Theme

Joseph Boyden, in the novel “Three Day Road”, suggests a universal message that humans will stop at nothing to survive. The Windigos that are constantly brought up in the book are a strong example of this. Windigos are basically people who eat other people and the author gives two examples of this. The first is of the woman who ate her dead husband and the second is of a man who ate his dead wife. The parallel between these two examples is that both windigos take this cannibalistic act because of their natural instinct for survival. They are both on the verge of starvation and if they do not eat soon they will die of hunger. Out of this threat and the will for survival, they make the decision to eat their loved ones. Moreover, the war in general is a strong illustration of Boyden’s message. Elijah and Xavier have killed a countless number of lives but the excuse that they give themselves is that “in war you must do what [is] necessary to survive and that in this circumstance Gitchi Manitou under[stands] if you [have] to kill” (301). A further illustration of Boyden’s message is manifested when Elijah kills both Grey Eyes and Lieutenant Breech after Grey eyes tattletale to Breech about Elijah overdosing on morphine. “Elijah raises the wood in both hands and swings it down as hard as he can onto Grey Eye’s forehead” and “crawls over and finds Breech…and begins smashing [his head] with the wood” (340). He tells Elijah that “we have no other choice… we do not want to spend the rest of my life in one of their prisons”(340). Rather than being thrown into prison or possibly even court martialled, Elijah survives by committing a sinister deed and killing his friend and commander. Just like in this book, the ambition for survival is great in our society. However, we have to decide sometimes whether worth sacrificing in exchange for survival in our society.

Connections to Other Novels

Three Day Road, a Canadian novel by Joseph Boyden, is a story of a young native man named Xavier who has been severely wounded in the bloody trench warfare of World War I and is suffering from morphine addiction. His aunt Niska, takes him on a three day journey back to his home in order to revive him from his sickness, and during this journey, we are told the dreadful experiences that Xavier and his closest friend Elijah faced during the war.

The Wars, a novel by Timothy Findley, have a lot of things in common with the book Three Day Road.  The main character Robert who blames himself for his sister’s death, enlists in the army in order to make up wrong doings, similar to Xavier in the novel Three Day Road who volunteers to participate in the war. Both books share the tragedy of losing close friends and family around you which eventually drives the characters into madness. The Wars is a great book to read after reading Three Day Road since it will provide a nice transition.  

The Guns of August is not necessarily a novel but a volume of history by Barbara Tuchman. This book provides great details of World War I and will give you a general idea of what war was like back then. Since the novel Three Day Road mentions a lot of important places during the time of war, places like Sommes and Ypres, it will be very helpful to read this book before reading Three Day Road as it will give you background information  and will give you deeper understanding of the novel.

          All three books involve tragedy of seeing a close one suffer and the bloody, cold ground of WWI battlefield. Even though the books share the same general theme of World War I, each book has its own unique way of expressing the emotional conflicts involved in the war. So go ahead, try out each of the books and see for yourself.

-PK

Characterization

       The Canadian Novel Three Day Road written by Joseph Boyden, introduces two very important characters to the readers, one being Xavier, the other Elijah. Both born with Native blood, they had to face the harsh conditions of World War One. Xavier and Elijah grew up in Northern Ontario, the two were best friends; they often hunted together, learning to be great hunters and the ability to survive in the wild. As Elijah and Xavier enter the World War, we are able to observe how both characters change as they both thrive to survive. These two characters, even though they are best friends, contrast with one another.


          Xavier, raised by his aunt Niska, grew up near Moose Factory. He was aware of his traditions, his culture, and his identity. He conserved all the materials he found, and used them wisely. Xavier, devoted to his beliefs and culture, enters the war as a skillful sniper. Even though Xavier was extremely well trained, he knew that taking the lives of others was wrong. He valued others lives, as he sees everyone as pure. Even though Xavier is kind-hearted, he is quiet. He resented people who call him by his English name, and denied the assimilation to the English speakers. However, he still showed a strong relationship, an unbreakable friendship, to his companions through love and compassion. He showed his thanks to his fellow companions as they fight through the terrors of the war. Xavier Bird is a prime example of innocent and intelligent man.


         Elijah grew up as an Orphan, raised in a residential school later became Xavier’s best friend. Ever since Elijah was young, he had been a skillful hunter. Of course, during the war, he became one of the most skilled snipers too. Elijah represented the complete opposite of Xavier. As Elijah did not take his native traditions seriously, he was popular among the soldiers; he was eager to assimilate with the English speakers and almost immediately gains his English accent, as well as his new nickname “Whiskey jack”, which came from his native name “Weesageechak”. This eventually led to his addiction to morphine, as Grey eyes tempted him too easily. Elijah slowly lost his instincts and consciousness; he became insane, lusting for blood, seeking for destruction. Elijah symbolized the brawn, the muscles. Capable of killing and leading his side to victory yet failed to realize that he had been devoured by his own madness.

