The Wars Timothy Findley Book Report

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The Wars by Timothy Findley is a novel about the horrific tragedies of World War I and how tragedies and traumatic events can have an impact on a person’s life. In this specific case, the life of a Canadian soldier, Robert Ross. Personally, this novel seemed really powerful because it showed how someone’s innocence can be taken away with a blink of an eye. For instance, Robert Ross loved his sister Rowena and every animal he had seen reminded him of her because she loved animals. Another instance was when he joined the army, he obeyed orders and was told to kill animals even though he does not want to. When the German soldier spared Robert and let him walk away, the German soldier made a move but Robert instantly shot him thinking that he was reaching for his sniper when really he was reaching for his binoculars. Also, another instance was when Robert Ross was raped which of course, stripped away his innocence to the …show more content…

It made me understand Robert Ross’s pain and how caring and good hearted he was before his character change. It was really sad and heartbreaking seeing him change from being an innocent man who loved animals to being this submissive and aggressive person following orders. This book also made me understand more of the historical events and what was happening during World War I from the perspective of a soldier. Robert Ross was obviously my favorite character because he had gone through so much from losing his beloved sister Rowena, and also losing himself and the person he used to be which in the end, lead him to death. Although Robert was severely injured from trying to save the horses, Marian Turner took pity on Robert and offered him a peaceful death but Robert refused. This showed that Robert did not want to give up so easily and he still wanted to fight through it which to me was really

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