Personal "Wars"

As indicated by the title, The Wars, written by Timothy Findley, there is no central conflict but many daunting emotional and physical battles faced by those fighting in The Great War. The front lines in Europe are a living hell, and Robert Ross, the protagonist, finds this out the moment he arrives in France. During his first few days in charge of a convoy in France, Robert he finds himself drowning and blinded by "chlorine in the mud" (page 87). Luckily, Robert was successful in his attempt to save himself. However, he quickly realized this was not the last terrorizing incident he would face. Later, when Robert and his comrade, "Levitt went to take over the guns at the 18th Battery" they meet some interesting charters who explain there attempts to fight off insanity (page 91). One man, named Devlin, collects stain glass doors and windows from ruined churches. Another soldier, takes care of wounded animals that he finds during his travels through Europe. Sadly, not all men were successful and emotional and physical strain of the war eventually took its toll on Levitt. He became obsessed with his books. Robert would notice him staying up all night reading and when they were shelled by the Germans one morning, Levitt ran away, taking with him only his precious books. This demonstrates that the War brought so much stress and physical hardships that people began to lose their minds. We must ask ourselves; why wouldn't they lose their minds? One's friends were being slaughtered in front of them each day, one had to be on constant alert of an attack, food was scarce, trenches were infested with lice and rats, it was freezing, muddy, wet, and most of all, one had to cope with the knowing he killed another young man. The author of the novel clearly shows that many personal "wars" began within the young boys forced to endure the nightmare of World War I.

Everyone must face their own personal battles at one point in their lives. These personal battles are affected by the situation we find ourselves in. Thankfully, I do not believe that, recently, anyone has found themselves in a more dreadful situation than a World War. Nonetheless, the greatest challenges we face in life are often with ourselves, so no matter the situation no one should believe an easy victory is obtainable. We must always face ourselves with great courage and battle valiantly, much like Robert Ross and all the other soldiers who took part in The Great War.