War changes people. Usually when one thinks of war, blood, battle and death are the first things that come to mind, but psychological trauma is over shadowed by these popular thoughts. Though war, on the surface, is focused on such gory aspects, The Wars by Timothy Findley shows us an angle where the chaos of war significantly affects a soldier’s mind mentally. War definitively effects the life of all soldiers, so much so that they may show signs of insanity after, or even during battle. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder triggered when a victim experiences a significantly traumatic event in their life, and has difficulty returning to life as it was (“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”). Insanity as defined by Psychology …show more content…
Robert was far removed out of his comfort zone, which in turn resulted in him needing well over 4 shots to finally kill the horse. He clearly struggled with the order, but we already see that he obeyed to fulfilled it. The war has already started to show its effects on Ross and how it is changing him. He struggled to commit the action, but in the end, he did actually kill a living being; something he clearly would have never done before. Through this scene, Findley has started to draw focus onto the negative influence the war is having on Robert’s …show more content…
The battle that sent Robert into full fletched insanity was 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
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition, similar to an anxiety disorder, that is triggered by trauma and other extremely stressful circumstances. Throughout the book, Junger talks about PTSD in a wide range:from PTSD rates in natural disaster victims to PTSD rates in veterans. The latter is explained on a deeper perspective. While Junger gave many examples of why PTSD rates in America were so high, the most captivating was:
The animals in this story are closely related to the characters, especially the character of Robert. Rodwell acknowledges Robert's close union with animals when he draws Robert in his sketchbook as "the only human form" among sketches of animals (155). When Robert sees the drawing, he notices that "the shading [is] not quite human"; it is a combination of animal and human qualities, like Robert's own personality (155). " Modified and mutated, he [is] one with the others" (155). Rodwell's sketchbook reveals the melding of Robert with the animal world.
While his connection with animals gets stronger; his bond with humans happens to fade away. He goes on a ship with other soldiers to go fight in the war. After Harris is taken ill, Robert then has to be the one responsible for taking care of the horses on the ship. Even though having to stay with the horses is a horrible duty of a soldier because of the smell, the insects, and the rats, “[Robert] found it was a marvelous cure for seasickness” (Findley 63). He enjoyed staying with the horses to the point where he “became completely disengaged from the other life on the upper deck. He even went below off duty” (Findley 63). Robert found himself a place where he belongs and is most comfortable in on that ship; not with humans but with the horses. After Robert spends a decent time with the horses, one of them has broken its leg, and Robert is called to shoot it since he is an officer with a gun. Robert hesitates and becomes nervous, “he has never squeezed a trigger against a living creature in the whole of his life” (Findley 64). Robert starts desperately thinking of ways to avoid what he had been asked to do. He thought to himself “why couldn’t Battery Sergeant-Major Joyce do this? Hadn’t he been in the army all his life?” (Findley 64). This demonstrates that Robert strongly does not want to be the one causing
Throughout the book, it is shown that Robert has a special connection with animals and the environment. The many animals he encounters throughout the story are symbols which reflect on him and his actions. After Robert accidentally kills the German sniper who spared the life of him and his men, he feels guilty for taking an innocent life. This is reflected in nature by the bird which “sang and sang and sang, till Robert rose and walked away. The sound of it would haunt him to the day he died.” (Findley 131) This scene uses the readers’ knowledge of Robert’s deep emotional connections with animals to emphasize the sadness and guilt that he felt after shooting the German. Robert is often shown as innocent and caring, traits he shares with animals. Rodwell realizes this and draws a picture of Robert in his sketchbook (otherwise full of animal sketches), although “the shading was not quite human” (Findley 138). In the sketch, Rodwell is able to show both the human and non-human side of Robert. Finally, Robert’s strong love for Rowena, his sister, is mainly because of her innocence. As a result of her disability, she is innocent and naïve like a child or animal; she relies on Robert to be “her guardian” (Findley 10)....
