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imothy Findley pieced The Wars together much like a puzzle.
When piecing together a puzzle it is crucial to first find the
corner pieces. As when trying to understand the novel it is
necessary to realize what the most important aspects are.
Cheap Custom Essays on timothy findley
Each separate corner holds together and is linked to another
part. Therefore, to understand the pieces of the puzzle it is
vital to analyze Roberts relationship with his mother, his sister
and his father. Furthermore, an attempt will be made to reveal
the strengths and weaknesses in these relationships and the
meanings Timothy Findley is trying to proclaim. To best
understand Roberts relationship with his mother Mrs. Ross, one
must look at their relationship from the perspective of Mrs.
Ross. It is her interpretations and ensuing reactions to the
tragic events of the novel that reveal the most to the reader
about Roberts relationship with her. Mrs. Ross is portrayed as
an adamant woman in the beginning of The Wars, yet as the
story progresses, her firmness is broken by various tragedies.
Mrs. Ross found it hard to be intimate with people therefore,
she kept many things to herself. She felt that Being loved was
letting others feed from your resource-all you had in life was
put in jeopardy (Findley, 15). Mrs. Ross had mourned for
years over the sudden death of her brother and her father,
now she had lost a daughter and was going to lose a son. It is
also evident she kept a lot of things to herself. At Rowenas
funeral she stood apart from the rest of the family pretending
she did not need any help. Mrs. Ross hid behind a large, black
hat that day. Before Rowenas death and Robert leaving for
the war Mrs. Ross used to be out in the public, handing out
chocolate bars to the soldiers going off to war. However, when
Robert left to join the army Mrs. Ross refused to have anything
to do with it. Mrs. Ross was an adamant lady. She was
adamant when it came to chocolate bars and she was
adamant when it came to her decision about Robert having to
kill Rowenas rabbits. After the death of Roberts sister
Rowena, the Ross family seems to be broken. Family members
question whose fault it was that she fell and who should
ultimately be held responsible. Mrs. Ross comes across as
being envious of her son and daughters relationship because
Robert and Rowena had a relationship where Robert was like a
parent (guardian) to Rowena. Robert also was very protective
of Rowena and always showed his concern for her, like Mrs.
Ross did for all her children but more so towards Robert.
Consequently, Robert being the closest to Rowena becomes
the reason Mrs. Ross decides he will to be the one who would
take the responsibility of killing the rabbits. Mrs. Ross decision
to burden Robert with this inhuman act and furthermore, his
failure to do so, leads to the most revealing monologue
relevant to their relationship. You think Rowena belonged to
you. Well Im here to tell you, Robert no on 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 youre going to go away and be a soldier. Well- you
can go to hell. Im not responsible. Im just another stranger.
Birth I can give you- but life I cannot. I cant keep anyone
alive. Not anymore (Findley, ). The pessimistic tone of Mrs.
Ross monologue can be attributed to the fact that Rowena
just died and that Robert has chosen to condemn himself to
death, however, this also reveals much about her relationship
with Robert. In addition, Roberts decision to enlist in the war
is not approved by Mrs. Ross. Her reaction is one of denial and
a failure as a parent.. Her words, you can go to hell, in reality,
show her true love and care for Robert, yet in a vulgar way.
She cares so much for him that she can not bear the thought
of him leaving, hence she directs her anger at him. Mrs. Ross
missed her son when he went to war. She started taking long
walks. She may have tried this to clear her mind. When Robert
started training he would go for long walks at night as well.
Perhaps both tried this method to clear their minds of the
problems they were facing. Although it may have not worked
for Mrs. Ross. She started walking in storms perhaps hoping
that the storm would distract her. Furthermore, she began to
drink heavily and had to hide herself by wearing large hats with
veils, and dark glasses. The novel occasionally breaks form and
lets the reader know how the war has affected Roberts family
primarily his mother. Mrs. Ross drove herself to insanity and
drunkenness with each day that Robert was gone. This is best
illustrated whenever Findley focuses on the issue of Mrs. Ross
and her empty glass. Some examples are Mrs. Ross stared at
her empty glass. How long had it been empty? Hours? Minutes?
