The End is Near

The last part of Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, has completely changed my prior judgments about the novel.  When I first started reading this, I felt that it was very boring and lacked any exciting or interesting plot; I know think about the book in a whole different light. As the book progressed, the plot and characters were developed in a way that pulled me in, and made me want to continue reading this novel. In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would definitely recommend anyone to read it.

In this section of the novel, Xavier still relives his memories of the war when he falls asleep on the journey back home. In addition, we learn about Xavier and Elijah’s childhood in the bush through the stories told by Niska. Xavier and Elijah have been best friends or basically brothers since they’ve been together in the bush. Also, they learned to hunt and shoot under the watchful eye of Niska. She says that “the two of them are truly talented marksmen.” (pg 268) This is also where the competitiveness between the two of them began, as described Niska :

“The rest of that summer you had shooting competitions with one another, and I watched how quickly both of you excelled. You shot at rocks you’d placed upon other rocks across the river, you shot leaves from trees, you shot the heads from grouse that roosted on the tops of tall pines. Neither of you missed very often. Your competition was friendly but serious.” (pg 268)

 

Up until this point in the novel, the reader hasn’t been exposed to the reason why Xavier and Elijah are so competitive with each other, but now it is quite evident. As children, they competed with each other to practice and for fun, but at the same time they wanted to beat each other. This is where the jealousy and need to be the best is rooted and that is why it happens during the war. Throughout my life, I’ve competed in several dance competitions so I completely understand the need to feel like you’re the best and I also understand the competitiveness that is seen between friends. Whenever I competed, I felt like I had to do better than anyone I was competing against, even if they were my friends; but that’s what a competition is. You want to be the best. Even though I felt the competitiveness between friends, I don’t believe that the relationship between us ever changed. In the end, we all wanted each other to succeed, and if that meant coming in second, that was still great. I think that having the urge to be competitive is good, but if winning is the only thing in your mind, competition can be quite corruptive. Winning isn’t the only thing you can gain when you compete.

 

Along with their childhood, the reader learns about the addiction and hardship of war that occurred to soldiers at the time. I think that this novel has really opened to my eyes to how much people sacrifice for the good of others. Niska described that situation to Xavier by saying, “Sometimes one must be sacrificed if all are to survive.” (pg 265) This has been highlighted in the history classes I’ve taken and has been instilled in my mind even more with this book. Another thing that stood out to me is how alcohol and drugs are used by soldiers. Medication is obviously necessary for those who have been injured, but the type of that medication is so strong and is quite addictive. By the end of the novel, both Xavier and Elijah are deeply addicted to morphine. Xavier says:

“…If Elijah can come back to me, he will help me. We will fight together again, fight against this medicine that consumes us. We will get better together. He will help me overcome the pain and I will help pull him from the war madness that swallowed him whole.” (pg 269)

Everything that occurs to soldiers in war is always traumatic and most times extremely painful; a pain that most of us will never understand. On a daily basis, soldiers see people losing their lives; some of them friends and some of them not, but seeing someone breathe their last breath is something that no one ever wants to experience. Even people who have not fought in a war can understand that the loss of human life is extremely saddening and traumatic. In addition to mental trauma, soldiers experience physical trauma from all the weapons and violence that occurs. This is something that Xavier directly experiences when he loses his leg during the war and has to deal with the excruciating pain after. The need for medication is urgent for those who are in pain, but the war causes mental and physical pain for those who were a part of it. Elijah definitely shows that the war has affected him mentally. This is seen by how he acts and how he finds a pleasure in killing. Although, the actions of killing will always be considered wrong, soldiers did what they had to, to keep their countries safe and free; everyone should be so thankful for that. Lest we forget.

