Use of Foreshadowing (2)

Another use of foreshadowing in the novel is when Robert’s war colleague dies from suicide of insanity of the mind. Robert’s war colleagues died, but this time of a different reason. This man’s name is Rodwell. He is an unthinkable man that shared a love of animals with Robert. He and Robert began to have a liking of each other which made it even worse on Robert’s mental health when he committed suicide. Robert and Rodwell became friends throughout the novel, sharing the same interests of animals and what not. When Rodwell died, it took a great effect on Robert, seeing one of his best friends committing suicide from what they have both endured over the war when the novel explains,

“Word reached Robert Saturday that Rodwell had shot himself. Apparently he’d gone ‘down the line’ and been assigned to a company who’d been in the trenches all through the fire storms without being relieved. Some of them were madmen. (…) Half an hour later, Rodwell wandered into No Man’s Land and put a bullet through his ears.” (Findley 134-135)

Robert had always showed a liking to Rodwell and when he heard the news that he had gone mad and committed suicide, he himself almost went mad. This incident foreshadows the fact that as war becomes crueler on the mind of soldiers, insanity makes its move and starts pouring into the already defenseless heads of these soldiers. This event of insanity foreshadows the emotional climax of Robert and shows emphasis of how a person that is so similar to the protagonist went mad and killed himself. There were many resemblances of Robert and Rodwell, and when Findley conveyed that a person with the same nurture went mentally insane, it gives the effect of foreshadowing that Robert will resemble the same path took by Rodwell.

Use of Foreshadowing (1)

Findley use foreshadowing in the novel to convey the theme of insanity by using events in the book to foreshadow insanity of Robert’s mind. This type of foreshadowing is mainly focused on the deaths of loved ones or war colleagues in Robert’s life. Through this literary device, Findley blames war as being the culprit of insanity in a soldiers mind. These next few posts are mainly focused on this literary device and how it portrays the theme of insanity.

 Robert is faced with many deaths throughout his duration of war right from is early teenage years. At Robert’s deployment since the war, he deals with death after and death and traumatic scene after another. These deaths take a toll on Robert’s mind and the war is only half over at this point of time. It is shown how many deaths have occurred in the war so far when the novel conveys,

“So far, you have read of the deaths of 557, 017 people—one of whom was killed by a streetcar, one of whom died of bronchitis and one of whom died in a barn with her rabbits.” (Findley 162)

All of the people in this quote symbolize someone Robert has lost in the war. The person who died of bronchitis was Robert’s war friend, Harris. Harris was admitted to the war at approximately the same time Robert was. They met in the boat to France when Harris contracted pneumonia. As it worsened, Harris succumbed bronchitis on top of his illness and was admitted to the hospital when they docked in France. Harris was Robert’s best war colleague he ever had and was with him when he passed away. This mentally trampled Robert, having his best friend die before the war even commenced. The girl in the barn with her rabbits was of course, Rowena. As said before, Rowena was Robert’s beloved sister and when she passed, edged him forward to join the army. All of the 557, 017 people who have died so far from the war, died serving their country. All these people in Robert’s life have died and it has taken a toll on him mentally, creating serious side effects that are foreshadowed on later in the novel. The words “So far” have the greatest emphasis in this quote, meaning anyone could be added to the death toll at any given time. These two words, as simple as they may seem, foreshadow significance that in the future Robert could be the next one in the crosshairs and be added to the death toll of the war. Having the feeling that at any time, someone you love could be next could be enough to make a person go insane. This is why this passage foreshadows so much in its simplicity. This quote stresses many things having to deal with death of war and how it leads to insanity.

Character Development (End of War)

Close to the end of war, the reader sees the true chaos of war in bloom and the insanity of a soldiers mind revealed. Until now, Robert has been faced with many deaths, war related and not, and has just recently been introduced to the full potential of a battle in progress. The battle that sent Robert into full fletched insanity was one of Britain’s last pushes against the Germans. A do or die operation for the Allies. Robert was in charge of delivering convoys to the front lines when they were ambushed with aerial attacks. Robert had recently been deployed with a fresh supply of horses and mules, which were becoming bomb shell fodder. Robert decided that the crucial objective would be to save the horses; mostly importantly because they would need them half an hour later after the bombing ebbed. Robert’s upper rank, Captain Leather, forbid him to flee to safety with the horses for the reason of looking cowardly in battle. Robert disputed with his Captain and ultimately chose to go against his captain’s words to save the horses. It ended up not working as planned because at the split second of freeing the horses, a bomb blew up on cue as the horses ran to safety, which ended up killing or injuring the animals explained in the next passage. Robert emitted his true insanity through his actions as,

“Captain Leather rose to his knees and began to struggle to his feet. Robert shot him between the eyes. It took him half-an-hour to kill the mules and horses. Then he tore the lapels from his uniform and left the battlefield.” (Findley 184)

Apologies for such a horrific scene,
but this is the act of what Robert
had to deal with at end of novel,
which made him snap.

