The wars by Timothy Findley.

Character List
Miss Davenport A maid for the Ross family who comes to spend most of her time with Mrs. Ross as the novel progresses. Robert Ross The main character of the novel, Robert is a Canadian soldier who goes to Europe to fight the German forces during World War I. Deeply empathetic, Robert has a kinship with all animals. He is haunted by the death of his sister, Rowena, who fell from her wheelchair when he was supposed to be watching over her. He encounters great horrors on the front that affect him greatly but do not change his kind disposition. By the end of the novel, he has lost a great deal of faith in the world and in humanity. What is significant is that he hasn't lost all of it. Mrs. Ross Robert Ross's mother. Her relationship with Robert appears to be severed when he leaves for the front. However, she is the most affected by his absence and eventually goes blind after hearing that Robert is missing in action. She harbors an alcohol addiction throughout the novel. Mr. Ross/Thomas Ross Robert's father. He presents a face of unconditional love to his son and his family, even when his relationship with his wife is deteriorating. He secures a pistol for Robert and is the only family member to attend Robert's funeral. Levitt A soldier in the dugout whom Robert comes to know. He is obsessed with Clausewitz's writings on war and carries many books with him. After the German attack on the dugout, Levitt is shaken badly and unable to continue at the front. He is sent out on a train with wounded soldiers. Willie Poole A bugler who rides with Robert into Belgium. Robert describes him as uncomplicated. He can play the bugle but declined to join the military band because he wouldn't actually be fighting the war if he did. Robert later sees him when Poole delivers his missing kit bag to him, just following Robert's rape. Eugene Taffler A decorated war hero who has a habit of throwing stones at glass bottles with amazing accuracy. He likens this to the act of war itself. In him, Robert hopes to find a mentor to help him gain the will to kill another human being. Robert later witnesses Taffler having sex

with another man. Taffler loses both his arms during the war and attempts suicide but is unsuccessful when Lady Juliet d'Orsey unwittingly catches him in the act. Ella A prostitute working at Lady Dreyfus's brothel. She selects Robert from the group of men at the brothel one night. Robert ejaculates while following her upstairs to her room. He later witnesses Captain Taffler having sex with another man through a peephole in Ella's room. Mr. Baldwin Mull A neighbor of the Ross family known for his temper and his habit of accumulating property. Peggy Ross Robert's sister. Stuart Ross Robert's younger brother. Clifford Purchas A soldier whom Robert meets during training. He is accompanied by Clifford Purchas while searching for missing horses. It is at that time that he meets Eugene Taffler. In Part Five of the novel, Robert finds a corpse in the road near Wytsbrouk. The dead man has been shot in the back. It turns out to be Clifford Purchas. Captain Ord A man aboard the SS Masanabie who spends his time in his bunk reading the works of G.A. Henty. He claims he has lost his voice and cannot do any work. Harris A young soldier whom Robert meets aboard the SS Masanabie. Robert spends a good deal of time at Harris's bedside in the infirmary after they are both injured. Harris eventually dies while at the Royal hospital, saddening Robert and affecting him deeply. Devlin One of the men in the dugout whom Levitt and Robert Ross are meant to relieve. He is later shot by Captain Leather while trying to help Robert free the horses in the barn during a German shell attack. Bonnycastle One of the men in the dugout whom Robert Ross and Levitt are meant to relieve. Robert later hears of his death from Poole. Rodwell A soldier in the dugout who rescues wounded animals and keeps them in cages under his bunk. He reminds Robert of Rowena. He passes on his sketchbook and a letter for his

daughter to Robert before they part. Later, he takes his own life after witnessing his fellow soldiers torture and kill a cat. Lady Barbara d'Orsey The eldest daughter of the Marquis and the Marcioness of St Aubyn's. She and Robert start a brief affair after Captain Taffler's injury and admittance to St Aubyn's. She later visits Robert, but only once, at St Aubyn's following his burn injuries. Captain James Villiers A man encased in bandages lying in the Royal Free Hospital. Robert Ross alerts a nurse to administer morphine to the man after he is visited by Eugene Taffler and Lady Barbara d'Orsey. Captain Villiers cannot speak due to damage to his vocal chords from a fire. He eventually dies from his injuries. Lady Juliet d'Orsey Lady Barbara's younger sister. Several of the passages of the novel are told by her through transcribed interviews. She fell in love with Robert during his initial stay at St Aubyn's and stayed by his side during his last days. She also wrote the inscription on his tombstone. Captain Leather Robert's commanding officer from Wytsbrouk. He arrives at the front after the dugout is destroyed and utters the phrase "Just so" in response to just about every remark. He seems entirely disconnected from the reality of the war, planning strategic moves from far behind the front lines. Robert has little confidence in him. Corporal Bates An officer in charge of the men whom Robert meets through Captain Leather. Bates accompanies Robert to the crater at the front lines where they come across a German sniper. Babbington A nurse at St. Aubyn's who is despised by Lady Juliet and Captain Taffler. They each develop condescending nicknames for her: Lady Juliet calls her "Babbins" and Captain Taffler refers to her as the baboon. Major Terry An officer who is pursuing Lady Barbara d'Orsey. Robert meets him when he arrives at St Aubyn's for recuperation. Lady Barbara later rejects Major Terry in order to be with Robert. Rowena Ross Robert's older sister, with whom he had a close relationship. Rowena was born with hydrocephalus, and Robert acted as her guardian throughout her life. She died after falling from her wheelchair when Robert was supposed to be looking after her, causing him great guilt. Maria Dreyfus

A German Madam who runs a brothel in Lousetown. Marian Turner A nurse who looks over Robert after he was burned in the barn fire. She offers him an assisted suicide after taking pity on him, but Robert refuses.

Major Themes
Loss or Destruction of Innocence As the novel progresses several innocent figures are consumed by the war. This begins with Rowena's death, a tragic accident due to Robert's shirked responsibility. It is visited again after Robert shoots the horse aboard the ship. He has been forced to commit an act he detests. Findley also comments on the age of the men on board going to war to draw attention to their boyish innocence. They are barely men at all. Robert isn't the only character whose innocence is lost. Juliet is forced to grow up quickly after seeing Robert and Barbara having sex. This incident also evokes the theme of change that appears in the novel. Rodwell, too, loses his innocence and takes his life as a result. He is driven to suicide after watching his fellow soldiers kill a cat just to taunt him. The destruction of the natural world and animals is also an example of the destruction of innocence. Violence as Order and Chaos Violence alternately takes on the role of chaos and order in the novel. The chaos of the war is fairly obvious. Soldiers die and towns and nations are torn apart by the battles. Robert tries at first to suppress his own violent feelings and impulses. He relies on his pistol to give him a sense of protection and uses it to restore order during the gas attack when his men panic. The element of fire, we come to see, can be either a tool or a terrible oppressor. Robert also uses this violence in defiance of the chaos of the war. Juliet witnesses him unloading his pistol on a tree in frustration. He uses violence to exact his own moral justice on Captain Leather and the war itself. Animals Throughout the novel it is clear that Robert has a connection to the natural world and animals, most notably horses. He shares this with his sister Rowena, Harris, and Rodwell. All these characters foster a deep respect and reverence for the natural world and it is among animals that Robert feels the greatest peace and belonging. He runs with coyotes and horses almost as one of them. There is a freedom and authenticity in the natural world that Robert does not find in human society. The destruction of these animals is what ultimately pushes him to act out violently against the human construct of war. Isolated from other human beings, Robert finds himself more at home with animals. They do not judge him. He feels no need to impress them or to hide from them. He can simply be himself. When it comes to other human beings, Robert is deeply caring of others, but there is an otherness about him. Rodwell captures this in his sketch of Robert. He is both human and non-human at the same time.