 

At the end of the novel, the reader learns about the reason why the letter that Niska received said that Xavier had died rather than Elijah. Xavier had killed Elijah, and had taken his medicine pack with Elijah's name on it. When Xavier remembers what he did, he feels like he doesn't want to be recognized for the things that Elijah has done. He says:

“Why do they call me Elijah? Is this some joke Elijah plays on me from the other world? I am Xavier. Am I not?” (pg 375)

This shows that throughout the war, Xavier yearned for the recognition that Elijah had gotten, but now that he has it, he no longer wants it. I feel that he doesn’t want Elijah’s reputation or recognition because of all the things that he has done during the war; none of which Xavier approved of. In the end, I think that all humans want what they can’t have, but once they end up getting it, they learn that it was not as nice as it appeared from the outside.

 

 

 

 

The Next Part on this Three Day Journey

In this section of Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, the reader discovers more about Niska’s past and we also learn about more of Elijah and Xavier’s experiences during the war.

Niska’s story is revealed to the reader when she decides to tell her story to Xavier while they are on their journey home. Even though it doesn’t appear like Xavier is really listening, she still continues to talk to him because she feels as though it might help ease his pain. The first part of her past that she reveals is her past in the bush and the fact that she “was the natural extension of her father, the new limb through which her family’s power travelled.”  (pg 131) Since she has this power, several people, especially men, would ask her for advice on where to find game. She also notes that most men do not approach her for what most mean would generally approach a woman for. It seems as though she may be a little lonely, but that soon changes. Niska discovers a trap line and knows that she is not alone in the bush, so she starts playing games in order to find out who this person is. In the end, Niska discovers that he is a Frenchman and after seeing him for the first time, they sleep together. This definitely wasn’t a good decision for her to make because this man tried to take her divine powers away from her. I feel as though she makes the decision to sleep with him because she is lonely and yearns for someone to love her; in a way that her mother cannot. I also believe that it was quite naive of her to believe that the man loved her or even cared about her, and this proves to be true when he takes her to the church. Not everything is what it first appears to be. Throughout this whole time, Xavier is conscious but Niska cannot tell if he is actually listening, but she assumes that he is.

 

 

In addition to Niska’s past experiences, the reader learns more about Xavier and Elijah’s experiences during the war. Most of their story takes part in the trenches of the Somme or of Vimy Ridge. Parts of these experiences include Xavier finally getting the recognition he deserves. After killing the “ghost sniper”, he goes out to find the dead body to take a souvenir. He decides to take his rifle, bayonet and the stripes from his uniform. From then on, Xavier uses this Mauser rifle and Elijah is quite jealous of this souvenir that Xavier has and he does not. At first, Elijah does not seem to care but as time progresses; he becomes jealous of Xavier and wants him to use the rifle as a prize that one of them will win in a competition. In addition to this jealousy, Elijah learns of another sniper named Peggy. Peggy was also a very good sniper, but he had no proof that he had killed anyone so not many people believed his success. Some other soldiers tell Elijah:

“”Do what we do. Collect evidence of your kills. Do what my people taught your people a long time ago. Take the scalp of your enemy as proof. Take a bit of him to feed you.”

“Elijah doesn’t know how to answer this. He smiles. “And what will collect these trophies really do for me?” he asks.

“They will buy you honour among us,” Francis says. “And we are honourable men.”” (pg 204)

This statement definitely affected Elijah, because he feels the need to be accepted by others and always wants to be the best. From that moment on, Elijah went to where the body of the soldier was and collected part of their scalp as a trophy.

The main thing that stands out to me from this section of the book is the animalistic nature that is connected to the war. It seems as though all sense of humanity is lost to some extent. I feel that this is especially true when soldiers go to the bodies of dead soldiers and take their scalps or some sort of trophy. It also reminds me of the “windigo”, which is not respected by the aboriginals. Another thing that stands out to me is the continuing jealousy and competition that occurs between Xavier and Elijah. Even though I discussed this in my last post, I feel as though the competition and jealousy between them is an integral part of the novel; so I’ll keep it brief this time. I feel as though it keeps them together and it makes both of them better, maybe not better people but better marksmen and snipers.

