Characters in The Wars

Robert Ross:  Robert is the protagonist of the novel. He is currently 19 years of age when he enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1916 in WWI. He is a very honourable and passionate man, who most say is also handsome. Early in the novel, Robert lost his dear older sister, Rowena, which resulted in Robert feeling guilty and pushed him forward to join the army. Robert shows traits of weakness when he could not slaughter Rowena’s rabbits and also when Robert could barely kill an injured horse. Robert just wasn’t a killer and had a respect for animals of all kinds. Robert has a good personality filled with trust, care, and determination.

Rowena Ross: Rowena was Robert’s older sister. She died at the age of 25 when she fell out of her wheelchair in their barn. She was suffering with a condition of hydrocephalic, water in the brain at birth. Rowena was an adult but because of her condition acted as more of a child than anything. Robert treated himself as he was a guardian of Rowena and when she died, he felt guilt and remorse for not being there to prevent her death. She cared for over ten rabbits that were slaughtered thereafter her death, under no consent of Robert.

Mr. Ross: Thomas Ross is the father of Robert and his siblings. He was the more loving parent in the family and was less strict on his children that Mrs Ross was. He tried to help out Robert as much as he could when he enrolled in the army, sending him clothing, boots, and even a COLT 6-shooter.

Mrs. Ross: Margaret Ross is the mother to Robert and his siblings. She has problems with relationships with the people in her family. As stated in an earlier blog, she and Robert have a broken relationship that really seizes to exist. The reasoning to this relationship is stated in an earlier post called “Mother/Son Relationships”. Mrs Ross is an alcoholic and it really shoed after the death of Rowena. She has a hard time sustain relationships and is a very strict, unloving parent.

Stuart Ross: Brother of Robert. Stuart was held responsible for the death of Rowena because he was not watching her when she fell out of her wheelchair.

Peggy Ross: Robert’s little sister, at a young age.

Teddy Budge: A man with no remorse, hired to slaughter Rowena’s rabbits.

Marian Turner: Marian was a nurse during WWI. She is introduced through transcripts and interviews throughout the book, talking about Robert Ross and the war.

Eugene Taffler: A war hero in the novel. He is introduced in the beginning of the book of having perfect accuracy and strength of a soldier, displaying it by exploding bottles with rocks. He had a relationship with Barbara d’Orsey.

Harris: Harris was one of Robert’s closest companions in the war, meeting in the ship’s barn. Harris was contracted with pneumonia and Robert cared for him in the hospital until his death. After his death, Robert spread his ashes in the Greenwich River.

Lady Juliet d’Orsey: Juliet is introduced in the novel when she gives a transcript of the early years and that she adored Robert at a young age.

Barbara d’Orsey: She is Juliet’s older sister. She went through many men and easily gained and lost love. She seems to have a liking to Robert in the novel so far, because she would always stare at him when she and Taffler went to visit their war friend, Jamie.