Conflict

As challenges arise in one's life, decisions must be made in order to react to them. Some challenges may be physical, or mental, such as a tough moral decision. In Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, Cree sniper Xavier must face not only the atrocities of war, but also internal and external conflicts. As we read about his story, we learn more about the exhausting situations he had to endure.

Often times, moral choices lead to some degree of internal conflict. As Xavier watched Elijah spiral into his downfall, he had to make the choice of either letting him continue his madness, or ending it. He saw that Elijah has been changed by the war; he kept the scalps of dead soldiers as proof that he had killed them. The war has changed the two friends in drastically different ways. Xavier grew to hate bloodshed, while Elijah became consumed by it. Even though he did not want to, he knows that he must end his best friend's life, and by extension, the madness of a Windigo. His battle between moral choices leads to closure of the novel. In a way, Xavier has carried on his family's tradition of killing Windigos. By ending Elijah's life, Xavier brings closure to his internal conflicts regarding his friend.

One can say that Xavier's external conflicts are just as troublesome as his internal ones. A prevalent constant conflict is revealed in the setting which the story takes place. War will always lead to some kind of conflict. During one scene, a friend of Xavier is killed by a skilled German marksman. Throughout a section of the novel, the sniper is hunted down by the two Cree men. One can also say that the language barrier is an external conflict. Due to not being able to communicate, Xavier is often ignored by his comrades and shunned. However, the popularity of his friend Elijah grows consistently, as he is able to speak English well and translate for his friend. Xavier's isolation from the group creates a difficult situation for him to work in; however, he overcomes this by demonstrating his skill in a competition among the ranks.

Xavier deals with many conflicts during his enlistment in the army. Not only did he have to make the moral choice of killing his friend, but he also had to endure isolation from his fellow soldiers.  The conflicts in the novel remind us of the difficult situations a person must go through in one's life.

-MT

Setting

Setting is a huge factor in the Canadian novel, "Three Day Road", by Joseph Boyden. In the heart of World War I. Xavier and Elijah experience the hardships of war and get dragged deep into battle, hiding under enemy lines, fighting for survival. The entire story revolves around the war, which makes setting an essential part of plot development. Moreover, since the setting does shift back and forth, it adds a different aspect to the story; flashbacks. The flashbacks show the setting before, during and after the war, showing the different situations in each time period. Before the war, we see the brutal reality of either residential schools or living in the wild. The few who did decide to stay in the wild often perished due to lack of food; however, the people that went to aboriginal schools did not fare as well either, often being both physically and verbally abused. During the war, we are shown that even in conflict; there is still racial discrimination against aboriginals. Even when the aboriginals sacrificed their lives for their home country, Canada, people did not give the respect that aboriginal people deserved. And after the war, we are shown the genuine aftermath of war. Xavier is traumatized, hurt, and most importantly, scarred by the brutal effects of war. For their efforts, aboriginal people were not even compensated for their efforts in the war. They were not paid in any aspect, monetary value or even recognized. Aboriginal people returned to their families, if they had any left and were forced to return to the harsh cruelty of white assimilation. Setting plays a huge part in defining the core conflicts in the book. Not only does it strengthen plot, but character development as well. By knowing the hardships that both Xavier and Elijah faced, we can understand some of their personality traits as well as their actions. Like as a result of residential school, Niska feels a complete disgust to the white society, which then amplifies her hate furthermore from her father's death. To conclude, setting is a major factor in both character and plot development in the book, “Three Day Road.”

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The Politics of WWI

The history between Canada and World War I is highly political. Let’s turn back to the moments before the war began. Two terrifying war pacts existed at that time. The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Triple Entente was made up of France, Britain, and Russia. These superpowers stockpiled weapons and built up their military as a show of force to the other nations, each attempted to outdo their neighbours. The war was sparked when the Archduke of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in Bosnia. Austria-Hungary accused Serbia of this assassination. Germany gave Austria-Hungary their promise to support them if they went to war as dictated by the Triple Alliance. When Serbia refused to bow to Austria-Hungary, war was declared. Germany sided with Austria-Hungary, while Russia assisted Serbia to gain control over that area. Due to the alliances, France and Britain also waged war. But how does all this have to do with Canada? Well at that time, Canada was still part of the British Dominion – unlike its brother, America, who seceded violently. Therefore, when the British declared war, Canada and all the other colonies automatically became part of the effort. Most Canadians felt strong ties with their British motherland; therefore it was no surprise that many supported the war. 25 000 troops were promised by Canada, yet 30 000 volunteers enlisted. Many expected a short victory over Germany. Many Aboriginals also enlisted. It is quite odd, however, since they were discriminated upon at that time. Racism was rampart and they were treated differently than normal people. However, Aboriginals felt loyalty to the crown as some had ancestors who fought for Britain back in the war of 1812. Many young soldiers, like Xavier and Elijah, looked at the war as a chance for adventure. It was a chance to prove themselves. There was also an economic incentive of a wage, which is alluring to those living in absolute poverty.  The political nature of wars is undoubtedly a strong influence. All wars are waged with a political agenda in mind. World War I was no different; however, those who served in it were extraordinary and contributed to the peace we enjoy today.

-LR