Animals’ Roles in The Wars Essay

Written by Timothy Findley in 1977, The Wars is a novel that explores the theme of young human life under the pressing concerns during the war, specifically the First World War, seeing the world of soldiers turn into a world of violence, and how these soldiers have turned into brutes themselves. The character of Robert Ross, a nineteen year-old Canadian officer and whose life is narrated mostly from the third-person point of view, is revealed as a character that has a concern for animals—thus prompting Ross to save the horses which cost him his life in the end—amidst the brutal turn of events where death was almost certain in the killing fields. The birds, coyote and rabbits also symbolize certain events in the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Soldiers are typically known to be highly sensitive of their surroundings when in the fields for they cannot exactly pinpoint where and when combat might ensue or from what direction the enemy might be coming from. This is perhaps one of the reasons why Ross was able to notice the chirping of the birds while he and the rest of the soldiers were out in the war. Ross was able to take notice of the fact that each time the birds stopped singing, an attack from the enemy soon takes place. Perhaps it was mere coincidence, although one can strongly tie that event with the attacks that followed thereafter as birds are familiar with their environment more than the soldiers; slight changes in their environment, especially changes which have a lot to do with probable dangers; cause the birds to fly away. Taken with the context of the encounters of Ross with the birds, it can be said that those birds served as warning signs for the young soldier. Whenever the birds stopped singing, it is almost certain that Ross is about to encounter danger along the way. â€Å"The birds, being gone, had taken some mysterious presence with them (p. 81),† showing how the sudden absence of these birds felt rather unusual, as if to signal something bad is about to happen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is unusual as well for man and beast to have a close relationship, especially when the animal is known to be a hunter and can be a threat to the security of man. But more than that, any relationship between man and beast can mean simple companionship to a deep friendship. As far as Ross and the coyote are concerned, it can be said that the animal accompanied the young soldier to a certain extent in the story. â€Å"One night, Robert ran with a coyote (p. 25)† and when the men were out for a drink the coyote also â€Å"drunk at the brink (p. 27)† of the water â€Å"and suddenly sat (p. 28).† An observation of these rather unusual events would tell us that the coyote acted as if it was a member of the soldiers. This is interesting as it presents a revealing irony one can not easily notice; soldiers in the war, as Ross himself has observed, are violent men who are more like beasts who wielded weapons to kill. With the presence of the coyote among the group, it can be said that they, too, were much like the coyote. The soldiers, in fact, â€Å"gathered like whispering conspirators around the edges of a bright sheet of water (p. 27),† a sly trait typical to that of coyotes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While coyotes symbolize how men in the war have turned into beasts, rabbits on the other hand serve as reminders for Ross to treat animals in general with respect as if they were human beings. On one occasion, Ross was hesitant to kill the rabbits as ordered by his estranged mother, Mrs. Ross, shortly after the death of Rowena, Robert’s older sister, since they gave him memories about his older sister and since Rowena owned those rabbits. â€Å"Rabbits had to die, and Robert had to do it (p. 18),† which presents one conflict in the novel—the conflict between the command to destroy the animals which pin back memories and the apparent weakness of the main protagonist to kill even animals. It can be said that if Ross decides to kill the rabbits, it was like as if he has killed the memories of Rowena. If he decides not to kill them, it proves that he is unable to even wield a weapon against these small animals, which is of course not a good sign for someone who would enlist in the army during the war. It also shows how Ross was more human than anybody else in the story, especially his estranged mother and the rest of the soldiers in his group. His inclination to preserve whatever memory remains from the departed tells us that Ross is not keen to destroy, or that he is not a natural â€Å"destroyer† of animal life which, ironically, cost him his life as he tried to save some of the Army horses after killing two of his fellow soldiers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The point where Ross tries to save the Army horses was also the time when he finally turned to madness and prompted him to kill the lives of his fellowmen. Apparently, it is a contrast which tells us that insanity can push a person to kill other people yet care for beasts. That is because Ross himself has finally become a beast near the end of the story and, thus, he is now more than inclined to save his own kind rather than protect and preserve the life of other men. He is no longer the same man at the start of the story who was afraid to kill. This transformation can be attributed to the onslaught of the war, which seemed to have absorbed Robert right into it. As he was now unable to rise above the madness of the war, Robert Ross eventually turned quite like the rest of the army, willing to kill and die just so to save other lives although this time he saved the lives of horses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The animals in the story offer an interesting insight into some important events in the novel, especially in terms of how the life of the protagonist, Robert Ross, always hanged in the balance of making crucial decisions. In general, the story is able to reveal how the lives of soldiers always deal with certain conflicts individually and together as a group. Findley’s novel is also able to show how young minds of young individuals tend to fold under pressing moments in their lives. Reference Findley, T. (1996). The Wars. Penguin: Canada.