The Four Elements The four classic elements: fire, water, earth, and air are all represented in the novel and also come to be the inscription on Robert Ross's tombstone. Fire is very clearly represented in the artillery and the flamethrowers encountered in combat. The earth nearly engulfs Robert, literally, when he falls into the mud. The image of the earth moved to create trenches and the dugouts also invokes this element. Air comes to symbolize both life and death at various times. When the chlorine gas is unleashed on Robert and his men, it is a metaphor for death. However, in the last lines of the novel, when the breath of Robert, Rowena, and the pony Meg can be seen in the photograph, it is a clear sign of life. Rain is an element that Robert encounters at various times in the novel: after Rowena's funeral, and in the rain and mud Robert encounters on the battlefield. Here, it is a marker for change and transition. Robert bathes when he has his last conversation with his mother. He also is showered in rain at the train station when he goes to enlist. At each of these points, Robert crosses a rubicon that marks a point of permanent change. Change The inevitability of change is an important theme in The Wars. War itself is an agent of change. It violently and aggressively pushes into people's private lives, intermingling the private with public life. Robert sees this change in the physical landscape of his hometown. Gone is the idyllic small town he once knew, replaced by factories working tirelessly for the war effort. Juliet's changing body also represents her loss of innocence and the unmistakable sensation that one cannot go back in time and undo what has been done. Mrs. Ross struggles to come to terms with the world as it changes. She medicates herself with alcohol to help her cope, eventually losing her sight. The element of water is also associated with change. Robert bathes at key points in the story before a change: before departing for training as well as before he is raped. Sanctity of Life Robert believes in the sanctity of living beings and it is this loss of life that drives him to break away from the moral system imposed upon him by the war and the society that supports it. Robert believes all life, human and animal, is worth protecting. This is why he cannot condone his mother's decision to kill Rowena's rabbits. It is what brings him closer to Harris and Rodwell. The two soldiers share his respect for life and the natural world. Rodwell speaks to an interconnectedness between living things in his letter to his daughter. This seems to reflect Findley's own feelings about the need to preserve the natural world. Public vs. Private Wars The novel concerns itself with a number of different "wars". First, there is the obvious literal war of World War I. However, domestic disputes also factor into the title. Both the Ross and d'Orsey families experience problems at home while the war rages. Still another struggle is the internal one each character faces, most notably Robert. Findley revisits the topic of private vs. public throughout the novel. Robert envies a soldier he meets and wishes to leave his home due to the private guilt he feels over his sister's death. He then is thrust into a very public war where he is vulnerable and where he finds judgment waiting for him. He struggles to hold on to his privacy as best he can. He is socially awkward, particularly around women. When the other soldiers go to the brothel, he doesn't want to go but feels he must. When he finds himself embarrassed there, he is unable to look past it as a momentary lapse. He is exposed and in that he feels the greatest

shame. When he sees Taffler with the Swede he is both shocked and enticed. The war forces things to be exposed and it is a concept Robert is not comfortable with. Robert's privacy is most violated when he is raped. While it is a physical assault, his spirit suffers the most damage. This private sphere, his body and his mind, are invaded not just by his assailants, but by the war itself. When Robert destroys Rowena's photograph afterward, Findley calls it an act of charity. The charity is toward his sister because Robert no longer finds the world he lives in to be one he recognizes. It has forever changed and with the invasion of his own privacy, so has he. Additionally, Juliet's admission of seeing Robert and Lady Barbara having sex and Mrs. Ross's admission to Ms. Davenport about her feelings toward the church both invoke deeply held feelings or memories that each character has difficulty expressing.

Sybolism: The coyotes on the piaries can symbolize mans deteriorating relationship with nature. Quotes and Analysis
1. "The occupants of memory have to be protected from strangers." Narration, p.5 Findley introduces this line as he speaks about the veterans of war. Lying in hospitals or retirement communities, they did not perish in battle, but would like to either forget what happened or believe an alternative version of past events entirely. When they are faced with questions about their experiences from inquiring strangers, the truth may come to the surface, causing them great pain and heartache. This quote also touches on one of the central themes of the novel: privacy. Several characters must revisit difficult memories as part of telling Robert's story; the reader thus becomes the stranger that invades that privacy. 2. "Robert Ross was no Hitler. That was his problem." Marian Turner, p. 13 Robert Ross does not have the power of a figure like Hitler, which would have allowed him to directly and greatly affect the world. At the same time he is incapable of great cruelty because he values life so intensely. While this is a positive attribute, it also proves to be part of what many see to be his undoing. Robert's concern for the horses leads to a chain of events that sees him disfigured and court-martialed. Turner is also arguing for the extraordinary acts of ordinary people. Robert is not known to the general public, but Turner argues that if people did know about Robert and what he did, he might be perceived as a hero. 3.

"Where, in this dark, was the world he had known? And where was he being taken to so fast there wasnt even time to stop?" Narration, p. 46 This quote signals the vast changes that the war has ushered into the world. Robert no longer recognizes his home town. As the novel progresses, he no longer recognizes the world at large. Findley's larger indictment of war is that the true victims of it are those who fight it. 4. "He fired. A chair fell over in his mind. He closed his eyes and opened them." Narration, p. 68 Robert shoots the horse with the broken leg in the ship's holding. As he does, Findley re-introduces the image of a chair falling, evoking Robert's memories of his sister, Rowena, and the guilt of her death. Animal imagery is prevalent throughout the book, particularly involving horses. Animals represent an innocence and fragility associated with the natural world, as well as with Rowena herself. Shooting the horse goes against everything Robert believes and when he completes the task, it is as if he is killing his sister all over again. 5. "Someone once said to Clive: do you think we will ever be forgiven for what we've done? They meant their generation and the war and what the war had done to civilization. Clive said something I've never forgotten. He said: I doubt we'll ever be forgiven. All I hope is - they'll remember we were human beings." Lady Juliet d'Orsey, p. 185 In this quote Juliet comments on the atrocities perpetrated during the war and the legacy the war generation will leave. Clive's statement, that the atrocities were, after all, committed by human beings, comments on the dark impulses and mistakes of which all humans are capable. Clive's analysis proves to be correct. While World War I was billed to be "the war to end all wars", numerous conflicts came about in the remainder of the 20th century. Each of these had its fair share of casualties and atrocities. 6. "This - to Bates - was the greatest terror of war: what you didn't know of the men who told you what to do - where to go and when. What if they were mad - or stupid? What if their fear was greater than yours? Or what if they were brave and crazy - wanting and demanding bravery from you?" Narration, p. 136 Findley touches on a soldier's personal doubts about his commanding officers, whose orders could cost a subordinate his life. The idea of bravery is also called into question. Soldiers were expected to put aside fear for the sake of their country, but what if that expectation flew in the face of their rationality? Bates is

