MLA ESSAY

War has a definite effect on the mentality of a soldier, so much so that many result in insanity during or after the leave of combat. Timothy Findley’s The Wars, portrays the “stupidity, futility and the horror of the terrible losses of the First World War, describing war as an image of the worst that can be within a man” (Anne Nothof Interview). Findley portrays mental aspects as well as physical, that lead to Robert Ross’ demises, specifically, the conditions of war, overall aspect of war taking someone’s life and the feeling of loneliness and silence.
Soldiers in the war had to face obscure battlefield each and every day along with the chaos that led toward a broken land, which took its toll physically on the men, especially Robert. “When the mines went up the earth swayed. Forward. Back. Forward. Half-back. Then there was a sort of glottal stop halfway to nowhere” (Findley, 121). Robert’s life was now filled with unfit conditions of living that he never knew he would face. Though the training he endured before battle was difficult and prepared him for most situations, the movement of earth below his feet, he had no control over. One can only imagine the pulsation of the earth causing trained men lose their footing, latching onto walls for their life. Then one can imagine that to cause such an abrupt outcome, a noise of some kind must be followed. Not only was Robert tested physically by the movement, but also but the wave of sound causing him to lose his hearing for minutes, thus leading to the sound of silence haunting him forever. “Fire storms rages along the front. Men were exploded where they stood (...) Men went blind in the heat, blood ran out of noses, ears and mouths” (Findley, 132-133). The Germans had just introduc...

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... dead killed him more and more each day, much so that he would in turn move the bodies facing the wall so he wouldn’t have to look at them. Many of Robert’s actions when dealing with death throughout the war reflect on him being distraught. Being alone was his biggest fear, so being dead was even more fearful especially since he made a promise to his sister. The war killed Robert in a sense that his innocence was taken from him and he had no way of getting it back.
War can deteriorate a soldiers mind, body and spirit, much so that it eventually leads to the characters demise. War has the ability to change others, most in a horrible way leaving the person to feel isolated from others and dead. Robert Ross was in fact murdered by World War 1 in the means of the conditions of war, overall aspect of war taking someone’s life and the feeling of loneliness and silence.