Animals in The Wars

This material was contributed by Karey Brown, Meghan Nauss, and Ann McLeod.

For another site on this topic. For materials on birds see this other site.

HORSE, page nine

Without this horse standing on the tracks Robert never would have noticed the other horses in the train car.

DOG page nine

The dog was burying his head to protect his ears from the loud noise. The dog was also a companion for the horse.

CATTLE CARS page nine

The cattle cars are the place where the horses were being held when the fire broke out.

HORSES page ten

The horses that were stuck in the cattle car were obviously well groomed and maintained.

DOG page ten

The dog was a companion for Robert while rescuing the horses.

HORSES page ten

Rescuing of the horses left Robert and the horses as a legend.

DOGS page eleven

This reference was a violent, vicious look on dogs.

RABBITS page eleven

Rabbits were mentioned here as innocent and were the companions of Rowena till the end.

DOGS page eleven

The dogs were represented as a nice family scene.

HORSES page eleven

The horses were represented as a nice family scene.

FOXTAIL page twelve

The foxtail was a sign of people overpowering the animals.

FURS page twelve

Furs were a fashion accessory.

HORSES page twelve

This reference for horses was showing the use of transportation and pulling the wagons.

PONY page fourteen

This pony is dressed in patriotic clothing which is a symbol for the war to come. Some of the soldiers are angry and others are frightened but you cannot tell which by looking at them.

RABBITS page fifteen

The rabbits are a symbol of Rowena and her innocence.

DOG page fifteen

The dog is a part of the family, a part of Robert's life.

HORSES page sixteen

The horses are mentioned here again as the "legend"

HORSE page eighteen

The fire horse was used as a reference to how the horse was used as transportation.

DOG page twenty

This dog is one of the last things that Robert leaves to join the war. The color white of the dog is symbolic for innocence and nobility. Robert is innocent for he has no idea what he is getting himself into.

RABBITS page twenty

The rabbits are symbolic for Rowena after death.

DOG page twenty

This dog is seen as being lost. The appearance of this animal is describing how Robert feels.

PONY page twenty-one

The pony distracted Stuart from watching Rowena which led to her death. Remembering that Meggy is symbolic for patriotism is why Robert joined the war: to fight what killed his dear sister Rowena.

RABBITS page twenty-two

The rabbits are symbolic for Rowena.

PONY page twenty-two

Another reference to Stuart playing with the pony and not watching Rowena which led to her death.

RABBITS page twenty-three

The rabbits need to be killed because the innocence of the family is gone. Robert is chosen by the family to kill the rabbits against his will. By killing the rabbits it will help him get over the guilt that he feels about his sister's death.

RAM page twenty-five

This is showing how Robert is growing stronger.

RABBITS page twenty-five

The rabbits are symbolic for Rowena and how unfair it is that the rabbits are alive and she is not.

HORSES page twenty-eight

The horses were used for training in the military.

COYOTE page twenty-nine

The coyote is a dangerous animal and Robert runs with it despite the element of danger.

SQUIRRELS page thirty

The squirrel is food for a coyote.

RABBITS page thirty

The coyote preys on small animals and the rabbit and squirrel are small shows innocence.

COYOTE page thirty

A coyote is a wild animal.

GOPHERS page thirty

The gophers appeared to be insignificant.

OWLS page thirty

The owl was a food for the coyote.

COYOTE page thirty-one

We see a gentle side of the coyote.

PONY page thirty-one

Again we see a patriotic part of the pony. Monotonous work being done by countries.

INSECT page thirty-two

The coyote snapped at the passing insect, it was a nuisance.

DOG page thirty-two

We see this wild beast as if it were a kind, gentle pet.

COYOTE page thirty-two

The coyote notices Robert and wags its tail. We see the kind part of this wild animal yet again.

HORSES page thirty-two

Through the horses Robert meets Eugene Taffler and the two become friends.

HORSES page thirty-three

The horses are being brought in to be trained for the war.

DOG page thirty-three

The dog is symbolic for the enemy, the dog catches their smell and begins to sound vicious.

HORSE page thirty-four

The horses escaped and it was Robert's job to gather them and bring them back, when in fact Robert himself wanted to escape.

DOG page thirty-five

The dog is symbolic for companionship.