unsure of his orders. Robert Ross outright disobeys Captain Leather because he thinks Leather is insane and totally removed from the reality of the war. To follow his orders, Robert feels, would be madness. In such a case, the only truly brave thing to do is to disobey. 7. "Robert saw a small white farm with a cow in the yard and he thought: there cannot be a war." Narration, p. 191 Robert Ross passes a small farm on his way to Bailleul and sees a cow in the yard. The image is so far removed from the horror of the war that he can't imagine that one is even taking place. At the same time, the quote can be read to mean that Robert wishes the war would end so that such tranquility and beauty can continue to exist. This image draws upon the recurring theme of the innocence of animals. 8. "Robert sat on the mutilated mattress and opened his kit bag. Everything was there - including the picture of Rowena. Robert burned it in the middle of the floor. This was not an act of anger - but an act of charity." Narration, p. 204 Robert finally receives his kit bag back. It is dropped off by Poole. Robert has just been raped but does not tell Poole this. In his kit bag is the pistol he wished he'd had just moments earlier. Rowena's picture was something he had clung to in the hope of maintaining her memory. Following the rape he has lost his dignity as well as his treasured sense of privacy. The charity that Findley writes of refers not to Rowena but to Robert himself. By letting go of his sister, he is letting go of the guilt he has carried over her death. Rowena's picture and memory also provided him a sense of comfort, of a time when he was happier and the world made more sense. By destroying her image, Robert is acknowledging that those days are gone and will never return. While this seems therapeutic in some way, it also signals a dark turn in his character. Robert now sees the world he lives in as much more grim than the one he once knew. Rowena, he feels, would not understand this world any better. While he misses his sister, he is also glad she has not survived to see it the way the world is now. 9. "If an animal had done this - we would call it mad and shoot it." Robert Ross, p. 212 After watching three shells land in the barnyard and kill or maim all the horses or mules, Robert is deeply enraged. He looks over the carnage and thinks the above quote to himself. Robert indicts humanity and the act of war, stating that if any animal had done anything like what these soldiers were perpetrating, the animal would be put down. Instead, he shoots Captain Leather, a human embodiment of ignorance and arrogance. He holds Captain Leather responsible for not letting him evacuate the animals earlier. As a result, they are now dead. This is a criminal action in Robert's opinion.

10."But that night - surrounded by all that dark - and all those men in pain and the trains kept bringing us more and more and more - and the war was never, never, never going to end - that night, I thought: I am ashamed to be alive. I am ashamed of life. And I wanted to offer some way out of life - I wanted grace for Robert Ross." Marian Turner, p. 223 Marian Turner decides she wants to offer Robert Ross death. Overwhelmed by the rising rate of casualties that she is seeing, as well as the looming feeling that the war will never end, she takes pity on Robert for all he has lost. She also feels shame for her own life. Turner's quote mirrors the feelings about the state of the world that Robert himself had when he burned Rowena's photograph. That, Findley wrote, was an act of "charity". Turner offers Robert a painless death as a kind of charity, too. She can't help but feel guilty over being alive and able, and she can't help but wonder why anyone would want to go on living like that in a world consumed by war. That Robert rejects the offer is of paramount importance. Despite all that he has been through, Robert Ross believes in life and clings to hope as a result.

Prologue and Part One (Sections 1 to 15)

Summary
In the prologue we meet Robert Ross, a lone figure seated near a scene of chaos and destruction. He wears a tattered military uniform and is holding a pistol between his knees as he sits. A nearby black horse and a black dog appear to be his only companions. A battle has recently taken place. An abandoned train sits on the tracks nearby as a fire burns. Robert approaches the horse and places reins around its head. The dog accompanies him as well. The three companions set out when the horse whinnies. Other horses, in a cattle car on the abandoned train, reply. Robert indicates his understanding and decides to free these horses, about 150 in total. The freed horses, Robert, his horse, and the dog set out as a red moon rises in the night sky. As Part One begins, Findley introduces Robert and the Ross family in a style reminiscent of flashbacks in film. Robert waits at a train station with a suitcase as snow falls. He flinches at the sound of the train itself. He waits until all the men have gotten off the train and wishes for no one to see him. He notices three women, one of whom makes eye contact with him. He is reminded of Heather Lawson, a woman he once knew who had asked him to fight another man because that man was in love with her. Robert remembers that he found the whole situation absurd and told Heather that he had no interest in fighting another man he had never met and with whom she was not in love. Robert remembers how she made a scene at the time and asked that he never see her again. Robert wonders why women behave this way and what it is they want from men. After everyone has left the station Robert is approached by the station manager, who asks if Robert is there to enlist for the field artillery. Robert says that he is. The station manager wishes him luck and retires to the station office. Robert remains on the platform for a long time, until the snow turns to rain, unsure of what his next move should be. A white dog appears beyond a fence and watches him, as if waiting to see what he does before it makes

its next move. Robert steps into a puddle and remains there. Rowena, his sister, was buried just the day before. Rowena Ross, Roberts older sister, was born with hydrocephalus, and Robert was tasked with taking care of her. One day she fell out of her wheelchair onto a hard concrete floor in the stable while Robert was supposed to be keeping an eye on her. Instead, Robert was in his bedroom making love to his pillows. In the stable, Rowena housed ten pet rabbits in special cages that Robert had made for them. After her death their mother tells Robert that the rabbits must be killed. Robert argues that it is unnecessary and illogical but she insists that they be killed and that Robert be the one to kill them. Rowena is buried on a Thursday morning. Robert notices Peggys boyfriend at the funeral. He is in uniform and this is the first time that Robert has the idea of enlisting, to escape from the pain and guilt of his sisters death. Robert spends the afternoon sitting in Rowenas wheelchair in his room while the family is downstairs. During dinner the subject of the rabbits is brought up again. Mr. Ross seems to favor leniency, suggesting that the rabbits can be given to a butcher. Mrs. Ross insists that Robert be the one to kill them. When asked why, she answers that it must be this way because Robert loved Rowena. She retires to her bedroom where she begins drinking. The family is aware of this but no one says anything. Mr. Ross calls a man named Teddy Budge to come to the house and sends Peggys boyfriend in their car, the Reo Roundabout, to pick him up. When Robert notices the man coming to the house and entering the stable, he runs down and assaults Teddy Budge, who swiftly defends himself and knocks Robert down, bruising him badly. Robert is carried away while Mr. Ross signals to Teddy Budge to continue with the task he was summoned to complete. Robert sits in the bathtub, nursing his many bruises, as Mrs. Ross sits nearby smoking a cigarette and drinking. She tells him of a day when he was little and he returned home wearing ice skates and someone elses sweater. He was covered in bruises. She remarks that he always bruised easily and was such a serious child. She begins laughing, making Robert uncomfortable. Finally she stops and wipes a tear from her eye before observing that its funny how some people fall and nothing happens while some bruise so badly. Finally, she tells Robert that she knows that he thinks Rowena belonged to him but that she didnt. She tells him that no one belongs to anybody and that we are all at the mercy of strangers. Mrs. Ross is aware that Robert is thinking of enlisting. She tells Robert that he can go to hell. Im not responsible," she says, Im just another stranger. Birth I can give you - but life I cannot. I cant keep anyone alive. Not any more. Robert is mortified. Minutes seem to tick by before she leaves him there. It is the last time they will be in each others presence. He leaves in the morning before she wakes. Robert enlists and is immediately dispatched to Alberta where he begins his training. Robert keeps mostly to himself but is seeking a mentor to teach him the will he will require to kill another person. His days are spent performing regular drills. The rigidity reminds him of boarding school, an experience he did not enjoy. His only solace is in running. He simply chooses a direction on the horizon and begins. One day Robert is out running when he notices a coyote running with him. He decides to follow the animal in its path, keeping a careful distance best for pursuit. The coyote does not seem to have a clear destination in mind at first but eventually leads Robert to a small valley. The valley contains a small pond where the coyote drinks and rests for a short while. Robert watches the coyote from the opposite shore. Finally having satiated its thirst, the