Robert went against his Captains words to try to get the horses to safety and was so narrow-minded in this objective that he was uncontrollable with his actions. He ended up killing his Captain in the process of saving the animals in which they actually ended up dying anyways. He accomplished nothing and showed his true colours of insanity. War does many things to soldiers, not only physically, but more importantly, mentally. In this incident, there is controversy over the fact that Robert was displaying his love for animals by trying to save all these horses and mules. The fact that Robert was trying to save the animals shows his sign of morals being displayed, but the fact is that Robert went against his Captains words, and followed through with trying to save these creatures. His Captain bluntly said for Robert to stop from any further progression with the animals, but Robert went against his word and proceeded anyways. That disobedience shows that Robert went mentally insane.

Using Robert’s experience throughout the war, it shows that the war can change a person from being such a sensitive and passionate man, to an overpowering maniac. Using Robert’s love of animals and how he has changed from the war and killed hundreds of animals in the end of the book, compared to not even being able to kill a few rabbits before he enrolled, shows that the war had an ultimate effect on Robert’s state of mind. Many soldiers in the war end up going insane in their lifetime as Robert did and made poor decisions based on their insanity. Showing how Robert’s state of mind progressively altered from the beginning of the book, to during the war is a prime example of how the chaos of war affects the mentality of a soldier’s state of mind. By showing the character development of Robert Ross in the novel, Findley is able to convey the theme of insanity through a soldier’s mind that is influenced by the chaos of war.

Character Development (During)

During the war, Robert had to endure many experiences he had never thought of before. His life was now filled with death and conditions not fit for living. As a soldier, Robert endured many vigorous training camp exercises to ready him for overseas action. When Robert completed his training, they sent him over to France in a boat to fight in WWI. On the cargo ship Robert had the responsibly for caring for the horses along the voyage. Robert encountered another bump in the road, when he was informed a horse had broken its leg in the stable, and it was his duties to put the horse out of its misery. He was ordered from his Sergeant to go against his morals and values to kill the injured horse. Robert struggled.

“He had the gun in both hands. He pressed it hard behind the horse’s ear and swore at the horse ‘God damn it, damn it, damn it, - stop.’ His knees were wet and he drew himself into a ball and pushed with all his strength. He began to squeeze the trigger and he squeezed it again and again and again- so many times then when Sergeant- Major pulled him away the gun went right on clicking in his hands.” (Findley 60-61)

Robert had to fight against his morals and self will to put the horse out of its misery. He struggled with the task, putting him out of his comfort zone, taking him 6 shots to finally drop the horse dead. Although he struggled with the task, he obeyed his orders and fulfilled them. As Robert’s character is developing more and more, it shows that the war is starting to take its effects on Robert. Although he struggled, he actually killed a living animal; something he would have never done before joining the army. Through this incident, Findley is starting to portray the influence that the war is having on Robert by using Robert’s love of animals to show how Robert’s mentality is changing.

Character Development (Before)

These next few posts are solely based on the character development of Robert Ross before, during, and the end of war to track how the war has changed Robert mentally. The next few examples are based on the love Robert had for animals and how through the war, has changed Robert mentally. Throughout the novel, Findley focuses a great deal of effort on how the affects of war can greatly cause insanity of the mind, seen through the character development of the protagonist, Robert Ross. As the character of Robert develops throughout the novel, there are signs that show Robert’s mind is slowly taking effect to the chaos of war surrounding him, leading to the potential of insanity expressed in the end stages of the war.

Before the war, Robert grew up where he adopted many good morals and values in his childhood. He had always had a passion for animals, being surrounded by them since a small child. Everything living had a certain value of innocence to Robert and cherished living things as long as he lived. After the passing of his beloved sister Rowena, Robert felt crushed and guilty that he could not save his sister from death. He was like a guardian to her before she passed, looking after her, amusing her by playing and caring for her rabbits every afternoon. After she passed away, all that Robert had left of her was her 10 or so rabbits that they connected with. Robert’s mother insisted that the rabbits be destroyed on the same day of Rowena’s funeral. She made it clear that the deed had to be completed by Robert in her discussion with Mr. Ross.

