I have an interest in warfare, especially world war I and world war II. Old time war really interests me because it is the first time that certain types of weapons are used. It was these wars that introduced certain types of warfare and influenced weapons and war of modern times. The title was the most captivating to me out of all the books on the list we had to choose from. Your not suppose to choose a book because of its cover but I have, due to the trench warfare it depicts. Beyond just my interests in warfare and history i have also been reassured from a few good sources that Timothy Findley is one of the greatest well known Canadian authors of all time. My teacher Ms. Breivik told me it was a good choice because Findley really gets his point across and makes things clear and really aggressively describes his stories

  

    The Novel "The Wars" so far is actually rather interesting it’s a story of a young Robert Ross Who loses all will to live when his sister dies. He joins with the Canadian Forces and comes across a lot of challenges he has to face. It’s enjoyable so far to what I have read. The plot is well layed out and there is a lot of potential for this novel to be great in my mind. Its already worldly renowned as a classic and hopefully through the rest of my reading I too think of it as a truly amazing and classic novel.

 

   I am Currently in about 26 pages of the novel I think the more I read the more interesting it will become. It has layed out the entire plot, I know exactly what is going on with his family and the story line so far. The book is narrated by a historian trying to put together all the pieces of Robert Ross’s life through the memories of the people he knew. I now know all of the relationships he had with people and what he thought of them I also know what his feelings are and how he feels about everything going on around him. I like that all of these things have been communicated clearly to me and it makes the story a whole lot easier to read and understand.

    The setting right now is a set of train tracks with a town on one side behind the character, and a burning medical supply shop in front. There is an abandoned train beside the train tracks. And a horse and dog companion standing on the tracks. The characters name is Robert. The mood is a sense of dreary and rainy weather and an idea of pain caused from a broken nose. Robert has just released over 100 horses from the train and now they are all running towards the woods at 1 am in the morning.

    Although it is really early in the book and I don’t know what is going to happen. I am going to shoot in the dark and say that him releasing all of these horses is a bit of fore shadowing for the story. Maybe it will talk about prisoner of war camps, or possibly the horses running away is a symbol of the war ending and everyone getting to go home. I do not know what happens in this book and that was a complete guess but this is what comes to mind when I think of 130 horses being set free.

 I have currently found three secondary sources the first i found was a critical reception of Findleys work on the Gale databases. The part i found the most interesting was how other authors believe he brought his characters to life through psychological insight. The second secondary source was on the Canadian Encyclopedia. It talked about Findleys death and his legacy of how his writing will always exist because it was so detailed. I found this interesting because it talked about how he viewed his writing and always critisized it even though other authors believed it was wonderful. The third secondary source was from Canadian Literature and it was interesting to me because it fully explained Findleys style of writing and it introduced  me to how he painted pictures with his words using photographic technique. This is my favourite style of writing because it fully explains content to you in full details.

(Map of where world war 1 took place the Triple Entente would
be an alliance with the Canadian side of the battle )

    One line that sticks out to me so far is “ Then we shall all go together”  this is what Robert says just before he lets all of the horses out of confinement and sets them free. Then all of the horses run of together into the forest. He does not have to set all of theses horses free but he does anyway. This suggests to me that its like “no one gets left behind” rule number one when fighting in a war. It sends themes of war to me and there hasn’t really been a mention of fighting at all yet.