Years? (Findley, ). Mrs. Ross stood on the landing of the
stairs. The bottle fell from her hand. It was empty and it rolled
to the bottom step. She gave a final agonizing cry (Findley,
04). Robert constantly wrote to his parents to tell them how
things were going. Mrs. Ross kept all these letters in a special
place and was found re-reading them often. The most
influential section regarding Mrs. Ross was when she and
Mister Ross went to see Robert in Montreal before he departed
overseas. Mister Ross had tracked his son down so his wife
could have one last look at her son. Nevertheless, when Mrs.
Ross had another chance to say goodbye to her son she blew
it. Instead of running out to hug her son and say goodbye she
was found in the train saloon getting drunk. [Mrs. Ross] went
into the salon and sat with her legs tucked beneath one of the
pullman chairs and drank a third of a bottle of scotch. When
Mister Ross came in and said it was time to go, Mrs. Ross
stood up- and fell down. I cant, she said (Findley, 7). All
she could do was wave at her son through the window. Mrs.
Ross began to lose her mind. She catalogued and memorized all
of Roberts letters. She would write him everyday but usually
the letters were indecipherable. Her husband started to wish
she would return to them, but she just sat staring, waiting for
Roberts return. When the word came that Robert was missing
in action Mrs. Ross lost it. It is easy to assume that she may
have had a nervous breakdown. She had refused help for so
long that when she finally asked for it she had gone blind and
her voice contained no emotion. Nonetheless, it is possible to
assume Roberts last attempt to do something right was when
he tried to save the horses at the end of the novel. He felt the
horses would be killed if he did not try to save them from being
sent to the front lines. Therefore, to consider that when
Robert tried to save the horses it was exactly like how he had
tried to save the rabbits. Timothy Findley could be trying to
show the reader how the war not only ruined the lives of the
men that fought in the war but how it also destroyed families
as well. Mrs. Ross could not handle the loss of another loved
one and Robert could not handle the horrific situations he had
gone through. One was never given Mrs. Ross first name, and
in a sense this kept her at a distance with the reader. Perhaps
this is to make the reader believe that her craziness could
happen to anyone who regretted not showing their love when
they had the chance instead of pushing it away. In developing
the relationship between Robert and Rowena, Timothy Findley
introduces Roberts humane and sensitive characteristics.
When Robert was young, he mistook Rowena for his mother
because he often saw her smiling face peering down onto his
crib. To Robert, Rowena was a guardian, but eventually he
considered himself her guardian. When she smiled, he thought
she was his mother. Later, when he came to realize she
couldnt walk and never felt the chair, he became her guardian.
It was for her he learned to run (Findley, 7). Rowena depends
on Robert to care for her, as she is unable to do so herself.
This provides Robert with a sense of being wanted and a
feeling that what he does is beneficial to Rowena. He enjoys
being there for her. The thing was- no one since Rowena had
made Robert feel wanted to be with them all the time (Findley,
104). After, Rowenas death, Robert was lost within himself. He
no longer knew how to behave or what to feel anymore. It was
as though he could no longer handle or deal with serious
matters or even think clearly. Timothy Findley puts this
forward as one of the main factors that initiates Robert to join
the army; because he could never forgive himself for his
sisters death. Robert felt that is was his fault because he had
not been there that day looking out for Rowena as he usually
did. He felt this guilt eating him inside for the rest of his life
from that day forward. Robert reflects on specific moments
they spent together through out The Wars. Robert? Yes,
Rowena? Will you stay with me forever? Yes Rowena. Can the
rabbit stay forever, too? Yes Rowena. This was forever. Now
the rabbits had to be killed (Findley, 17) Robert is never able
to forget this conversation because of the fact that he broke
this promise by not being there when she fell. This changed
Roberts entire perspective on life and his assigned role. He no
longer appeared to have feelings anymore but no one knew
how much remorse he felt inside. This could have been another
reason for joining the war so that he could just go away and
everyone would either forget about what he did and be proud
of it in the end for being so brave. In a sense, a large part of
Robert died that day along with his sister. While attending
Rowenas funeral, Robert saw a soldier standing there, he
envied this man so much because after this day he could just
walk away and leave all of this behind. This is what Robert
wanted to do and it turned out to be the worst way to run
away from all his problems. Rowenas death constantly put
stress on Robert, as we can see it hits him the hardest in the
trenches or when he is in the battle field. Everything reminded
him of his sister. One example was when Robert looked under
Rodwells bunk, Robert looked. There was a whole row of
cages. Rowena. Robert closed his eyes (Findley, 5). As one is
able to identify Rowena was the first and only thing on his
mind. Even the color white would remind him of her because he
could associate so many things since she was always dressed
in white, her rabbits were white, and her coffin was white. All
these memories haunted Robert more and more each day of his
life. Findley suggest that in the latter part of The Wars that
Robert is becoming mentally unstable. At times he can no
longer function as a dedicated soldier or an average human
being. It is quite ironic that after Rowenas death, Robert
wanted to join the army where death loomed on every horizon.
