"The Wars" by Timothy Findley

Robert Ross is a sensitive young man from Canada who joins the military as a way of relieving himself from the guilt of his sister. The nineteen-year-old fights in the First World War, where he is exposed to unimaginable violence, constant death and the insanity of trench warfare. Ross is himself victimized, and he sees many around him die or go mad. He loses many friends during the war, and he experiences many horrors. From the unforgettable Chlorine gas attacks to the confrontation and death of a commanding officer resulting in an accusation of betrayal of his country. An odd story, almost an illusion, circulates about Ross's attempt to save horses at the cost of men during the war. The unraveling of the events suggests that Ross saw that war turned humans into brutes.

A theme that plays a vital role and is found through out the book is Robert’s sensitivity towards the different animals he encounters. Timothy Findley, the author of “The Wars”, conveys emotions and clues through these animals. For example the bird represents the danger that Robert was going to experience in the novel. They are warnings, since each time Robert notices they have stopped singing, an attack soon follows. The rabbits that come up in the novel on several occasions’ bring old painful memories of Rowena (Robert’s sister). Putting this aside, the theme of fire in the novel is the most important one. The fire conveys a feeling of pain and emotional distress. An example to prove this is, on page 46, "and he stood and he stared as he passed the fires of his father's factories, every furnace blasting red in the night...What were all these fires - and where did his father and his mother sleep beneath the pall of smoke reflecting orange and yellow flames?" This reflects Robert's distress about the immense destruction that occurred during World War I. Also on page 66, "Shall I light us a lantern, sir? Said Regis. 'No,' said Robert. 'Not for a moment anyway.” This exchange over the lantern occurs just after Robert kills the horse, and he does not want to observe the deed that he has just committed.

This novel contains a lot of symbolism that is expressed through the animals. As I have mentioned above. The birds in the novel symbolize an occurrence of an event in the future, while the horses show the companionship between man and beast. Even the title “The Wars” illustrates Roberts challenges against him self and the on the battlefield.

Timothy Findley wrote “The Wars” like a puzzle. You have to start from the four corners of it and find out about the relationships that where present. Find out the pros and cons, and also piece together the diverse viewpoints and emotions on an event that took place. Also the time sequence in this novel varies, since it tends to jump from one person’s opinion of Robert’s situation to another. I find this very effective since otherwise the novel would be much to depressing to read and the switches from a war scene to a lighter subject in order to grasp the reader’s attention truly makes the novel more interesting.

This book gave me a new perspective on military life. In the past I would have fancied ideas of joining the military, but after reading this book and learning about the atrocities of war, I will not consider about following through with it. Many men died for stupid reasons. The most tragic fact about this is that for some it was just numbers of deaths, while for the veterans that live today were the faces of brothers, friends, and comrades.

In some ways “The Great Expectations” and “The Wars” had factors in the story that intervened with each other. In the novel “The Wars” the main character, Robert, learns how to become an adult and learn the different priorities that a man has. This is just like Pip in “The Great Expectations”, since he is also learning the different values and the impotents. During our history class we discuss many events that took place in “The Wars”, for example the battle of Ypres, and the chlorine gas attacks.

I find that the story was a little choppy at times. It did not have smooth transitions from scene to scene, and I wished the story did have more action between the two armies, but other than that Timothy Findley did an outstanding job writing this short yet powerful novel.

I recommend this classic Canadian novel to adults and teens that have a vague interest in WWII or like to read about the cruelty of war and learn about the trench life of a WWII Canadian soldier.

Can You Spell Revolution?

Chris Stren is not having a good time in Grade Eight. He hates his schoolwork and his teacher; his mother is always on his case about something; and his best friend won't talk to him anymore. Quiet and shy, he feels as though his life is floating away. Then one day out of the blue, Clouds McFadden, the new boy in his small-town school, rocks his dull world. The pushy and articulate Clouds formulates a plot to overthrow the leadership of the school in order to provide voice to the student body. By the students, and for the students! He gathers Chris and a few other Grade Eights to become a group called the Revolutionists. Each member is charged to perform an “Act of Dissent” based on historical precedents, such as Mahatma Gandhi's acts of non-resistance and Woodward and Berstein’s exposure of the Watergate scandal. However, the Revolutionist’s plan goes wrong when Clouds assumes the role of a dictator and threatens to use violence to achieve his goals. When Chris discovers that Clouds is attempting to imitate Vladimir Lenin, he must find the courage, and power to take control of the Revolutionist project and save his school.

In my opinion, the only, and most important theme in this novel is revolution. The student body, mainly the Revolutionist’s, try to change the hands of power and authority in their schools. Through out the novel the ideas, the personas, and mutual talk among the students are embedded around the idea of revolution and different revolutionists.

One aspect of the book that I loved was that it was told from the point of view of the main character, Chris. This was a great attribute to they way the story was told since it made it easier for me to relate to and when you can relate yourself to a book you will be more engage and eager to read it. Also the integration of historical events, and prominent figures gave a small yet enjoyable history class. The idea of the flaws that tyrants in a school have also added to the interests the book has because every adolescent can relate to an event that he or she has witnessed in her lifetime, about the unfair, or authoritarian treatment by a teacher or higher power.

The book was entertaining, and I really didn't know how it was going to play out. Matt Beam manages to set his plot up quickly and then to keep you in suspense for a good long while. One thing that I was disappointed with was that the transitions of character development through out the book was a little to fast, and clunky. The author, Matt Beam, could have expanded and added more meat to each scene as well, but the use of allusions (Woodward, Vladimir Lenin, etc.) and metaphors (“…lifted our heads, like cautious soldiers in a field.”) made the story more real, and made the reader get a sense of the picture being portrayed.

Overall this entire book was an A++ on my charts! I recommend this book to anyone 11 and up, who have a bit of interest in history and a dislike in authority, and those who prefer to preserve a sole leadership in their classrooms will want to avoid this story.