Three Day Road Essay

Cultural Crossroads: An Exploration of Identity and Tradition in Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road

In Joseph Boyden's novel Three Day Road, the story follows the emotional and thought provoking journey of mainly Niska and Xavier Bird. Niska is a Cree Indigenous person who has strayed from her community in order to keep her roots by staying true to their culture. Xavier, her nephew, was rescued from the residential schools and dragged into war through his friend (also Cree) Elijah. Looking at this story we see that identity is a big theme even relating to the author, there are also other reflections of Indigenous culture in this story like the 7 grandfather teachings and assimilation. We can see all these different reflections in the characters,

Boyden, who is of both Cree and Irish descent, grapples with the complexities of identity and culture in the novel. He explores the theme of identity through the characters of Xavier and Elijah and the impact of the war on their understanding of themselves and their place in the world. Through their experiences, Boyden illustrates the challenges that individuals with mixed heritage face in trying to reconcile their different cultural identities. In the novel, Boyden also explores the theme of cultural displacement and the impact of colonialism on the Cree people. The novel illustrates the ways in which the Cree people have been forced to assimilate to the dominant culture, which has caused them to lose touch with their traditional values and beliefs. This theme is particularly relevant to Boyden, who has spoken about his own experiences of feeling disconnected from his Cree heritage and the challenges he faced in reconnecting with

The novel illustrates the ways in which the Cree people have been forced to assimilate to the dominant culture, which has caused them to lose touch with their traditional values and beliefs. The characters of Xavier and Elijah represent different aspects of assimilation. Xavier, who is deeply connected to his culture and the teachings of the 7 grandfathers, serves as an example of resistance to assimilation. He is committed to maintaining his traditional values and beliefs despite the pressure to conform to the dominant culture he adopted such values from his aunt Niska who grew up with her father being a Wendigo killer. Then after her fathers death she took on this leader role a connector between the spirits and them so, when residential schools and reserves came about, she ran and took shelter in the forest resisting all assimilation. We also see though that she relations with a French-Canadian who takes advantage of her by drugging her and having intercourse with her which was originally against her will and then he goes on to say “I fucked the heathen Indian out of you in this church,” he says. “I took your ahcahk. Do you understand? I fucked your ahcahk, your spirit. Do you understand that?” stripping her of her native identity. Despite this she finds reconciliation and mends her past through the