The Wars by Timothy Findley Essay - 711 Words

The Wars by Timothy Findley Many people say that the metal of a man is found in his ability to keep his ideals in spite of anything that life can through at you. If a man is found to have done these things he can be called a hero. Through a lifelong need to accept responsibility for all living things, Robert Ross defines his heroism by keeping faith with his ideals despite the betrayal, despair and tragedy he suffers throughout the course of The Wars by Timothy Findley. Many times throughout Robert’s life, all those whom he thought were close to him, while he tried stick to his ideals, had betrayed him. When Robert lost Rowena, he felt that he had failed at his duty and he feels he must make up for it by joining the army.†¦show more content†¦He was betrayed by his love for Rowena, his love for Harris, and also, his love for Rodwell. Through despair, Robert forces himself to keep with his ideals, which shows just how strong his resolve is. When Robert was in despair, he took his mind off his problems by keeping himself busy. After losing Rowena, Robert decides to join the army to replace taking care of Rowena, by taking care of the human condition. Later when Robert loses Harris, he busies himself by performing the last rites over his good friend. â€Å"This is not a military funeral. This is just a burial at sea. May we all remove our caps? (p107)† Later when Robert is attacked in the bath house, he finds that he is still trying to protect Rowena. He does this by lighting her pictures on fire to remove her from this cruel world. â€Å"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. (p172)† These show that even thro ugh despair, Robert manages to stick to his ideals. In the face of tragedy, Robert manages to hold true to his ideals. When Robert and his men where stuck in the hole, Robert manages to help him men escape. When he fears being attacked, he quickly shoots the German who is watching them. He would always live to regret this mistake. â€Å"The sound of it would haunt him to the day he died. (p130)† Not long after that, whenShow MoreRelatedThe Wars By Timothy Findley850 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to Brandon Mull, the New York Times bestselling author of the Beyonoders series, â€Å"†¦heroism means doing the right thing regardless of the consequence† (Mull 39). In The Wars by Timothy Findley, the protagonist, Robert Ross, displays key characteristics of heroism throughout his struggle to maintain his morality. In the novel, Robert displays an admiration for the sanctity of life, a desire to achieve the greatest good, and a virtuous moral conscience which all contribute to him achievingRead MoreTimothy Findley s The Wars924 Words   |  4 PagesStolen Innocence: Character Development in Timothy Findley’s The Wars â€Å"He stood at the window of the empty cafà © and watched the activities in the square and he said that it was good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out or else they’d have no heart to start at all† (All the Pretty Horses). World War One was the first war that used the media and propaganda to target the public (â€Å"Propaganda in World War I†). Much of the propaganda used was targeted towards youngRead MoreAnalysis Of The War By Timothy Findley1229 Words   |  5 PagesIn the novel â€Å"The War† by the author Timothy Findley, it is about a nineteen-year-old, Robert Ross, who enlists in World War 1 after a tragic death of his sister and years later a historian is trying to piece together Robert Ross’s life. The novel talks about the cruelty of the first world war, however it seems there is a metaphor, that the novel is not only talking about the first World War, but multiple wars. The other different types of battles that are present throughout the novel include, charactersRead MoreThe Wars by Timothy Findley Essay1046 Words   |  5 Pagesin savage behavior that is normally forbidden in society. In The Wars by Timothy Findley, however, soldiers act in violent ways even when they are not actively engaged in battle. The inherently savage nature of humankind is evident when Robert Ross kills the German soldier after the gas attack, when Robert is raped in the baths, and when Robert kills Captain Leather. These violent events that occur outside the direct action of the war demonstrate the evil inherent in humankind. The innate violenceRead MoreThe Wars Timothy Findley Analysis881 Words   |  4 Pagespersonality and outlook on life. Timothy Findley’s novel The Wars shows that conflicts lead to the character’s ultimate inner struggles, outer struggles, and self-discovery. War exists in a person’s physical and psychological aspects. In The Wars, Robert Ross goes to war and fights a personal and physical battle. In the novel The Wars, Robert Ross is a sensitive nineteen-year-old boy who experiences firsthand the horrors of battle as a Canadian Soldier in the First World War in hopes of trying to findRead MoreTimothy Findley s The Wars1163 Words   |  5 Pages Timothy Findley’s The Wars portrays the effects of war on soldiers in battle, as well as the members of family and friends that suffer from loss and insanity. As each character over the progression of the story is exposed to change, the character’s ability to adapt has a significant correlation with their survival, those that can quickly adapt to survive can manage to get by. Soldiers must be able to suppress the extreme stress on the battlefield. Those that cannot overcome these challenges doRead MoreAnalysis : The Wars By Timothy Findley1512 Words   |  7 PagesWars can change the way a person acts, perceptions of man and unleashes the true self of human nature, which is exactly shown in the novel The Wars. The Wars is a 1977 novel by Timothy Findley that follows Robert Ross, a nineteen-year-old Canadian who enlists in World War I. After the death of his beloved older sister, in an attempt to escape both his grief and the social norms of the repressive Victorian era he enlists himself as a soldier in the Canadian army. However, throughout the novel, weRead MoreThe Marxist Journey in The Wars by Timothy Findley1894 Words   |  8 PagesThe Wars written by Timothy Findley shares a great relation to many of the ideas surrounding postmodern society, thus implementing many of the prominent ideas of the time around politics and societal norms into the plot of the story itself. Findley successfully depicts the plot of the novel taking place in the early 1900s; a time in which the western world was emerging from an industrial revolution, bringing radically foreign ideas on politics in the world, including the materialization of the MarxistRead MoreCritical analysis on The Wars by Timothy Findley.1710 Words   |  7 PagesThe Wars, written by Timothy Findley, is a story about World War I, and consists of many shocking images passed over to the reader. Findley accomplishes to pull the reader into the narrative itself, so that the reader manages to fee l an impact upon him/her-self about what is read. If it was not for this specific skill, or can also be seen as a specific genre, the novel would not have been as successful as it is now. Also, something that helps the book be so triumphant, there is the fact that FindleyRead MoreAnalysis Of Timothy Findley s The War 2134 Words   |  9 PagesAttachment Timothy Findley’s The War is a wartime novel that mainly chronicles the horrors of the First World War. The novel revolves around a young Canadian officer named Robert Ross and his experiences in trench warfare during The War to End All Wars. In The Wars, Findley effectively depicts the lasting impacts on those involved, not only including the physical injuries and lacerations from battle, but also the inner trauma sustained from the mental and emotional warfare while at war. What is interesting