Very early in the novel, Robert’s sister Rowena dies from a fall. Robert takes this accident personally, believing “It was Robert’s fault. Robert was her guardian” (16). Although Robert could have done nothing to prevent Rowena’s death, he takes it very personally and isolates himself from his family. The situation is made worse when his mother demands Robert kill his sister’s pet rabbits simply “Because a girl had died – and her rabbits had outlived her” (21). Although Robert does not kill the rabbits personally, they are killed regardless. Rowena’s rabbits rely on Robert to protect them, much like she relied on him, enhancing Robert’s sense of failure. This initial experience with death causes Robert to escape his previous life by joining the war, an unwise decision considering his initial reaction to death and violence. A similar event occurs while Robert is travelling across the Atlantic Ocean when he is told “one of them horses of yours has gone and broke its leg” (57). Robert is told that he must shoot the horse because “an officer had to do it. They were the only ones with guns” (57). Unlike the killing of the rabbits, Robert is required to kill the horse by himself. Robert displays a strong connection with animals throughout the novel and is appalled at the thought of killing
The appearance of a character is not always a good reflection of one’s true personality. In The Wars, Robert attempts to change how he appears to people; he tries to become what he believes a soldier should be. When Robert kills the horse on the ship, he is traumatized; he “began to squeeze the trigger and he squeezed again and again and again” (Findley 68) which indicates he is going insane, having to do an act he did not want to commit in the first place. Robert tries to act like nothing from the shooting has affected him; he exceeds his emotions and acts exactly like an officer by saying “if this damn ship would sell us one I’d buy us both a drink” (Findley 69), by changing the subject, Robert indicates that he is not affected nor cares about the killing of the horse, even though internally, he is. Likewise in King Lear, Goneril and Regan both intentionally appear to be something they are not. When Lear
Bob Kiley, a soldier that everyone called Rat experienced a type of warfare that caused him a personal type of madness. O’Brien believes that Rat’s true experiences began when he lost his friend Lemon. Lemon and Rat was playing catch when Lemon stepped on a booby-trap. Today, people have counselors and support systems to assist them with deal with the death of a partner in war. However, the time of war Ray experience did not offer these benefits. To deal with his pain he attempted to take his frustration out on a water buffalo. He thought that by shooting the animal through various parts of its body would ease the pain that he felt. Once he wrote to his sister to tell her that “what a great brother she had (617). Lemon’s sister did not respond to the letter the he sent this hurt him even more. The truth in the story is that Rat experiences a true disconnect between the war and a person that has never experience the war.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), originally associated with combat, has always been around in some shape or form but it was not until 1980 that it was named Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and became an accredited diagnosis (Rothschild). The fact is PTSD is one of many names for an old problem; that war has always had a severe psychological impact on people in immediate and lasting ways. PTSD has a history that is as long and significant as the world’s war history - thousands of years. Although, the diagnosis has not been around for that long, different names and symptoms of PTSD always have been. Some physical symptoms include increased blood pressure, excessive heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, diarrhea, problems with vision, speech, walking disorders, convulsive vomiting, cardiac palpitations, twitching or spasms, weakness and severe muscular cramps. The individual may also suffer from psychological symptoms, such as violent nightmares, flashbacks, melancholy, disturbed sleep or insomnia, loss of appetite, and anxieties when certain things remind them such as the anniversary date of the event (Peterson, 2009).
Bierce writes, “we observed that he had one most objectionable and unsoldierly quality: he was vain of his courage” (Bierce 63). Bierce, as an officer in the Army, knows that Brayle’s actions does not reflect the quality of an officer should posses. Although Baryle’s actions might seem courageous and inspiring to an ordinary civilian, anybody with military background and tactical knowledge can see the underlying danger of Brayle’s actions.