coyote climbs to the opposite side of the valley and turns to look directly at Robert, acknowledging that it has known he was there the entire time. It barks three times, which Robert interprets as meaning that he is free to drink the water in safety. It then howls before departing. Robert is reprimanded for returning to his barracks late. His punishment is that he is confined to barracks for two weeks. In the evenings he sits on the roof and looks out over the prairie, wishing someone would howl. Robert meets a man named Eugene Taffler while searching for two wild horses that escaped from a pack he had been tasked with bringing in. Robert is accompanied on his search by a man named Clifford. While searching for the two horses they notice a man in the distance on the prairie. The man is undressed down to his waist and is throwing rocks at bottles a short distance away. The man never misses a bottle. He is accompanied by a horse and a dog. The dog notices Robert and Clifford and the man waves them over. Robert is not keen on meeting the man but learns that he is Eugene Taffler, a war hero and former star athlete. While throwing the stones, Taffler remarks that the distance between one armys line and the other's is often no more than 100 yards. Taffler asks if he can be of assistance to the two men but Robert assures him that they do not require help. Robert leaves with Clifford hurriedly. He is intimidated by Taffler but feels he has found the mentor he was looking for, a man who can reduce the act of war to throwing stones. Roberts parents begin to send him gifts by mail such as scarves and socks for the winter. Most of these gifts Robert gives to others. His parents also send him useful items such as field glasses and compasses. Robert writes to his father and requests a pistol be bought for him and sent to him. This request alarms his father who is bewildered to find that a weapon has not been given to his son. Findley explains that at this time in history, the army was not a professional one but a peoples army. Ea ch soldier was responsible for purchasing his own uniform and pistol. Robert finds himself pressured into going to a brothel in the nearby hamlet of Lousetown. Lousetown is little more than a collection of houses in an isolated area. There is a general store run by a man named Oscar Dreyfus. Dreyfuss wife, Maria, is the madam of the house next door. Beyond Marias house is the garbage dump. The three main houses are known colloquially as Drygoods, Wet goods, and Spoiled goods. Robert is shamed into going to the brothel by the other men. The other men accompanying him drink from a bottle of sherry. When they arrive one hands the bottle to Robert and tells him to finish it. He drains it dry, thinking that he might like to be drunk. He has never drank in his life before and the smell of the bottle reminds him of his mothers room at home. Robert notices a dog and a horse tied outside the brothel and recognizes them as belonging to Eugene Taffler. He places the bottle of sherry by the hitching post with a stone on top.

Analysis
As the novel opens Findley immediately introduces a theme that will reoccur throughout: Robert Ross's connection to animals. The horse and dog are both black in color, and at several points in the novel, Robert encounters a white dog. Coupled with the red moon that Findley states has risen in the sky, a sense of foreboding is established. This scene will be revisited toward the end of the novel. As Part One begins, we see Robert at the train station. He is careful to make sure no one sees him. When a woman makes eye contact with him, he is reminded of Heather Lawson, whose advances he rejected. This demonstrates that Robert is intensely private, fearing any

kind of exposure. Robert's inherent shyness and desire to protect his privacy are tested in the face of the war. Whereas domestic civilian life allowed Robert to maintain any secrets, there is no room for privacy in war: joys and grief become national instead of individual, and secrets are uncovered. As Robert realizes this, his own grip on sanity will be tested. This contrast between private and public will appear throughout the novel and will affect other characters. Findley makes a conscious effort to distance this novel from other war literature. Instead of focusing on great detail to capture the experience, Findley utilizes multiple points of view to try to capture how the experience of war feels. In that respect, the privacy of the characters is invaded by us, the readers. Some scholars see this as an attempt by Findley not simply to detail the events of a major event, but to provide some context as to what the event means. Meaning is something that seems to preoccupy much of Findley's writing style. Rowena's death causes Robert a great deal of inner guilt. He enlists largely to escape these feelings; private emotions force Robert into the public sphere. Rowena herself is an obvious symbol of innocence. She is helpless without aid but manages to derive joy from the animals to which she has grown close. Robert fails to save her life because he is in his bedroom masturbating, itself a highly private act. Because of this indulgence he neglects his more public responsibility toward his sister. Here, Robert's relationship to his sexuality is associated with guilt and shame. This theme will be revisited when Robert makes a trip to the brothel in Lousetown. The destruction of innocence, a theme that pervades the novel, is introduced here. After Rowena's death Mrs. Ross instructs Robert to kill the rabbits she had kept. Robert refuses and Mr. Ross invites Teddy Budge to kill them instead. When Robert sees Budge approaching the barn he races to stop him, losing a fight in the process. The loss of innocence begins with Rowena's death and will continue with the lives lost in the war, Robert's rape, as well as the horses Robert tries to save in Part Five. The image of Rowena falling from her wheelchair is also revisited throughout the novel. The words "fell" or "fallen" are used frequently. Some scholars see an allusion to Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe in Rowena's name; the Lady Rowena is a heroine in that story. In the aftermath of being beaten by Teddy Budge, Robert soaks in a bathtub. His mother invades his privacy here, sitting next to him as he bathes. She drinks and we can see that she is struggling with alcoholism. Robert is uncomfortable with his Mother's presence and while the scene could connote a momentary maternal bond, it is instead derailed by an uncomfortable conversation. Mrs. Ross sits, drinking and smoking, both acts symbolic of the adult world while Robert lies in a bathtub, perhaps a metaphor for the womb. He is the child and she the adult, roles that are reinforced by the story she tells him about his childhood. Robert's encounter with the coyote is later paralleled when he sees a German soldier on the battlefield. After losing the coyote in a small valley he spots it climbing out on the far side of a pond. It barks at him three times and Robert interprets this as permission to drink from the water safely. The message is that a true predator knows when to kill and when to spare. Robert will encounter the same situation when he discovers that the German sniper could have killed him, too. When Robert is reprimanded for returning to his barracks too late, he sits on the roof and wishes someone would howl as the coyote did. The natural world presents a freedom and authenticity that Robert does not find in his army life. The character of Eugene Taffler is introduced as a potential hero for Robert, someone he can learn from. Indeed, that is Robert's wish. The man has reduced warfare to the act of

throwing stones. In this Robert sees a means of distancing himself from the act of taking lives. If he can think of it simply as throwing a stone at a bottle, perhaps he can stomach the idea.

