Book Club

Hi everyone! My book pick is The Wars by Timothy Findley. Here are some questions to consider when you're ready:

The Wars Essay Questions

1. 1
   Examine the character arcs of Mrs. Ross and Robert Ross. Events in the novel seem to affect both characters simultaneously and in a similar fashion. Why?

   
   

   2. Examine Robert Ross's actions at the end of the novel. Has he lost his mind when he frees the horses and kills Captain Leather and Private Cassles, or is he simply doing what he feels is just and rational in the face of an insane situation?
2. 
   
3. 3
   What significance do the animals in the novel have when juxtaposed against the brutality of war? What do they symbolize?
   
   
4. 4
   Examine the title of the novel. Though the novel takes place during World War I, the word "war" is pluralized for the novel's title. What was Findley referring to?
   
   
5. 5
   When offered an assisted suicide by Marian Turner, Robert replies, "Not yet." Why is this significant and what is Findley suggesting by having Robert cling to his life?
   
   
6. 6
   Consider the final photograph of Robert, Rowena, and Meg the pony, with which Findley leaves us. What does he mean when he points out that one can see the characters' breath in the photograph? What does it signify?
   
   
7. 7
   Why does Robert treasure his privacy so much? What is it about the war that forces him to be exposed?
   
   
8. 8
   Examine the notion of private vs. public in the novel. How does a war usher a private matter into the public sphere?
   
   
9. 9
   Examine the use of the Four Classic Elements in the novel: fire, water, air, and earth. How are these elements represented and what do they signify?
   
   
10. 10
    Compare and contrast the sexual encounters Robert Ross and Lady Juliet witness in the novel. How do they affect each character?
    
    
11. 11
    Examine Findley's use of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person narrative styles in the book. Why does he use these unusual methods to tell the story?