RATTLESNAKES page thirty-five

The snake is symbolic for evil.

HORSE page thirty-five

The horse here is used as transportation.

FOX page thirty-five

Robert got the feeling that he was chasing something and in this case it is a fox, which is known to be a fast animal.

COYOTE page thirty-five

The coyote hollowing reminds us that it is indeed a wild animal. Robert has a wild edge in him.

HORSES page thirty-six

The horses are seen as transportation.

DOGS page thirty-eight

Dogs are seen as companions.

HORSE page thirty-eight

The horse was seen as a companion here.

HORSE page forty-four

At this part of the novel Robert and a few other soldiers visited a whore house. The animals were used for symbolism for sexual positions.

HORSE page forty-six

The horse was used here as transportation and was also used to show how cold it was on that day.

CATTLE page forty-six

The cows were still out despite it being night.

DOG page forty-six

The dog was used here as a distraction to show how not all animals are asleep at night.

BIRDS page forty-seven

The birds are seen here as a symbol of hope. There is a rumor that the troops will be sent home early.

HORSE page forty-eight

The horse was used as a happy animal, to tell Robert a story and take his mind off of the pain. This was a bonding time for Robert and his father.

HORSES page fifty

The horses are symbolic here for how the soldiers feel as they are being loaded on the ship.

SQUIRRELL page fifty-four

The squirrel is used as a fashion accessory at this point when Mrs. Ross is upset about her son being off to war. This shows the power of humans over animals.

SHEEP page fifty-five

The sheep here is a religious animal belonging to the flock of the Lord. In a symbolic sense Mrs. Ross is thinking of her son being a sheep in the flock of the army.

HORSE page fifty-seven

The horses here were used as an escape from the troubles that were going on deck with the soldiers trip over to Europe to fight in the war.

HORSE page fifty-nine

The horses on the ship were kept in a confined area. Robert at this time became in charge of the well being of the horses.

HORSE page sixty

The horses smelled and no man wanted to get close to them. This led to the horses not getting taken care of in the way that they needed to.

MEN and ANIMALS page sixty

It is in disgrace to the men that they are transported on the same boat as animals. This shows that the men feel that they are more powerful then the animals.

FLIES page sixty

Despite their size the flies can be a nuisance to the horses.

RATS page sixty

Although the rat is small, they were a nuisance for the men needing to hide hay from the rats.

HORSES page sixty-one

The horses were in a sense a nuisance for the soldiers. They carry diseases and not many soldiers came in contact with the animals although they needed to have more contact to take care of the animals. The horses were not given the care that they needed.

SPIDER page sixty-one

The spider here was symbolic for being care free.

HORSES page sixty-two

Again Robert is faced with the responsibility to shot an animal against his will.

RATS page sixty-two

The rats allow us to get in the mind of Robert. Although rats are seen as annoying creatures, Robert does not want to take the life of anything and leaves us feeling the fear he feels.

HORSES page sixty-three

This part in the novel describes how crammed the horses are in their stalls. This explains why the horse broke his leg. On deck the soldiers were crammed in the same manner.

RATS page sixty-three

The rats (as noted above)were surrounding Robert's feet as he was preparing to shoot the horse.

HORSE page sixty-four

The horse was fallen and looks at Robert. Robert begins to think about the dilemma of killing someone or something.

HORSE page sixty-five

This reference to the horse shows how hard it was for Robert to kill someone.

RATTLESNAKES page sixty-five

Snakes are symbolic for evil. Robert feels evil for killing the horse.

HORSES page sixty-six

The other horses begin to be upset from the sound of the gun of the injured horse dying. One person is almost trampled from the uproar.

HORSES page sixty-seven

The boat arrives in Europe and describes the work the horses need to do to make it to shore.

HORSES page sixty-eight

The horses were a rare sight at this time in Europe. People came out of their homes to see the animals. This brought joy to the people.

HORSES page seventy-one

The horses and men are on their way to the battle field. The roads are washed out describing weather conditions in France. One out of every five horses has a rider, implying that they are on the way to meet more soldiers.

BARN page seventy-two

Soldiers would sleep in any place along their travels. A barn was the ideal place for the heat of the animals would keep them warm for the night.