Part One (Sections 16 to 29)

Summary
The men are greeted at the brothel by a large, mute Swedish man. A woman takes their coats before Maria Dreyfus enters. She ushers the men into another room with seven women. Two other men, presumably cowboys, are also there. Robert is surprised to find that the establishments tone is quite sedate and formal. The men begin drinking whiskey. Robert is singled out by Ella, a redheaded girl. Robert does not trust redheaded women because Heather Lawson, a woman from his past, was a redhead. Ella asks him if he wants to dance. Robert awkwardly obliges and begins to feel unusual and lightheaded. The women begin pairing off with the men. Robert becomes alarmed when he notices one of the cowboys fondling the breasts of a girl sitting on his lap. He fears they will begin to have sex right there. He becomes aware of the strong desire to touch his own groin. He follows Ella upstairs. Robert sits at the edge of Ellas bed. She asks him what he would like, but Robert is paralyzed with fear. He has no idea what he is meant to do. Finally Ella sits next to him and puts her hand down his pants, only to find that Robert has already ejaculated. He did so coming up the stairs before even entering the room. She stands and gets a towel. She tells him to take off his pants so she can clean him off. She is kind about it, telling him it happens to many men especially on their first visit. She tells him to rest. They have the whole night. Robert, however, is ashamed, staring at the floor. Ella tells him that if he does not have sex with her she does not get paid. He asks how anyone could know the difference. Ella tells him that Maria Dreyfus can tell from the way a man walks when he leaves. The sound of thumps and someone being slapped in another room distracts them. Ella directs Robert to a small hole in the wall where they can see into a neighboring room. There are two figures. One slaps the other repeatedly. Robert is shocked to think that someone could want someone else to slap them like that. The two figures then make their way to the bed, where they engage in intercourse. Robert sees panic in both their faces. He sits down again and picks up his boot before throwing it across the room and shattering a mirror. He throws the other boot and breaks the water jug. Ella runs and crouches in the corner. The man being ridden was Taffler. The other man was the Swede. In November, Robert leaves Lethbridge by train with the other men. Along the way he sees a group of Indians on horseback outside. He wonders why the men do not raise their hands in greeting to the Indians. As he enters his hometown he sees that the factories are hard at work, furnaces burning brightly. He wonders what has happened to his home and how this affects his parents. He wonders how the world he once knew has changed so much. Most of all, he wonders where he is being taken in such haste that there isnt even time to stop. Marian Turner remarks that the war has changed everything. Robert is promoted to second lieutenant before he is shipped out. News of the war is not positive. Thousands of Canadian soldiers are reported dead with thousands ready to replace

them. Robert remembers Longboat, his hero, who was an Indian. Longboat ran marathons and won medals. Robert wishes his skin were darker, like Longboats. One night, after dinner, Robert decides to attempt a marathon himself. He tries to runs around the block twenty-six times, but faints at the end of the twenty-fifth lap, down with jaundice. Roberts father, Mr. Ross, sees him through it as he recovers. Robert notices that his skin is a different color, a yellowish hue. It stays that way for a short time. Robert dons his uniform and contemplates death. He imagines his mother showing her friends a photograph of her son next to the medals he has won. He boards the SS Masanabie destined for the front lines. Horses are brought aboard the ship, one at a time, via a cargo crane. The ship leaves port and waits in the harbor for the tide. Robert writes a letter to his father. He tells him that the pistol he sent Robert is not the type he actually requested. Robert writes that he will try to mail it back upon reaching England. His letter is cheerful in tone but betrays some sense of dread. Mrs. Ross, Ms. Davenport, Stuart, and Mr. Ross make their way to church on a cold Sunday evening. Mrs. Ross is irritated to see a piper heralding worshipers into St. Pauls. She knows there will be soldiers in the pews and the sermon will likely be militant and bloodthirsty. Ms. Davenport has become more and more a companion to Mrs Ross, while Mrs Ross is less and less a companion to Mr Ross. Upon seeing her neighbors and extended family gathered on the church steps, Mrs Ross grows more irritated still. She has no patience or use for the spectacle of the church. She knows that the families gathered here tonight more than likely have a son who has been shipped off to war. She sees no honesty in the sermons she will likely hear tonight. Stuart carries a snowball into the church in his mittens. The Bishop begins his sermon and Mrs. Ross decides she cannot stand it. She gets up to leave. Ms. Davenport accompanies her. They sit on the steps outside despite Ms. Davenports protests. Mr. Ross, Stuart, and Peggy remain inside. Mrs. Ross asks Ms. Davenport what it is to kill ones children and then to go and sing about it. She begins to weep angrily. A small child nearby notices the two women. Mrs. Ross realizes the child is frightened by the image of these two women sitting on the snowy steps in their Sunday best. She stands to reaffirm the childs view of the world. The three of them return to the church where hymns are being sung. Mrs. Ross recalls that she was married in this church. She notices the pools of water on the ground from the melted snow and is forced to smile. Snowballs cannot be made from water. A storm on the sea wreaks havoc on the ship carrying Robert and the other soldiers. The men are cramped into quarters and the only food is a horrible stew, most of which ends up on the floor. Robert is glad to have a revolver at hand in case a mutiny breaks out. After Harris, a young man Robert meets on board the ship, becomes ill, Robert is put in charge of taking care of the horses that are on board the ship. Robert finds the horses quarters to be little more than a filthy hole. Manure has piled up everywhere and flies buzz about. He organizes a clean-up and soon finds himself preferring to spend more time in the hold instead of dealing with other issues aboard the ship. Finally the ship comes in sight of land but they must wait until the harsh weather passes before it can dock. Robert returns to his bunk exhausted at 4am only to be informed that one of the horses has broken its leg. It must be shot and an officer must do it since they are the only ones allowed to carry a weapon. Robert goes to the bathroom while the Battery Sergeant Major (BSM) waits. He is unable to urinate. He has no desire to shoot the horse

