The Wars: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Wars: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the complex portrayals of key figures within the narrative set during World War I, focusing primarily on the experiences of Robert Ross, a second lieutenant in the Canadian Field Artillery. Robert's emotional distance from his parents and deep connection to his deformed sister shape his worldview, leading him to prioritize personal standards of self-worth. His admiration for marathon runner Tom Longboat inspires him to adopt a rigorous training regimen, which symbolizes his love for his sister and culminates in his tragic attempts to save war horses, resulting in his disfigurement and death.
Supporting characters, such as Robert's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Ross, reveal the impact of war on family dynamics, with his mother spiraling into alcoholism and expressing distress over Robert's enlistment. Lady Barbara d'Orsey, an emotionally detached beauty, engages with war heroes, including Robert, while her sister, Lady Juliet d'Orsey, finds herself drawn to Robert’s innocence amid turmoil. Additionally, characters like Marian Turner, a dedicated nurse, and Rodwell, an illustrator haunted by the horrors of war, offer contrasting perspectives on heroism and the psychological toll of conflict. This exploration of diverse characters highlights the profound effects of war on individual lives and relationships.
The Wars: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Timothy Findley
First published: 1977
Genre: Novel
Locale: Canada, France, and England
Plot: Neorealism
Time: 1915–1922, the 1970's
Robert Ross, a second lieutenant in the Canadian Field Artillery during 1916 and 1917. As a boy, he feels somewhat distanced from his parents; consequently, he devotes himself to his congenitally deformed sister, developing very early in his life the desperate conviction that self-esteem must be measured by very personal, rather than conventionally public, standards. Inspired by Tom Longboat, an Indian marathon runner, he imposes a strict training regimen on himself, believing that his achievements in such an elemental sport will stand as a testament to his love for his sister. It is Ross's belief in his personal standards that leads to his attempts to save a group of war horses, actions that result in his disfigurement and ultimately his death.
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Ross, Robert's parents. Tom Ross is well-meaning, but he lacks the self-assurance to rally his family at times of emotional crisis. Robert's mother becomes a cynical alcoholic after her daughter Rowena is born with hydrocephalis. She views Robert's enlistment with bitter foreboding and, at one point while he is overseas, furiously leaves church in the middle of the service, disgusted by the generally accepted notion that religious fervor and patriotic zeal are compatible.
Lady Barbara d'Orsey, who is as physically beautiful as she is emotionally stunted. She ritualistically offers herself to a series of war heroes, as if believing that her fiercely sexual involvements with them function as some sort of classically symbolic corollary to their inevitable self-sacrifice in battle. Robert is one of her lovers. When he is not killed but wounded so terribly that he is incapable of further combat, she makes a practice of visiting him in the hospital, accompanied by her new lover and presenting—with a pointed silence—a bouquet that serves as a coldly formal tribute to the fallen hero.
Lady Juliet d'Orsey, Barbara's younger sister. During Barbara's affair with Robert, she becomes infatuated with him, instinctively sensing the goodness and innocence that underlie his barely repressed turmoil. After his disfigurement, she becomes his constant, platonic companion.
Marian Turner, Robert's nurse at the frontline hospital where he is taken after he is burned. When she offers to administer a morphine overdose, he manages to communicate the simple response, “Not yet.” She believes that he was a hero for daring to do what no one else dared.
Rodwell, who in civilian life is an illustrator of children's books. Robert shares his dugout when he first comes to the front lines. In this dugout, Rodwell keeps a menagerie of small animals that he has rescued from the battlefield. Acutely sensitive, he writes truly touching letters to his daughter to maintain his sanity and finally to help her to cope with his death. He commits suicide after watching battle-weary soldiers set fire to a cat.