Timothy Findley pieced The Wars together much like a puzzle. When piecing together a puzzle it is crucial to first find the corner pieces. As when trying to understand the novel it is necessary to realize what the most important aspects are. Each separate corner holds together and is linked to another part. Therefore, to understand the pieces of the puzzle it is vital to analyze Roberts relationship with his mother, his sister and his father. Furthermore, an attempt will be made to reveal the strengths and weaknesses in these relationships and the meanings Timothy Findley is trying to proclaim.
             To best understand Robert's relationship with his mother Mrs. Ross, one must look at their relationship from the perspective of Mrs. Ross. It is her interpretations and ensuing reactions to the tragic events of the novel that reveal the most to the reader about Robert's relationship with her. Mrs. Ross is portrayed as an adamant woman in the beginning of The Wars, yet as the story progresses, her firmness is broken by various tragedies. Mrs. Ross found it hard to be intimate with people therefore, she kept many things to herself. She felt that "Being loved was letting others feed from your resource-all you had in life was put in jeopardy" (Findley, 153). Mrs. Ross had mourned for years over the sudden death of her brother and her father, now she had lost a daughter and was going to lose a son. It is also evident she kept a lot of things to herself. At Rowena's funeral she stood apart from the rest of the family pretending she did not need any help. Mrs. Ross hid behind a large, black hat that day. Before Rowena's death and Robert leaving for the war Mrs. Ross used to be out in the public, handing out chocolate bars to the soldiers going off to war. However, when Robert left to join the army Mrs. Ross refused to have anything to do with it. Mrs. Ross was an adamant lady. She was adamant when it came to chocolate bars and she was adamant when...