and wonders why someone else cannot do it instead. Finally he emerges from the bathroom, shaken. The BSM leads him below. The ship rocks back and forth violently. Even the rats have fallen silent. Robert comes upon the fallen horse. He draws his pistol but the BSM suggests they clear the other horses away so they do not become frightened by the sound of gunfire. Robert realizes he has no idea where to shoot the horse but remembers an old picture of a cowboy shooting a horse behind the ear in a book from his childhood. His hand wavering, he takes aim, hoping someone will come up behind him and stop him. He fires. In his mind, a chair falls. The horse is not dead. Robert curses and throws down his hat. He gets down and shoots the horse again and continues pulling the trigger until the pistol clicks. The BSM pulls Robert up. The other horses begin to rear back and pull on the cables tying them. Robert slinks away with the gun dangling from his fingers. Other men are called down below to help contain the frightened horses. Robert cannot stand to face their eyes. Robert remarks to the BSM that if he could he would buy each of them a drink. The BSM remarks that he cannot drink as he promised his mother he would not. The storm finally begins to subside by morning. However, as Robert returns to his bunk the ship lurches and Robert falls. When he returns to his bunk he examines his legs to find them severely bruised. Captain Ord notices this and immediately relieves Robert of his duties. Robert and Harris are placed on stretchers and removed from the ship in much the same manner as the horses were brought on board. Robert sees that the horses are now in the water and swimming toward shore. Children on shore are jovial at the sight of the animals. Robert writes to his father but makes no mention of his injury or of the horse he had to kill. Mrs. Rosss only brother, Monty Miles, had been killed while walking home. This was about the time when Mrs. Ross was in the process of getting married to Mr. Ross. Monty Miles Raymond was everyones favorite young man. All the girls loved him and all the boys wanted to be him. He was struck down by a street trolley that jumped its tracks. Now, in her dreams, Mrs. Ross can see the trolley jumping its track. She now spends her time watching the door for Roberts return. When Robert had posted overseas Mr. Ross called on his friends so that he might discover where the troop train might stop. He wanted to let Mrs. Ross see her son before he shipped off. He discovered he could see Robert in Montreal, so he and Mrs. Ross rode through the night by train to that city. She asked him to read Huckleberry Finn to her. When they arrived in the morning, Mrs. Ross got dressed and ready in the salon car and drank a third of a bottle of scotch. When she stood she fell. Her legs had fallen asleep. Mr. Ross went alone to meet Robert. He had brought his son a hamper of food and the Colt revolver in its wooden box. Mrs. Ross remained inside the train car, afraid to go out, afraid that if she did she and everyone would be struck down by trolley cars. Instead she waved from there. Findley includes a quote from Huckleberry Finn here: Come on back to the raf, Huck honey.

Analysis
Robert's experience at the brothel in Lousetown once again forces his intense need for privacy to come into conflict with the public sphere he now occupies. Upon being introduced to the available prostitutes, each of the men makes his choice. Only Robert is withdrawn. Ella, instead, chooses him. He does not trust redheaded women as they remind him of Heather Lawson. We are left to wonder if she really did offend his tastes or if her desire to

be close to him made him uneasy. When Robert sees a cowboy begin to fondle the breasts of one of the prostitutes he becomes alarmed that he will witness them having sex. Robert isn't simply afraid of having his own privacy invaded. He is also afraid of being exposed to the intimate lives of others. He ejaculates in his pants before even reaching Ella's room. When this is discovered, he is mortified. Though Ella tries to reassure him, he feels exposed, as if a great secret about him is now known. When Ella directs him to the peephole he witnesses Eugene Taffler engaged in homosexual sex with the Swede, both expressing panic in their faces. Their intercourse is preceded by the Swede slapping Taffler. Robert is shocked by the violence in their sexuality but continues to watch. This scene can be contrasted with the one in which Lady Juliet watches Robert and Lady Barbara have sex. It also foreshadows Robert's rape in Part Five. After seeing this, Robert is enraged. The man whom he had hoped would become his mentor is not who he thought he was. More upsetting to him is that the concept of privacy is now a luxury. It is apparent that no one has secrets in wartime. They may think that they do, but it is virtually impossible to maintain those secrets. Robert is also despondent over his invasion of Taffler's privacy. The expression of panic on both Taffler and the Swede's faces demonstrates their awareness of the taboo act they are committing. We also see that Robert has a great temper, his violence here foreshadowing his later actions. The reader is meant to wonder what exactly it is that Robert seeks to hide; what makes him so obsessed with privacy. It is worth noting that the character of Robert Ross was likely named after Robert Baldwin Ross (May 25, 1869 October 5, 1918), a Canadian journalist and art critic. Ross, like Findley, was a homosexual at a time in history when homosexual acts were illegal. This has led some to speculate whether the character of Robert Ross is a homosexual. Although Findley never states that he is, consider how the duality of private vs. public might have affected Findley personally in regards to his sexuality. Some scholars see this theme in other works by Findley and it is possible that it was a commentary on or personal reflection of his own need for privacy. As Robert makes his way to Lethbridge, we see the affect the war has had on his hometown. What was once an idyllic hamlet is now a fully functioning cog in the war machine. The public war has changed the private lives of ordinary citizens. Here there is no denial of the war abroad but a participation, albeit indirect, in it. Robert's connection to his hero, Longboat, and the childhood it represents, is laid to rest as Findley explains Robert's attempt to run like his hero. He collapses and succumbs to jaundice. Later, as Robert looks in the mirror he sees he has yellowed skin, closer to Longboat's skin tone. He is pleased by this. Findley juxtaposes this with Robert now donning his soldier's uniform and preparing to set out for war. Robert's childhood is packed away and he now wears the uniform that will allow him to be a part of adult society. The image of Robert naked before a mirror will be revisited again after Robert has experienced the battlefield. Mrs. Ross's private feelings about the war and the culture that supports it are made clear when she and Ms. Davenport go to church. Mrs. Ross cannot stand the sermons or the psalms instructing parishioners to forgo their own doubts in favor of keeping a strong public face for the sake of the war effort. She noisily exits the church during the sermon. Again, Mrs. Ross's private emotions are placed in contrast to the public support of the war. She cannot stand the idea of singing about sending one's own children to their death, but knows she cannot publicly state her feelings without the risk of being ostracized. Even Ms. Davenport is uncomfortable accompanying her outside of the church. When a child sees the

two women squatting in the snow Mrs. Ross stands to her feet to avoid frightening the child. She restores a public face and with it, a sense of order for the child's benefit. Robert's orders to kill the horse mirror the death of his sister, Rowena. Once again, an innocent life must be lost. When Robert is ordered to kill the horse he goes to the bathroom. He is unable to urinate. Contrast this with the scene where Robert orders his men to urinate on a piece of cloth to save their lives. At that point it is other, less experienced soldiers who are unable to urinate due to being too scared. Robert is unable to kill the horse in one shot. Instead he unloads his pistol's entire clip. The horse's suffering is prolonged, angering him even more. The image of a chair falling enters his mind as he kills the horse, invoking Rowena's memory. This act cements Robert's hatred of violence as well as his desire to save the horses later in the novel. Findley also reminds us of the relative age of many of these soldiers. When Robert tells the Battery Sergeant Major that he would like to buy them both a drink, the soldier responds that he promised his mother he would not drink. Many of these "men" are barely older than 18. Consider this fact when Findley details the horrors they face later in the novel. Findley also introduces what proves to be the beginning of Mrs. Ross's unraveling. We learn of her dead brother, Monty, and how he died. As a result, Mrs. Ross is haunted by visions of trolleys jumping their tracks. Since Robert has left she solemnly waits for his return. This is in direct opposition to what we might expect given her last conversation with her son. When Mr. Ross takes her on an overnight train ride to see Robert she asks Mr. Ross to read from Huckleberry Finn. Findley includes the line "Come on back to the raf', Huck honey" to suggest that she wishes Robert to return home and perhaps regrets the last words they had.

