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