If Rowena had still been alive Robert probably would not have
ever enlisted in the army. In the structure of Robert and
Rowenas relationship, the author is attempting to reveal that
Robert, more than anyone else in the novel, is able to look
past Rowenas physical deformity and see her inner beauty. In
Roberts burning of Rowenas portrait not out of anger but as
an act of charity (Findley, 15), the author is revealing that
Robert respects Rowena and does not want her to be
subjected to the cruelty of war. It also suggests that the
image of the person Robert was when he knew Rowena no
longer fits into his lifestyle during the war. Findley uses
Roberts difficulty in dealing with his sisters death to reveal his
sensitivity and his feelings of guilt. This is also witnessed in
Roberts disappointment in the deaths of many animals as well
as the German soldier in the novel.. Robert Ross and his father,
Tom Ross, carry out a healthy father-son relationship
throughout the novel. Robert is proud of his father and regards
him as one of his role models in life. Tom is proud of his son
and is loving towards him. Although their personalities do in
some ways differ, there is still a strong male bond between
Robert and his father. The personalities of both Robert and his
father vary. Tom Ross is a strong and hard-nosed on the
outside but only shows his sensitivity when needed and has
control over his emotions, whereas Robert is strong but is more
sensitive and can not control his emotions as well as his
father. An example of Roberts inability to control his emotions
is after the death of Rowena. Robert is asked to kill Rowenas
rabbits but cannot because of how much they meant to
Rowena and him, so Tom hires Teddy Budge to do it. Robert
ends up attacking Teddy and gets severely beaten. One
example of Toms sensitivity and control is after they were
notified that Robert was missing in action. Mrs. Ross was in a
sense of disarray and Tom was able to comfort her, Mr. Ross
held her and rocked her from side to side. The house began to
darken. They sat there, silently singing. Finally, she slept
(Findley, 05). Although Robert and his father do have some
personal characteristic differences, there are many instances
in the novel that show not only how proud they are of each
other but also some similarities between the two of them. One
example of Toms commitment to his son was when Robert
wished to run around the block twenty-six times, no one fully
supported him except his father. Robert failed and fainted on
the 5th lap but his father was there to support him. Tom
came up every evening after work and sat in Roberts darkened
room and talked to him and told him stories. None of the
stories had to do with running. These were tales of voyages
and ships and how to ride a horse. This was the binding of the
father to the son (Findley, 48). This bonding helped Tom
remember his days of youth and how he had attempted
something similar the word spread out around him like a gift
(Findley, 48). The best example that Findley shows of the
bond between Robert and his father is at the train yard in
Montreal. Upon leaving for boot camp Robert though that he
would not see his father until he had finished his tour of duty.
When Robert saw his father it revealed his pride and love for
him, the sight of his farther had lifted his spirits immeasurably.
And the feel of his fathers hand on his arm had brought back
into a world hed thought hed lost (Findley, 50). Before this
reencounter with his father, Robert had the mind of a soldier
and had forgotten the enjoyment of his home and his family.
What Timothy Findley is trying to reveal in the novel is that a
father-son relationship is not only an important factor in family
but also in life. There are many instances in the novel where
both Robert and his father feel that they have lost touch with
each other, but they always regain their contact. In war, it is
often the letters and love from family and friends that keeps
the soldier going. By exploring Robert Ross relationships with
his family member one is able to understand and interpret
Roberts actions and emotions. Thus, when trying to find the
peices of the puzzle that links Roberts family together, one
finds the growth of Roberts personality. Furthermore, Timothy
Findley enables the reader to examine the influential aspects of
Mrs. Ross, Rowena and Mr. Ross towards the self development
of Roberts identity.
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