Part Two

Summary
Findley begins describing the setting of the war itself: There is no good picture of this except the one you can make in your mind. Robert has been in France for a month and two days. It is February, 1916. He is on a road covered in fog and smoke. He cannot discern anything at either end of this road. On both sides of it are ditches filled with fetid water. They are making their way to the front in Belgium. All around Ypres are the flats of Flanders, which are full of mud. Men and their horses sink in it, dying, making it contaminated. This is where the war is fought. Robert's destination is a place called Wytsbrouk, about a mile from the front. Robert finds the Flemish language incomprehensible. When he is approached by a Flemish peasant he is convinced the man is speaking gibberish. The man believes Robert is English and says Maudit Anglais! (cursed English) to him. Riding with Robert is Bugler Willie Poole. Robert describes him as uncomplicated. He can play the bugle but declined to join the military band because he wouldn't actually be fighting the war if he did. With visibility being so bad, Robert wonders if the men following are lost. He stops. Poole remarks that the smell in the air is probably chlorine, not from a gas attack, but from the ground itself. Poole asks if perhaps they have made a wrong turn. Some birds are flying out of the ditches but Robert cannot make them out. He tells an orderly to go back and see if the other men can be found. He tells the orderly to take Pooles bugle and play a note every fifty seconds or so. The two men wait, unnerved.

Finally the sound of the bugle returns. Junior officer Levitt emerges from the fog. He informs Robert that the orderly and his horse fell in the dike. Levitt explains that somewhere Robert took a wrong turn. Robert is dismayed at his actions but says nothing. Levitt jokes that he was glad to have the bugle while walking back because that way the Germans wouldnt shoot him, as he could be anyone. Poole says the Germans are proba bly at least a few miles away still. Robert is disheartened. Like many men, he feels that one isnt in the war unless one is in danger. Robert goes ahead on the road on horseback. As he progresses the fog envelops him and he can no longer make out Poole and the others behind him. In the distance he can hear gunfire. Finally the horse stops and he is forced to dismount. On foot he hears a waterway nearby. He steps toward it and sinks down into the mud all the way up to his waist. He fights to keep from drowning and is able to extract himself. He sees a man lying nearby. Before he can make this figure out the chlorine in the mud begins to blind him. Someone grabs his shoulder. It is Poole. Robert realizes that the birds he had been seeing are crows. When his eyes have cleared, Robert looks over the area and sees that the whole field is filled with floating bodies and debris. The only sounds are those made by the crows. Robert enters the river on horseback via the gap in the dike. The cold water washes over his boots, cleaning away the mud. On the far shore he can see the men and the rest of the convoy and the fires theyve lit. He wants desperately to be warm. When he reaches the bank, Robert falls off the horse. He is picked up and wrapped in a blanket. Poole sits, wrapped in a blanket too. He plays a tune and everybody sings were here because were here. They spend the night in the middle of the road. In the morning he notices that as they move on they are followed by the crows. Robert and the men arrive at the front. The Second Battle of Ypres had taken place in April 1915 and from that time forward till the end of the war the city would remain in Allied hands. Most of the Canadian troops were deployed here. Their objectives were the towns and villages, ridges and woods for roughly ten miles on either side of them. The men spend their days assigned to different duties such as convoy duty and working the batteries. When there is fighting (a show), columns of men form to transport the ammunition. The size of the order depends on how long the guns are to be firing. Anything less than half an hour is referred to as nuisance firing. Word comes down that the Germans are making a gas attack at the Ypres Salient. This is some five miles from Roberts location so all he gets is a taste of it on snowflakes. Robert and Levitt are able to take advantage of a clear day and spot interesting things on the German side from the observation post. Robert is proud to show Levitt just how real the enemy is. As they come down and see the men in the trenches, fighting has been going on for days. Some twenty-five or thirty Germans prisoners have deserted their side and come over. Most of the men in the trenches are exhausted, asleep where they lie. As Robert and Levitt make their way they must walk about a hundred yards in full view of the enemy. No shots are fired but Levitt asks if they cant walk faster. Robert tells him no, that that is the surest way to get shot. To demonstrate he calls and waves to the German side. Still no shot is fired. Finally he begins running. A shot is fired immediately. Robert falls. After a moment, he stands, grinning, and tells Levitt to walk and take his time. At the dugout are Devlin and Bonnycastle, the men Robert and Levitt are to relieve. Levitt puts down his bag and bumps it against the door. Devlin reprimands him and tells him not to hit the door. Levitt wonders why. He sees that the door contains a panel of stained glass.

Devlin explains that he collects items and got it from a house in St. Eloi. He has a number of other such artifacts he has collected. Levitt notices a wire cage on the floor. Devlin tells him that it contains Rodwells toad. Rodwell keeps a number of animals in small cages under his bunk. Robert is immediately reminded of Rowena. All of them have been injured and Rodwell rescued them. Robert opens his sack to reveal gifts of eggs, cognac, chocolate, canned salmon and other rarities. Devlin and Bonnycastle are delighted. They ask Levitt what he has brought. Levitt says he has books with him. He is reading Clausewitz's On War. The other men stare at him in disbelief. Well, he says, someone has to know what hes doing. The dugout is fairly luxurious as dugouts go. It has four bunks, stools, a chair and large handmade tables. Rodwell joins them for a meal. Levitt begins discussing Clausewitz: Clausewitz says the true basis of combat is man to man. He says for that reason an army of artillery is an absurdity. He says that true battle is like a minuet. Some of the men take some offense to this, but Rodwell smooths it over and shifts the conversation to the animals he has rescued. Rodwell explains that he is an illustrator of childrens books. The men poke some fun at him for this, but Rodwell defends himself. Sleep does not come easily to Robert. Levitt continues to quote Clausewitz (an excess of artillery leads to a passive character in war). Roberts thoughts drift to Harris and Taffler. The novel flashes back to January 1916, before Roberts tour of duty began. He and Harris are in the Royal Free Hospital. Harris has become quite ill and has no visitors. The doctors and nurses tell Robert bluntly that they are glad he is here. No one should die alone. Sometimes Harris wakes and looks at Robert, making Robert uneasy as he is confused by what he feels. He hasnt felt the need to spend all his time with anyone since Rowena. Robert wakes up every morning and feels that he must go see Harris. Harris tells Robert a story about swimming with fishes. He tells Robert that he felt that was where he belonged. Robert comes late one evening to see Harris. He has been to an afternoon matinee and is delayed. Eugene Taffler arrives with Lady Barbara dOrsey. Taffler greets Robert but Lady dOrsey stays back, seemingly uninterested. Taffler introduces Robert to her. She pays Robert little mind. He watches Taffler and Lady Barbara make their way to one of the hospital beds. A man encased in bandages lies there. Taffler says something to the man, though no one else hears it. He and Lady Barbara then promptly leave without another word or even a goodbye. Robert feels that the bandaged man is in pain. He informs one of the nurses who administers morphine and thanks Robert. She explains that the bandaged man is Captain Villiers. He lost his voice when his vocal chords were destroyed by fire. The nurse says to Robert, with some contempt, that he should not ask her about Lady Barbara. I dont know how she dares to come here," she says. The next section is told by Lady Juliet dOrsey. She is the fourth of the Marquis and Marcioness of St. Aubyns five children and the lone survivor. She still resides at the St. Aubyns London address. She says in her interview that she is proud of Robert Ross. The name of Stuart Ross makes her cringe. She defends Robert, saying that what he did was not evil or maniacal. We are not yet aware of the events she is referring to. Lady Juliet states that her sister, Lady Barbara, and Robert met because of Harris and Captain James Villiers. Villiers had always been a friend of her family, especially her brother Clive. Lady Barbara followed Clive and James around until Clive told her that she was interfering with his friendship with James. Juliet explained to Barbara that the two men were in love. When James Villiers got his first decorations and came home a hero, Barbara snatched him away from another woman. Juliet also feels that Robert was in love with Harris, not necessarily in an erotic way, but still in love nonetheless. She says that war is not something one ever