Another thing that became very obvious me is the occurrence and importance of the number three. The number is in the title of the book and is also mentioned several times by Xavier during his flashbacks. In his flashbacks, Xavier says that “everything these wemistikoshiw do is in threes. They are obsessed by that number.” (pg 245) In addition to this, Xavier highlights several other things that revolve around the number three, some of them including:

-          “work parties are split into groups of three, and they are ordered to count off accordingly.” (pg 245)

-          “They’ve even divided their army into three sections, the infantry, the artillery, and the cavalry. And these three sections are put through the same three rituals of training, then combat, then recovery.” (pg 245)

The next things that he mentions are more obscure, but nonetheless revolves around the number three. For example:

“This whole love for that number has trickled down from the ones who give the orders to the ones who take them. As soon as we are moved from the lines for rest, we follow the same pattern. Food, then rest, then women. We even die in threes. I have watched countless times how a soldier dies. He is a man before the bullet strikes, but when he is hit and the pain crashes into his body he realizes that he has only moments left on earth, he becomes a desperate animal. Finally, inescapably, he becomes a corpse.” (pg 245)

 

All of these references to the number three really stand out to me because that number is also in the title of the book. The example about the soldier dying also stands out to me because even though Xavier is on a journey home, he is really on a journey to his death; which is three days long. I feel as though the death of soldiers in war connect to the three day journey that Xavier takes, but I’m not completely sure what the connection is; other than the number three. Do you have any ideas as to what the connection is?

 

 

 

A Fresh Start

In my previous post, I was writing my last post on the novel ,The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri; now it’s time for something new. I am now reading Three Day Road, by Joseph Boyden. In general, this novel is about the journey that Niska takes with Xavier Bird on a three day canoe ride; which explains the purpose of the title perfectly. To explain more specifically, Niska describes this journey as Xavier, “coming home to die.” (pg 9) Xavier had lost a leg while fighting in the war and was sent home on the train; Niska was waiting there to pick him up and this is when the journey begins In addition to the loss of his leg, Xavier is also very addicted to morphine, he describes his addiction as something “that has fed on him for the last months, and when it is all gone I will be the one to starve to death. I will not be able to live without it.” (pg 10) The morphine causes Xavier to have flashbacks whenever he closes his eyes and these flashbacks are of his past in the war; this is how the reader learns of his experiences and Elijah Whiskeyjack. Elijah was Xavier’s closest friend during his time in the army, and both of them were extremely skilled marksmen.

 

Xavier and Elijah’s relationship was very complex; they had known each other for almost their whole lives. The main difference between the two of them is the fact that Elijah was brought up in residential school while Xavier was not. Since Elijah was educated in residential schools he can speak perfect English, and uses that to his advantage when he is in the army. More of the soldiers like Elijah because it seems like they have more in common language and belief wise. Elijah is also more outgoing on confident when compared to Xavier and this is seen several times throughout the plot. As a team, Elijah always seems to be referred to as the leader and Xavier is always his sidekick. For example, when Elijah informs Xavier that they might be separated, Elijah tells Xavier:

“”It might be better that they separate us,” Elijah says in the dark. “It will teach you a little about independence. It will give you a chance to make a name for yourself, to grow a little.” (pg 102)

This shows that even Elijah, who is Xavier’s friend, sees him as less than himself. The sidekick trait in Xavier is also seen when the two of them work as a team of snipers. In the beginning, Elijah was the one who took the shot while Xavier was the spotter and looked out for their own safety. This shows that the dominant personality lies with Elijah and he was the one who made major decisions. Since this is how their team worked, several soldiers who knew them also picked up on this and paid more attention to Elijah instead of both them.  This angered Xaver sometimes because he was the one who taught Elijah everything that he knows. When they are together, they are unstoppable, and this is seen in the flashbacks that Xavier has. For example, when the two of them were hunting the “ghost sniper”, even though Elijah had been hurt, Xavier was still able to get the shot.

 

I feel as though Xavier would definitely want more praise for everything he has taught Elijah, and so far, he has not gotten that. In addition, I feel as though the relationship between Xavier and Elijah is tense and competitive. Whenever one of them does something, the other one will either feel the need to do better or be jealous of the other’s accomplishments. Even though there is a lot of tension and jealousy that goes on through their friendship, I believe that this is something that keeps them together and makes each one of them better.