Robert’s and Xavier’s strong understanding of themselves, prevent them from giving into the madness of the war. Roberts compassion for life, and innocence that comes along with it, assists Robert with staying connected with himself. When Robert is on his way to England he Maksymyshyn 2 faces a challenge that shows Roberts true self. He is told to shoot a horse, and after being told this Robert admits he has never killed a living created in his life, which shows how innocent he is. Before he killed it he asked himself, “Why didn't someone come and jump on his back and make him stop?”, then, “He fired. A chair fell over in his mind. He closed his eyes and opened them.”(Findley 62) This shows his compassion for life when he hesitates to kill the horses. He also ties in killing the horse …show more content…
Xavier holds on to his cultural traditions and doesn't let the war stop him from being who he is. Xavier continues to follow Cree traditions, after his first kill he, “ prayed to Gitchi Manitou for many hours on that day and the following day, thanking him that it was I who still breathed and not my enemy.”(Boyden 224) He still follows the traditions of praying to thank his God instead of forgetting about it like Elijah had done on his first kill. He also keeps his culture by mostly speaking Cree. Both Xavier and Robert did not like the idea of war and both feel extreme regret towards killing someone. After Xavier returns from a raid where he threw a bomb into a crater he admits he, “can't sleep for wondering if I've killed someone.”(Boyden 77) Xavier feels extremely guilty for throwing a bomb that may not have been the one to kill someone, but the idea someone was killed