The Structure of <i>The Wars</i>

The Structure of The Wars

The following material was contributed by Liisa Hukkala, Heather Roblee and Melissa-Lee Stencill.

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The time sequence in this novel varies in that it tends to jump from one person's opinion of Robert's situation to another. Otherwise the novel would be much too depressing to read. The author switches from a war scene to a lighter subject in order to grasp the reader's attention and keep the novel interesting. It is not a story of orderly sequenced events but a story of action. It discusses what is happening as it happens.

The pieces of the "puzzle" come from the different characters' opinions of a particular situation. The story is continuous but each character explains the particular event from his/her point of view.

The novel begins in the same manner as it ends. However, the ending is more detailed. As the characters give their personal view of Robert, more is learned about him. For example Juliette explains her feelings towards Robert's temper: "His temper, you know, was terrible. Once when he thought he was alone and unobserved I saw him firing his gun in the woods at a young tree. It was a sight I'd rather not have seen. He destroyed it absolutely." We feel the author does this in order to keep the novel interesting to the reader. His technique works well in keeping the novel pleasing to the reader.