Themes Of The Wars Timothy Findley

War for Privacy in a Public World The Wars by Timothy Findley is at first initially thought, a book about World War I but the pluralized title suggests that it is much more than that. With a closer look it becomes easier to recognize how structurally complex this novel is as it concerns itself around a number of ‘wars’. First, there is the raging war World War I, as well as domestic disputes within the Ross and d’Orsey families while the war rages, although there is still the internal struggle in which most characters face, most notably Robert. One of the most critical themes in this novel is the climatic change both Robert Ross and the society in which he lives undergo, as World War I overturns the past and destroys the fundamental and moral
Conflicts at home notably between Mr. and Mrs. Ross become reflected in the general struggle. Robert envies a soldier in who he meets and wishes to leave home due to the private guilt he carries due to his sister Rowena’s death “She fell. It was Sunday. Stuart was meant to be watching her and so it was Stuart's fault but no, 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.” (17). Roberts’s motivation for enlisting in the army is the guilt over his supposed desertion of duty to Rowena; in other words, a very private and personal imperative drives him to participate in a public act of violence. He is then thrown in to an awfully public war where he is left exposed and judgement is waiting. He struggles as he tries to preserve his isolation. Socially awkward especially around girls Robert is set back by the idea of going to the brothel with the other soldier but is inclined to go. Such private acts such as sexual intercourse are now no longer even private as Robert and Barbara are spending time together in the believed to be haunted room of Lady Sorrel. “What I did was worse than blundering… This was a picture that didn't make sense. Two people hurting one another. That's what I thought. I knew in a cool, clear way at the back of my mind that this was 'making love', but the shape of it confused me.” (183) this is how Juliet describes what she seen upon opening Roberts door in hopes of exacting revenge on Barbara by dressing up as the ghost Lady Sorrel although it did not go as planned as she herself is kept awake that night by what she has seen. While Robert is the one who feels most exposed during this scene, both characters reveal more of themselves than they