 “The rabbits had to die- and Robert had to do it. Mister Ross was inclined to be more lenient. Surely the rabbits could be killed somewhere else, he said. Maybe the butcher would want them. No, Robert’s mother said. It must be here and he must do it. ‘Why?’ ‘BECAUSE HE LOVED HER.’” (Findley 19)

Robert, being the sensitive young man he is, refused to kill the rabbits. He would never hurt an innocent animal and more importantly kill the last of the symbolic relationship left of Rowena. This is why Mrs. Ross hired a man by the name of Teddy Bulge, a man with no remorse, to assassinate the rabbits. Robert tried to stop the proceeding, but ended up getting beaten. This quote shows Robert before the war and how passionate he was toward all living things. On the other hand, it also shows a sign of weakness in Robert, not being able to withstand his morals and kill some rabbits. Findley portrays Robert as a sensitive, passionate young man in the beginning of the novel, which as the novel progresses shows signs that the war has changed Robert’s mentality in many ways pertaining to the lives of animals.

Insanity Strikes

War, it changes people. When one thinks of war, images of battle, blood, and death appear as the main focus in one’s mind, but the aspect of what war does to a person psychologically is sheltered by these outer pigments. Although war is based on these gory images of conflict, The Wars, by Timothy Findley shows the aspect that the chaos of war really affects the mentality of a soldier’s state of mind. War has a definite effect on the mentality of a soldier, much so that many soldiers result in insanity during, or after leave of combat. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the term where after a traumatic event, such as war, soldiers are still thriving a battle inside of them which leads to insanity of the mind. Insanity by definition is the mental illness or derangement of one’s mind caused from an incident of stress and anxiety. Timothy Findley does not only portray the physical aspects of war on a soldier, but as well the mental aspects in the novel. Findley, through the use of the character Robert Ross, portrays the effects on the mind from the chaos of war, from which Robert has a change in mindset from his time of enrollment to his act of leave and comes back a different man. Throughout the book Robert is faced with many difficult times, which in the essence, changes him from who he once was to a soldier filled with insanity. The implements of war have changed Roberts’s state of mind and are focused on primarily throughout the novel. Timothy Findley portrays the effects on the mentality of a soldier’s state of mind to the point of insanity through the chaos of war in his bestselling novel, The Wars. Findley conveys this theme through the use of character development, foreshadowing, and imagery which will be focused on in this next segment of blogs through quotes and analysis of Robert and his employment in the war.

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Controversy

In Part 5 of The Wars, there is controversy over the topic of the freeing of the horses in Chapter 8, and if Robert freed these horses out of good morals for the love of animals or from pure insanity of disobeying his Captains orders. This is a long argued discussion topic throughout this book that leads to Robert’s death because of this poor decision.

In one hand, many readers believe that Robert saved the horses out of good morals and his overall love of animals. Reading the novel, the reader gets to know Robert Ross and sees his character develop throughout the many events that take place. Robert grows up with good morals and always had a love of all things living. It is argued that Robert freed the horses out of good will and love for these defenseless animals. Many people agree with this statement, as do I, but the overall thought of did the war end up making Robert go mad, which would thrive him to do this action?

On the other hand, seeing Robert’s character develop before, during and after the war shows the reasoning to why people believe that Robert went insane and led him to this disobedience of his Captain. Before the war, Robert wouldn’t have killed anything living. Compare this to during the war and to what took place in Part 5, shows that the war changed Robert mentally to the point of insanity. Robert would have never killed an animal, and now after Robert has been through the war, he ended up killing over 150 horses and his Captain. He disobeyed his Captains orders and ended up killing him because of this. The fact that Robert has changed because of the war, shows that he went mad from the war, and leads to the overall argument that Robert went insane and led to his death.

Many readers believe that Robert killed the animals out of an act of mercy because they were suffering, but to say this was the reasoning for killing Captain Leather and Private Cassles, that excuse doesn’t seem to work. As much as the reader may like to think that Robert didn’t go mad, you have to realize that Robert wouldn’t have done these actions if it wasn’t for the war changing him mentally. Although this argument may be discussed throughout generations if Robert actually went insane, the facts lead to one answer that Robert did in fact go mad because of the war, that later led to his death.