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Explored In Three Day Road, By Joseph Boyden

1912 Words8 Pages

The ability to rise above past difficulties and experiences and move forward is an underappreciated ability, that can ultimately lead to success in future situations. In Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road, a novel about three young indigenous people, Boyden displays the importance of rising above personal difficulties through the characters’ efforts to overcome the racist mindset in Canada at the time, as well as their struggles throughout the first World War . Though many attempt to bury their difficulties in the past, the inability to do so often contributes to a person losing connection with the real world and their loved ones. In this context, real world refers to the everyday life of a typical person in Canada, peacefully with their family …show more content…

Three Day Road displays three characters in particular that are battling with past experiences, and the outcome of their abilities and decisions to overcome or succumb to these memories of the past. Xavier Bird’s inability to escape his past traumatic experiences made it very difficult for him to keep his firm grasp on the real world, to the point that he struggled to differentiate the past and the present. Following his time served in the Canadian military in World War I, Xavier was mentally incapable of escaping the flashbacks and nightmares of such a tragic experience, suffering from the common mental illness of post traumatic stress disorder. Boyden portrayed this vividly throughout the story, describing countless flashbacks that Xavier experienced on his journey home, that ate away at his emotions, until Xavier had little desire to live, and struggled to remember the positive memories he shared with Niska, the only family …show more content…

She also stated that she may not be the hunter anymore, showing that she had let her guard down, and she was infatuated with this man, making her forget different parts of her heritage. Later on, when they meet again, Niska finds out that the man was only in the relationship with her to attack her heritage and her honour, obviously breaking her heart. It is evident that had Niska ignored the lonely thoughts and fought harder to hold on to her heritage, she would have avoided losing the man who she thought she loved, but in the end this would help by contributing to her realization that Xavier and her heritage were the two most important things in her

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In Three Day Road, Xavier is exposed to slow violence by cultural and emotional conflict throughout the war, which resulted in post-traumatic stress. Xavier is a remorseful character because of how he was brought up. Regardless of his role in the war, he feels remorse every time he kills. His beliefs do not change. He does not compromise his beliefs over the expectation to hate the enemy or in the company of Elijah who evidently has compromised his prior beliefs.

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The concept of journey is a thematic element often used in literature. In Three Day Road the author, Joseph Boyden, uses the motif of journey to show transformation in the three main characters. As a part of this motif a character must go on a journey and face hardships in an attempt to reach their goal. This novel follows the main character, Xavier and his time at the front line in World War 1. The point of view switches between Xavier, who tells about his time at war with his deceased friend Elijah, and Niska, Xavier’s aunt and a windigo killer, who tells about her life and Xavier’s childhood.

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Joseph Boyden’s novel Three Day Road demonstrates how effective betrayal is at destroying our hopes and beliefs. Both brief relationships involved a coming together of the two races and both of them ended in disappointment for Niska and Xavier, but not necessarily for the trapper or Lisette. Niska is betrayed by the French fur trader, a betrayal that echoes the betrayal of indigenous groups by the first colonists. The French man reveals to Niska,” [He] took [her] ahcahk,” (Boyden 174).

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Three Day Road is a novel by Joseph Boyden, first published in 2005. The story is set from Niska’s teenage days in the early 1870s to the pre-WWI years, the war itself and the immediate post-war time. It takes place in Northern Ontario and on the battlefields of France and Belgium. We follow two parallel narratives, Niska’s and Xavier’s. They are both Cree Indians.

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The acclaimed Canadian author Joseph Boyden is often praised for providing an insightful look into Indigenous culture and history through his debut, Three Day Road. While the novel does explore the haunting memories of an Indigenous soldier, it also tackles concepts about storytelling and the power of words. Consequently, this essay investigates the question; How does Joseph Boyden use literary devices and narrative structure in Three Day Road to illustrate the power of stories and language? The novel serves as an examination of the power of words and the different roles they play in communication,

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Three Day Road written by Joseph Boyden, is a novel that follows the story of a young First Nations man fighting in the war, and a First Nations women living in the Canadian wilderness. The story of these two protagonists are told through each of their differing perspectives, making this novel one that is constantly transforming in order to portray important motifs and themes. Storytelling is one of the primary motifs that is seen throughout the course of this novel and is one of the methods that connects the two characters, even whilst they are apart. Boyden uses the complex motif of storytelling to aid in the depiction of several core themes in this novel. In Three Day Road, storytelling is often related to healing, hunger, and power.

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“You remember what you want to forget and you forget what you want to remember,” (McCarthy 12). With most aspects of life, the horrendous moments are the times that no one can erase. This applied to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Towards the end of the novel when the son loses his father proves to be the most indelible moment with the assistance of the feelings experienced during that part. The son encounters a variety of emotions including loneliness, loss and hope.

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Ashen Alleys to the South A country in desolation, few humans remain, and nature in complete shambles. Under the cover of ash clouds, setting retains the tone of “The Road.” It not only sets the backdrop of the novel, but continually affects the father and son. Their surroundings cause physical, psychological, and even spiritual issues. Without the daunting background, Cormac McCarthy could not have created such a compelling story with characters that drive our hearts to the breaking point.

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