The Wars Essays - The Wars, Ross Geller, Ross, Free Essays

The Wars Essays - The Wars, Ross Geller, Ross, Free Essays The Wars Timothy Findley pieced The Wars together much like a puzzle. When piecing together a puzzle it is crucial to first find the corner pieces. As when trying to understand the novel it is necessary to realize what the most important aspects are. Each separate corner holds together and is linked to another part. Therefore, to understand the pieces of the puzzle it is vital to analyze Roberts relationship with his mother, his sister and his father. Furthermore, an attempt will be made to reveal the strengths and weaknesses in these relationships and the meanings Timothy Findley is trying to proclaim. To best understand Robert's relationship with his mother Mrs. Ross, one must look at their relationship from the perspective of Mrs. Ross. It is her interpretations and ensuing reactions to the tragic events of the novel that reveal the most to the reader about Robert's relationship with her. Mrs. Ross is portrayed as an adamant woman in the beginning of The Wars, yet as the story progresses, her firmness is broken by various tragedies. Mrs. Ross found it hard to be intimate with people therefore, she kept many things to herself. She felt that Being loved was letting others feed from your resource-all you had in life was put in jeopardy (Findley, 153). Mrs. Ross had mourned for years over the sudden death of her brother and her father, now she had lost a daughter and was going to lose a son. It is also evident she kept a lot of things to herself. At Rowena's funeral she stood apart from the rest of the family pretending she did not need any help. Mrs. Ross hid behind a large, black h at that day. Before Rowena's death and Robert leaving for the war Mrs. Ross used to be out in the public, handing out chocolate bars to the soldiers going off to war. However, when Robert left to join the army Mrs. Ross refused to have anything to do with it. Mrs. Ross was an adamant lady. She was adamant when it came to chocolate bars and she was adamant when it came to her decision about Robert having to kill Rowena's rabbits. After the death of Robert's sister Rowena, the Ross family seems to be broken. Family members question whose fault it was that she fell and who should ultimately be held responsible. Mrs. Ross comes across as being envious of her son and daughter's relationship because Robert and Rowena had a relationship where Robert was like a parent (guardian) to Rowena. Robert also was very protective of Rowena and always showed his concern for her, like Mrs. Ross did for all her children but more so towards Robert. Consequently, Robert being the closest to Rowena becomes the reason Mrs. Ross decides he will to be the one who would take the responsibility of killing the rabbits. Mrs. Ross' decision to burden Robert with this inhuman act and furthermore, his failure to do so, leads to the most revealing monologue relevant to their relationship. 'You think Rowena belonged to you. Well I'm here to tell you, Robert no on belongs to anyone. We're all cut off at birth with a knife and left at the mercy of strangers. You hear that? Strangers. I know what you want to do. I know you're going to go away and be a soldier. Well- you can go to hell. I'm not responsible. I'm just another stranger. Birth I can give you- but life I cannot. I can't keep anyone alive. Not anymore' (Findley, 23). The pessimistic tone of Mrs. Ross' monologue can be attributed to the fact that Rowena just died and that Robert has chosen to condemn himself to death, however, this also reveals much about her relationship with Robert. In addition, Robert's decision to enlist in the war is not approved by Mrs. Ross. Her reaction is one of denial and a failure as a parent.. Her words, you can go to hell, in reality, show her true love and care for Robert, yet in a vulgar way. She cares so much for him that she can not bear the thought of him leaving, hence she directs her anger at him. Mrs. Ross missed her son