really gets used to, nor should they. Imagine if everyone you know or cared about was killed, one by one. She continues that Barbara would go with Taffler to see James Villiers but, cruelly, would say nothing to him. She became aware of Robert Ross on these visits. She reveals that Harris died two days before Robert left for France. Harriss body was mistakenly cremated, much to Roberts horror. He took the ashes and sat with them for hours, unsure of what to do. Taffler and Lady Barbara came upon him. After he explained the situation, Barbara suggested that he scatter them. Taffler asked Robert where Harris would like to have his ashes scattered. Robert was sure that the sea would have been Harriss wish. Since the sea was too far, they took the ashes to a river. Robert scattered some of the ashes and then asked Taffler to throw the box containing them into the river. As they left, Barbara told Robert a short story about General Wolfe (a British general most notable for his victory over the French in Canada). She tells him that he got Canada for the British. Robert said no, that it was "us," the soldiers, who got it. It is the first time in the novel that he refers to himself as a soldier. That night, he left for France.

Analysis
Consider Findley's writing style as he describes Robert's ordeal in the fog as well as in later scenes on the front. Findley does not attempt to provide great detail as other war literature authors might. Instead, he uses non-specific and seemingly passing observations to lay out a scene, relying on the reader's imagination as well as their knowledge of the period and World War I. Some scholars feel Findley uses this technique to force readers to think differently about the material ("There is no good picture of this except the one you can make in your mind."). In the dike scene in which Robert nearly drowns it can be argued that Findley uses this technique to capture Robert's confusion and loss of direction. The scene evokes horror imagery as Robert and Poole hear noises around them in the fog but cannot identify them. The birds that Robert couldn't see very well turn out to be crows, feasting on the corpses that litter the muddy fields. Findley is able to capture the feeling of fear and death without literally describing it. The scene evokes the underworld, and Findley is able to establish that where Robert is headed is truly Hell. When Robert and Levitt have the chance to look across the lines to observe German soldiers, Robert takes great pride in being able to show Levitt how real the enemy is. Robert wishes to contextualize them, not as obstacles to be conquered, but as men just as he and Levitt are. It gives the war meaning to Robert. It also implies that Robert sees the humanity of all those around him, even those who have been trained to kill him and those on his side. Consider this especially when Robert encounters the German sniper later on and kills him only to realize the sniper had no intention of killing Robert. Still, Robert is not completely oblivious to the realities of war. He demonstrates to Levitt that running in front of the enemy is the surest way to be shot. He risks his life to prove his point, running along the front lines so that a German soldier takes a shot at him. He stands, grinning, having enjoyed the experience. This act is seemingly insane, but what Robert is invoking most in taking such a risk is his love of life. It is this small amount of joy in the face of what is to come that is positive, however unorthodox. The dugout that Robert shares with Rodwell, Devlin, and Bonnycastle is an attempt to civilize an otherwise uncivilized world. The stained glass window that Devlin has "found" depicts St. Eloi, the patron saint of blacksmiths. It should be noted that one legend

regarding St. Eloi states that he was able to shod a reluctant horse by first amputating its leg, placing the shoe on, and miraculously reattaching the leg to the horse. It is unlikely a coincidence that St. Eloi is a friend to horses and mirrors Robert's nature. Here is where Robert also meets Rodwell, who immediately reminds us of Rowena. Rodwell's soft spot for animals endears him to Robert. Rodwell sees animals as beings, referring to them as "he" or "she" instead of simply as "it". Rodwell has a reverence for life that is very much like Robert's. Levitt also introduces Clausewitz's On War into the novel. Refer to the Additional Content section for information on Clausewitz. Findley flashes back to Robert's experiences at the Royal Free Hospital before he was sent to the front. Robert watches over Harris, who it is clear will not survive long. Like Rodwell, Harris has an affinity for animals and the natural world, specifically the ocean and fish. He has visions of swimming with them and feeling like that is where he belongs. Robert forms a bond with Harris there, which Lady Juliet d'Orsey speculates amounts to love. She is quick to clarify that it was not a sexual love but a platonic love and sympathy that Robert extended toward Harris and to seemingly all living things. War is something that Robert never becomes accustomed to and she argues that this makes him far superior to one who does. It is in the hospital that Robert also meets Lady Barbara d'Orsey, who accompanies Eugene Taffler to visit Captain Villiers, a man with whom she was previously involved. Some scholars see Lady Barbara as a harlot or witch-like figure who preys on men in much the same way the war itself does. She uses them and then disposes of them when she no longer needs them. This cruelty is repeated when she comes to visit Robert at St. Aubyn's, accompanied by yet another man. Four elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire. The each of the element represent different people, when the elements are mixed together, then it would end in trouble. Water: not easily excited. Fire: Choleric (Easily irritated) The four classic elements: fire, water, earth, and air are all represented in the novel and also come to be the inscription on Robert Ross's tombstone. Fire is very clearly represented in the artillery and the flamethrowers encountered in combat. The earth nearly engulfs Robert, literally, when he falls into the mud. The image of the earth moved to create trenches and the dugouts also invokes this element. Air comes to symbolize both life and death at various times. When the chlorine gas is unleashed on Robert and his men, it is a metaphor for death. However, in the last lines of the novel, when the breath of Robert, Rowena, and the pony Meg can be seen in the photograph, it is a clear sign of life. Rain is an element that Robert encounters at various times in the novel: after Rowena's funeral, and in the rain and mud Robert encounters on the battlefield. Here, it is a marker for change and transition. Robert bathes when he has his last conversation with his mother. He also is showered in rain at the train station when he goes to enlist. At each of these points, Robert crosses a rubicon that marks a point of permanent change.