COWS page seventy-three

The cows are used here so that we meet the farmer. He was a French man who was angry that Robert was
English.

HORSE page seventy-three

The horse is used as transportation here.

HORSES page seventy-four

The horse is used as transportation here.

HORSES page seventy-five

The horse is used as transportation here.

BIRDS page seventy-five

The birds leave a feeling of shock to Robert and the other soldiers. They are surprised that the birds survived the attacks. The birds are not seen and it is unclear what type of bird it is.

DUCKS page seventy-five

The birds are thought to be ducks because it is obvious that the birds are in a flock, and ducks travel in flocks.

HORSE page seventy-six

The horse is used as transportation here.

BIRDS page seventy-six

The birds flew away and left the soldiers feeling empty, for the birds were companions. The birds came back and the sound of their wings made him think of happy moments from his childhood.

HORSES page seventy-seven

Horses were used as transportation. As well the horses didn't want to stay put for the birds alarmed them. This is symbolic for the soldiers didn't want to stand still either. The horse is necessary to be at this part of the land, shows also soldiers with horses have power.

BIRDS page seventy-seven

Birds are mentioned to pass the time with thinking about the types of birds and not about the danger of the situation.

STORKS page seventy-seven

Storks were the only bird that one of the soldiers could remember. This could be due to the fact that storks are related to birth and the soldier wanted to be re-born to be out of the situation of war.

DUCKS page seventy-seven

Ducks are mentioned because they fly in flocks and the soldiers are still not close enough to know anything about the birds except they are in a flock.

HORSE page seventy-eight

The soldier and horse were soaked from falling through the dike.

BIRDS page seventy-eight

Robert heard noises but realized it was only the birds and not an enemy.

HORSES page seventy-nine

The horse's instinct was trusted more than man's for the horse is sensitive to footing. The horse is trusted for traveling.

BIRDS page seventy-nine

The bird cut in front of the horse and startled him. This shows that small creatures can startle large, can be symbolic for battalions.

BIRDS page eighty-one

The birds were clustered around bones.

CROWS page eighty-one

The birds were crows, which are similar to vultures. The crows were following the war for death as they are scavengers.

HORSES page eighty-one

The horse is used as transportation.

HORSES page eighty-two

We see that although the horse is a large animal it still finds it difficult to travel through the land.

HORSES page eighty-three

There are many horses and wagons present. This gives the reader the image of just how many men must be there compared to the horses.

CROWS page eighty-three

The crows are following the men and horses for they can tell that there will be deaths and food for them.

FARMHOUSE page eighty-three

We see that many homes have been destroyed by the war.

STABLE page eighty-four

The soldiers were responsible for cleaning the stables from the mess of the animals.

FARM page eighty-four

The enemy would pass over the area where the soldiers where staying.

LAMB page eighty-six

The lamb is a gentle animal, often used to describe personality.

DONKEY page eighty-six

The donkey is used to talk about an Egyptian God, brings on religion.

BUTTERFLY page eighty-seven

The butterfly is represented as a beautiful creature but is ugly and grotesque in the story.

SHEEP page eighty-seven

The sheep shows the fragile side of the soldiers.

TOAD page eighty-seven

The toad was one of the animals that Rodwell rescues. Although the toad is an ugly animal, he sees the importance of nursing it back to health.

BIRDS page eighty-eight

Birds were some of the animals that Rodwell took care of to bring back to health.

RABBITS page eighty-eight

Rabbits are also some of the animals that Rodwell is taking care of, makes Robert think of Rowena.

HEDGEHOGS page eighty-eight

The hedgehog was an animal that Rodwell was nursing back to health.

SALMON page eighty-eight

Salmon was a luxury food for the soldiers to eat.

CHICKEN page eighty-eight

Chicken was a luxury food for the soldiers to eat.

TOAD page eighty-nine

We see the sensitivity of the toad by looking at his eyes. Even though the animal is ugly and harsh it has a gentle side.

CHICKEN page eighty-nine

Chicken is a luxury food that the soldiers eat.

HORSES page ninety

The horses bring Rodwell to say "Any man whose love of horses is stronger then his fear of being an absurdity is all right with me."

HEDGEHOG page ninety

A pun is made in regards to the hedgehog, allows people to laugh through a hard time.

