... the suggestion that Timothy Findley was attempting to make by naming his book The Wars rather than the war. At first glance, the book seems to be a mere description of Robert Ross and his experiences leading up to and during the war. However, the book is really more of a description of the personal struggles fought within those who surrounded ... this, a man who allowed his responsibilities as an officer to take control of his sensitivity eventually put Ross to death. The next key war within The Wars is the one involving Mrs. Ross and her inability to come to terms with Robert Ross's en...

• Word Count: 1286
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... on a metaphoric level. The Wars is often given credit for being a novel, not only of war, but of mythology. The story's protagonist, Robert Ross, is occasionally referred to as a knight in shining armour, and his experiences during the war are often considered as his journey. In The Wars, fire ... gives mythological references a sound base. "Earth and Air and Fire and Water" is the inscription found on the grave stone of Robert Ross (page 190). As the novel ends with Robert Ross' passing on, these words attempt to sum up his life. This inscription not only signifies the protagonist resti...

• Word Count: 1291
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... is believed that the soldiers are the ones suffering, it is forgotten that their families at home are struggling greatly as well. In The Wars, Roberts mother, Mrs. Ross does not react well to Robert leaving for war. " I know what you want to do. I know that you're going to go away and be a soldier. Well - you can go to hell ... times throughout the novel and each instance is directly linked to Roberts's decision to enlist in the war. Robert and Mrs. Ross' relationship reaches its climax when Robert is reported missing which leads to her become hysterical. "A final agonizing cry," (Findl...

• Word Count: 1704
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... both in the trenches and through the relationships and personal interactions that the characters experience under those conditions. Throughout The Wars the main character Robert Ross is exposed to the emotional and physical Hell known as war. An excursion to a local brothel, a barbarous rape, the enemy as ... and allows the reader to not necessarily expect an event, but at least be prepared for its possibility. In contrast to "Exposure" Robert not only experiences the physical anguishes of the battlefield, but also of living under the broader circumstances created by war. Many of the s...

• Word Count: 1551
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography

... active in the reading of his novel. He does this by giving the reader the role of the researcher who must gather information on the main character, Robert Ross. He addresses the researcher as "You", which is a way for Findley to directly speak to his reader. The reason Findley uses this unique style ... the novel might serve to teach the reader about World War I, the novel is not about World War I. The novel is simply about the story of Robert Ross. This character and his story take place in World War I, but it is still the character's story that is the fundamental element of the novel. ...

• Word Count: 1374
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... Because of this, the war of technology against nature is described. Another war, not as obvious as the first, is the inner struggle of main character Robert Ross to become a natural person and cope with all the changes his life as a soldier has created within him. This inner struggle leads us to the ... way of being by the use of war machinery. A shift in the novel focuses the reader's attention on the second metaphoric war, the struggle within Robert. Robert is a solitary man in the process of self discovery. He uses his participation in the war as a crutch, to escape his difficult past...

• Word Count: 844
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... still afloat and wait for help. None came, and after nearly fifteen hours, JFK led the men on a grueling swim to a nearby island. From there, he and his subordinate, Ensign Ross, made various forays through the coral islands, searching for help. It was days before they found a group of natives who carried a message to a British base, some thirty-eight miles away ... course, as was JFK's continuing struggle with Addison's Disease--papers were loathe to risk lawsuits by publishing rumors, especially when the Justice Department was in the hands of JFK's brother Robert. The Kennedy brothers,...

• Word Count: 8348
• Approx Pages: 33
• Grade Level: High School

... opinion against Germany. In 1915, Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan who strongly favoured neutrality resigned in 1915 due to the administration's hostile attitude towards Germany and was replaced by Robert Lansing who was a strong supporter of entering the war on the side of Great Britain. In April, 1916, after the sinking of the Sussex, the German government and Woodrow Wilson ... -course/Wilson.htm Farwell, Byron, Over There: The United States in the Great War, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1999 Ferrell, Robert H., Woodrow Wilson and World War I, Harper & Row Publishers, New...

• Word Count: 1910
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School