All his life Robert Ross grew up in a family where they did what was expected of them, rather than what was right. The kind of people Findley places in Robert's life are what shape him into the kind of character he will become. Timothy Findley manipulates what a hero should be, making Robert Ross a distorted type of hero. Robert Ross exemplifies anti-heroism throughout the text due to his need to be a savior but inability to do so, his morals, and his connection to animals. Robert Ross becomes the anti-hero due to his need to save others but inability to do so. AS; Robert himself is unaware that all he wants to do is save others because he failed to save the only person he cared about, Rowena: “It wasn't Stuart's fault. It was Robert's fault. Robert was his guardian and was locked in his bedroom. Making love to his pillows. (16) Also, Robert tries to save Rowena's rabbits: “I will take care of them. […] I will take care of them. Please!!!" (18) Meanwhile, he fails again when someone else is hired to do it: "It took him thirty seconds to emerge from his grief and understand why Teddy Budge was there." (20) Robert hears unconsciously needs to be a savior to the people in his life, but consistently fails to do so with every attempt. Robert blames himself for failing to save Rowena or his rabbits enlists in war is to unintentionally make up for the lack of human lives he failed to save in his own family. Over the course of the book, Robert develops a bond with animals as he lacks connections with the ordinary people in his life. Robert's natural instinct to save, but his failure, is represented by the horses: "I'm going to break ranks and save... middle of the paper... ks with Robert throughout the book is his sister" and his care and love for animals. While Robert Ross was not the normal definition of a hero, he displayed heroic qualities in other ways. Many people in The Wars will say that Robert was a hero, not the usual one, but one nonetheless: “My opinion was: he was a hero. Not your everyday Sergeant York or Billy Bishop, mind you! But still a hero. You see, he did what no one else would even dare think of doing. And that to me is the best definition of “hero” you could get. Even when the thing you did is something you disapprove of. (12) Robert may have had many antihero qualities, but it was the intent behind his actions that still made him a hero in the eyes of others. Works Cited Findley, Timothy. The Wars, Toronto, Canada: Oxford University, Press, 1977. Print