BIRD page ninety

The bird is mentioned to try to give another laugh to the soldiers.

TOAD page ninety

Shows that the bird, hedgehog and toad although very different stuck together when they were in need. These soldiers although very different will stick together.

TOAD page ninety-one

The toad is to be a character in a children's story. Despite being in a dangerous situation Rodwell is doing things he loves to keep him happy.

TOAD page ninety-two

It is said that Rodwell and the toad are similar. We sense the bond between the two not so attractive things.

TOAD page ninety-three

The toad is unable to sleep because of the battle and we see that the animal and the soldiers are disturbed by the same thing.

MONKEY page ninety-three

Robert was holding on for dear life to the bed and the motion was similar to the holding of a monkey's toe to a tree.

BIRD page ninety-three

Robert was holding on for dear life to the bed and the motion was similar to the holding of a bird's claw to a branch.

SEAL page ninety-five

The seal is a playful animal and it makes the soldiers remember their years before the war.

MACKEREL page ninety-five

Harris got lost in a school of mackerel, this is symbolic for the soldiers feel that they are lost in the army.

HORSES page ninety-six

Harris compares seaweed to a horse's tail and was scared he was going to die. Now the soldier has a hidden fear that he will die now in the war, with the horse at his side.

GIRAFFE page one hundred one

The giraffe is symbolizing the size of a son of a duke. This size being enormously tall.

BIRDS page one hundred five

This is talking about how it remembers the god times. Reflecting upon the past.

WHALES page one hundred five

FISH page one hundred five

FROGS page one hundred five

BIRDS page one hundred five

HORSES page one hundred six

RABBIT page one hundred nine

This represents one of the companions which Robert makes on the battlefield.

HEDGEHOG page one hundred nine

This represents one of the companions which Robert makes on the battlefield.

BIRD page one hundred nine

This represents one of the companions which Robert makes on the battlefield.

BIRD page one hundred eleven

This symbolized the last minute thinking on the side of Robert.

RABBIT page one hundred eleven

Rowena always looked up to Robert. He was her sole keeper. This represent in

HEDGEHOG page one hundred eleven

The actions resembled the moment at the time, how everybody was terrified.

FARMHOUSE page one hundred fifteen

It is a place in which they value. Therefore they want nothing to happen to it and will protect in any way.

HORSE-RAILWAY page one hundred fifteen

The men were as animals traveling on the same path.

BIRD page one hundred twenty two

This refers to rejoicing, when the Germans were going to attack

FROG page one hundred twenty three

The color of the frog, being pale, represents the color of the piece of clothing in which his mother might have worn.

BIRD page one hundred twenty seven

This shows the rejoicing. The birds were singing merrily as Robert rejoice.

WOLVES page one hundred twenty seven

The way in which wolves howl and bark resembles the same way Indians do to.

OWLS page one hundred twenty seven

The Indians hooted in the same manner as owls.

CATS page one hundred twenty seven

Robbers resembles the animation of a cat in the way they meow.

BIRD page one hundred twenty eight

BIRD page one hundred thirty-one

The bird singing depicts how Robert is feeling

RABBIT page one hundred thirty-three

HEDGEHOG page one hundred thirty-three

BIRD page one hundred thirty-three

TOAD page one hundred thirty-three

TOAD page one hundred thirty-four

Rodwell had bonded with the toad. He had taken care of it and wanted the toad to keep living (Rodwell later kills himself).

MICE page one hundred thirty-four

Rodwell can't understand the soldiers hatered for the mice and rats. He doesn't realize how much the soldiers abhor living with the mice and rats.

RATS page one hundred thirty-four

Soldiers detest the rats and mice.

TOAD page one hundred thirty-eight

Toad is described as "sentimental nuance, plain, grumpy..." See how much Rodwell liked the animals, perhaps the toad depicts Rodwell's mien.

BIRDS page one hundred thirty-eight

Rodwell sketched only animals.

MICE page one hundred thirty-eight

More sketches of animals.

RABBIT page one hundred thirty-eight

These sketches show how much Rodwell enjoyed animals.

HEDGEHOG page one hundred thirty-eight

Perhaps he preferred their company to humans.

TOADS page one hundred thirty-eight

More sketches, most are of toads. He seems to have a special attachment to toads.