With the overwhelming detail, the readers are able to imagine the perfect replication of what Robert is seeing in the story and this allows for the detachment from reality. At the verge of the climax of the story, Robert sees a doe: “he was alone with the [it] in a green world that seemed to cru for rich red, and he did not have time to think; it was enough that he sensed the doe’s quick decision to leave him” and at that moment, “the arrow sliced through the deer” (1670)
War has been a constant part of human history. It has greatly affected the lives of people around the world. These effects, however, are extremely detrimental. Soldiers must shoulder extreme stress on the battlefield. Those that cannot mentally overcome these challenges may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sadly, some resort to suicide to escape their insecurities. Soldiers, however, are not the only ones affected by wars; family members also experience mental hardships when their loved ones are sent to war. Timothy Findley accurately portrays the detrimental effects wars have on individuals in his masterpiece The Wars.
Robert Ross becomes the anti-hero because of his need of to save others but inability to do so; Robert, himself, is not aware of the fact that all he wants to do is save others because he could not save the one person he cared about, Rowena: “It wasn’t Stuart’s fault. It was Robert’s fault. Robert was her guardian and he was locked in his bedroom. Making love to his pillows.” (16) Furthermore, Robert tries to save Rowena’s rabbits: “I’ll look after them. […] I’ll take care of them. Please!!!” (18) Meanwhile, he fails again when someone else was hired to do so: “It took him thirty seconds to emerge from his pain and to realize why Teddy Budge was there.” (20) Robert unknowingly feels the need to be a savior for the people in his life, but constantly fails to do so with every attempt. Throughout the book, Robert blames himself for not being able to save Rowena or her rabbits. Another reason Robert enlists in the war is to unintentionally make up for the lack of lives he could not save in his own household.
In the novel The Wars, Robert Ross is a sensitive nineteen year old boy who experiences first-hand the horrors of battle as a Canadian Soldier in the First World War in hopes of trying to find who he is. Being named a Lieutenant shortly after arriving in Europe, Robert is thrust into combat. War has been a constant part of human history. It has greatly affected the lives of people around the world. These effects, however, are extremely detrimental. Soldiers must shoulder extreme stress on the battlefield. Those that cannot mentally overcome these challenges may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Timothy Findley shows the effects wars have on individuals in his novel The Wars. Findley suggests that war can change a persons behaviour in many different ways, however it is seen to be negatively more often then not. Robert Ross, the main character of The Wars, shows symptoms of what is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in today’s society.
It was full of power and speed and despite the apparent fear in it’s eyes there was also something else. It knew, not only that his reins were in the right hands, but that it could not be outrun. So it burst forward, a mighty beast, the unprepared german soldiers running for dear life. Few escaped it’s wrath but those who did had a plan b. A trench with heavy machine guns was set on the edge of the forest behind the camp, and the few soldiers who made it there began to pour bullets from the barrels, and yet the horse ran right towards them, even after it’s rider had been knocked from his saddle, the horse ran on over the enemy lines before being captured. It was an amazing beautiful movie and there is no question as to if you should watch it. I left the theatres with my family that day with a fire still in my belly. So that was the war horse, who feared nothing and nickered mockingly at the trumpets of war; Yet my experience with this majestic beast was not yet concluded and there was still much for me to experience with it. The day I could finally truly experience this animals full might and up close power came in the form of horse riding classes, my sisters were so excited to ride one, and I, although having small respectful fear of what this living thing was capable of doing to me, at least wanted to run my hand over its
But perhaps Robert’s most enduring quality is his artful pillory of those about him. When on form, his wisecracks at the expense of others can be as withering to the subject as they are amusing to everyone else. Take the incident earlier today when he asked the vicar (preacher), ‘Do you charge for taking a church service?’ ‘Not a penny’ he replied. ‘From what I saw this morning, you’ve got it spot on!’ I am convinced Robert’s personality and sense of fun resulted from the games his dad played with him as a kid. He used to throw him in the air – and walk away. Needless to say, another good thing about Robert is that he can take a joke as well as. Mind you, so can Pamela, because she's taken Robert.