Rowena Ross Character Analysis

Robert faces innocence, which was a huge factor that affected him where his sister, Rowena Ross was born with a deadly disease called hydrocephalus, in which fluids accumulates in the brain, enlarging the head and potentially causing brain damage especially to younger children. This results in Rowena passing way when she falls out of her wheelchair, where Robert was told to watch her, but was instead, “making love to his pillow” (Findley 15). This results in Robert wanting to enlist to war to escape from the pain and guilt because he was the sole reason of the death of his sister and he shouldn’t have left her sight. It is clear that Robert is hiding his feelings and wants to keep his private emotions to himself away from others around him.
Although Rowena was very ill at a very young age, she managed to have happiness in her life because of animals that has helped her push through the tough times in her life and to help forget about her illness as the author states, “Why do the rabbits have to be killed? Because they were hers.” (Findley 17). This represents how animals throughout the novel had a significance influence on the characters especially Robert and Rowena and the relationship between them. While in Lethbridge, the BSM (Battery Sergeant Major) orders Robert that he must shoot the horse, where another innocent life is taken. He is scared as he “stood there with his trousers open leaning in above the toilet with his hand against the bulkhead. Nothing happened. His bladder, like his mouth, dried up” (Findley 64), shows how he was unable to urinate due to being too afraid. Robert is very anxious and struggles to aim at the horse, “Jesus; for Christ’s sake die. I need more light, he said. He was shaking; his voice of full anger” (Findley 68). As Robert kills the horse, he has an image of a falling chair reminding him of Rowena’s death. This affects Robert in the war where mistakes cannot be made, especially on the battlefield. In one of the scenes in the novel, Robert encounters a coyote in a valley where it start drinking water from the pond. It then turns directly to Robert, acknowledging him then entire time. This clearly proves the type of relationship Robert has with animals, as he is able to somewhat communicate with them. Most animals would rush towards a human being once seeing them in their sight. Roberts connection with animals throughout the novel is a key representation and how animals have impacted him positively and negatively. Each of the animals he encounters always reminds him of leaving home and how the death of sister was the sole reason he decided to enlist to