FROG page one hundred thirty-eight

More sketches.

INSECTS page one hundred thirty-eight

More sketches

COWS page one hundred forty

The cows in the field help portray the spring season.

GEESE page one hundred forty

Part of the spring season. The geese are oblivious to the turmoil going on around them.

TOADS page one hundred forty-five

"Sketches of toads and things." This reinforces that the toads are dominant in Rodwell's sketch book.

RABBIT page one hundred forty-five

Another sketch

MOUSE page one hundred forty-five

Another sketch

FOXES page one hundred fifty

HORSES page one hundred fifty-three

Robert is running with the horses, this may allow him to release some frustrations (his leg injury etc.)

RABBITS page one hundred fifty-eight

DOG page one hundred sixty

White dog, purity, innocence. A white dog had left before Robert had for war, now another white dog has found Robert.

DOG page one hundred sixty-one

Robert leaves the dog. It served as temporary companionship.

HORSES page one hundred sixty-two

HORSES page one hundred sixty-three

HORSES page one hundred sixty-four

Soldiers are singing and drowning out the sounds of the horses. This may be an attempt to ease the pain and destruction of the war, the horses are a part of the war.

DUCKS page one hundred sixty-five

A sign that there is still life despite the war going on around them.

BLACKBIRDS page one hundred seventy-two

Their color may represent the color of evil, the evil of war.

BIRDS page one hundred seventy-three

The lack of the birds in this scene indicates that something is out of order, it makes Robert suspicious and astute.

RABBIT page one hundred seventy-three

The rabbit is innocent and does not suspect that anything is wrong.

HORSE page one hundred seventy-three

The horses begin to rear and Robert is thrown; the explosion has scared the horses.

MULES page one hundred seventy-three

The running around of the mules and horses shows how chaotic the explosion has made everything.

HORSES page one hundred seventy-four

Horse walking in circles shows that it is still rattled from what has just happened.

MULES page one hundred seventy-four

Animals begin to calm down and recover from the explosion.

HORSE page one hundred seventy-five

The war is beginning to take its toll on soldiers and horses.

HORSE page one hundred seventy-six

Horse is aware of the dead body, perhaps the horses never become immune or used to the death around them as the soldiers have.

MULES and HORSES page one hundred seventy-six

Robert wants to save the horses and mules from the danger he feels they are in. Robert may feel they are the only things left for him to protect.

HORSES page one hundred seventy-seven

Disobeying orders, Robert releases the horses. Is he trying to save the horses for them or himself?

MULES page one hundred seventy-seven

He releases the mules along with the horses.

HORSES page one hundred seventy-eight

The horses are frightened and begin running back into the burning barn. Robert silently encourages the horses to keep going.

HORSES page one hundred seventy-eight

The horses are dying despite Robert's attempt to save them. This may make Robert feel like feel helpless (he wasn't able to save his sister either).

MULES page one hundred seventy-eight

Same situation

HORSES and MULES page one hundred seventy-eighty

Robert has to kill the horses and mules just as he had to kill Rowena's rabbits.

HORSES page one hundred eighty

The horses have become a part of the war, along with the soldiers and machinery.

MUELS and HORSES page one hundred eighty

HORSE page one hundred eighty-two

Horse seems to be waiting for Robert.

DOG page one hundred eighty-two

Companionship for Robert. Dog is black which could symbolize danger near by.

HORSE page one hundred eighty-two

Seems the horse has been well taken care of.

HORSES page one hundred eighty-three

Robert empties the cars and proceeds to leave with over 100 horses.

DOG page one hundred eighty-three

Dog travels with Robert, a companion.

HORSES page one hundred eighty-four

The act of leaving with the horses is the beginning of the many interpretations of what Robert did.

DOG page one hundred eighty-five

Dog gives an alert signal to the danger they are surrounded by.

HORSES page one hundred eighty-six

Robert attempts to save a group of horses again, but fails.

DOG page one hundred eighty-six

The dog is killed in the fire and is never found.

CAT page one hundred eighty-seven

A white cat sits on the hospital steps, Robert is not expected to live long and this cat may be a sign that Robert will die with some peace from having tried to save the horses.

PONY page one hundred ninety-one

Rowena is seated on the pony. This is the life Robert once had, before the war.