Charles Darwinism In Three Day Road

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Minds Wounded Without Morals
“For science, the end of the evolution struggle is simply represented by 'survival.' As for the means to that end, apparently anything goes. Darwinism leaves humanity without a moral compass” (Bruce Lipton). Lipton is saying how the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin (which states that over time, through natural selection, the organisms to survive will be those best suited to the environment) essentially has as a final step, humans doing whatever to survive, even break their own morals. Humans, usually are a species that are able to make rational decisions, even when under tense situations. However, should these situations begin to escalate to the point where one fears their life may be in danger, it causes them …show more content…

It is a defense mechanism in place for all humans, which when triggered, can cause them to commit many acts that, they themselves would see as despicable. This can be seen in times of desperation and where breaking morals is the only way to survive. Furthermore, at times of war, one may be driven to do things that their former self would not agree with. This is due to the exposure to violent or disturbing experiences that result from war. Another time where a person can go against their moral compass is when they are in a high risk situation, where harsh punishments are about to be placed, such as imprisonment. In Three Day Road, Joseph Boyden creates conflicts and uses how characters handle these conflicts to portray that it is human nature to go beyond the morals one stands for and do anything in order to survive. However, even though these flexibility of morals allow one to make it through survival situations, they leave one scarred with horrible memories or leave them in a state where one is unable to think rationally and is better off having accepted the repercussions of keeping with …show more content…

However, this may cause them to be turned into a monster, incapable of regaining moral sense or leave them traumatized and distressed. Therefore, breaking morals in extreme cases is a flaw in humans, and should they survive the situation, leaves them in a place worse than death. One of the most important aspects of human survival is being able to eat food, so that one has energy to perform life functions as well as, in cold weather, be able to stay warm. When deprived of this necessity, one may commit despicable acts for the purpose of survival. Micah’s wife, in Three Day Road shows how lack of food can lead one to do immoral things, like when she “[draws] her knife from her shawl and [leans] towards her husband” (Boyden 42), carving him up for food. Although he is already dead, it is forbidden for the Cree to eat another human, as it turns one into a monster that is always hungry for human flesh. By eating Micah and feeding her child its own father, it is clear that she is no longer able to discern right from wrong, having resorted to cannibalism. She even goes on to justify to herself that by killing him she was helping him “[keep] his promise to feed her and the child” (42). Ultimately, she becomes considered a “Windigo”, a person that has become a monster through the consumption of human

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