The Wars
by Mady Seger
1. Characters
1.1. Robert Ross: main character; very strong connection to animals; struggles throughout the story with what society expects him to do and what he feels is right; suffers significant psychological and physical torture throughout the story
1.2. Rowena Ross: younger sister of Robert; dies very early in the novel; suffers from an illness that requires her to be monitored all the time; dies when Robert leaves her alone for too long when he is suppose to be watching her
1.3. Captain Leather: the captain that Robert ends up killing in the end; the embodiment of the military and its entire outlook on life
1.4. Rodwell: shares Robert's love for animals, which is one of the reasons they have such a close relationship; kills himself when he is forced to watch fellow soldiers kill a cat just to taunt him
1.5. Lady Juliet d'Orsey: the younger of the d'Orsey sister's; she sees Robert and her sister having very violent sex; she is secretly in love with Robert
1.6. Lady Barbara d'Orsey: the older of the d'Orsey sisters; she sleeps with Robert and Eugene Taffler tries to kill himself; she comes to visit Harris in the hospital and is there when his ashes are spread in the ocean
1.7. Eugene Taffler: known for being a war hero; ends up loosing his arms in the war; he tries to kill himself for the depression that he feels; is potentially gay due to the scene at the beginning when Robert sees him having sex with another man in the brothel
2. Themes
2.1. Loss or Destruction of Innocence: Rowena's tragic death due to Robert's poor; Robert is forced to kill the horse which is against everything he stands for; Juliet d'Orsey when she sees Robert and her sister having sex; Rodwell committing suicide; Robert being raped by fellow soldiers
2.2. Violence as Order and Choas: Robert tries to keep his violent feelings inside (he only carries the gun with him to feel safe); Robert uses violence to exact his own moral justice (shooting Captain Leather); Robert also uses violence in defiance of the war
2.3. Animals: Robert has a connection to the natural world and animals; Robert shares this connection with Rodwell which is why they grow a quick friendship
2.4. The Four Elements: fire is present through the artillery found in the combat; the earth is present through the dugouts and when it practically swallows up Robert; air is present in both positive and negative ways (badly during the gas attack and positively in the final scene); water is present through Robert's numerous encounters with rain (Rowena's funeral and when he enlists: both large moments of change) and when they gas attacks occurs
3. Summary
3.1. begins with Robert Ross holding a pistol between his legs; nearby a building is up in flames indicating that a battle has just taken place; Robert rides off with the the horses he has just freed
3.2. Robert was enlisted in the army the tragic of his sister Rowena; Robert was suppose to be watching her but instead he was in his room masturbating; his mother demanded that he be the one to kill the rabbits but he could not do it; and when another man was trying to do it, he tried to stop him
3.3. after the fight happened, Robert went upstairs to have a bath and clean himself off; his mother came into the bathroom and began telling him about what a clumsy child he was and tells him that she does not want him to enlist in the army; the last thing she says to his face is for him to go to hell for enlisting and following through
3.4. on his first day of training, he sees a coyote and begins to follow it until it reaches a drinking hole; the coyote barks at him as a sign of brotherhood; on his way back is when he meets Eugene Taffler who thinks will be able to teach him how to kill another man
3.5. Robert goes to the brothel (not by his choice) with some fellow soldiers; here he meets Ella who takes him up to his room to have sex but he ejaculates on the stores leading up to the room; she shows him a peep hole where he can see Taffller having sex with the male security guard; he throws and fit and starts raging in the room
3.6. Robert is shipped out on the S.S. Masanabie; here is where he is forced to kill the horse that has broken its leg; he and a fellow soldier named Harris fall ill and are set to the hospital; this is where he meets Barbara d'Orsey for the first time
3.7. Robert arrives in France leading a group on horseback; while on the road, they encounter a thick fog; Robert goes ahead and ends up falling into some quick sand; he manages to pull himself out before he is nearly killed; they eventually make it to the dugout where we meet Rodwell
3.8. when German forces start bombing the dugout, Robert goes to his superior, Captain Leather who instructs them to put guns forward; when they reach the crater, the Germans launched a gas attack; once the gas passes Robert sees a German soldier standing above them just starring at them; when they began to move and Robert killed the soldier but learns that he made the decision not to kill them even though he could
3.9. Robert goes to the d'Orsey residence; here he meets and sleeps with Barbara d'Orsey; Eugene Taffler tries to kill himself; Juliet d'Orsey develops feelings for Robert
3.10. Robert's trip back to France is extremely long and when he arrives, he stops at a cleaning house and ends up being raped by fellow soldiers
3.11. he returns the front lines and get in a argument with Captain Leather when the disagree on a decision; he ends up going against his command and the Captain is not happy with this; in the heat of the moment, Robert kills Captain Leather