Three Day Road

1383 Words3 Pages

Similarly, Xavier and Elijah from Three Day Road go through a path of losing love and friends eventually turning to enemies. To begin, Xavier and Elijah war quickly noticed by other comrades because of their hunting skills. Xavier and Elijah grew up with a native background where Xavier doesn’t see killing as an ordinary thing to do. This is seen when Xavier is being shot at for the first time. He witnesses how close it was for him to be killed, responding, “The other side wants to kill me, and I’ve never even seen their faces” (Boyden, 33). Much like Paul, Xavier share many similarities to show guilt, shame and innocence. Xavier as well as Paul, thinking for all his comrades and there service for the war. Showing how his culture has taught and raised him to do so. War gives soldiers the main purpose to kill, while for Paul and Xavier killing a human is not morally wrong. In addition, Paul, like Xavier haves regret and shame for all the comrades and enemies that they have lost. This causes them to go into a state of anger and guilt which they cannot control. This is seen after Xavier cannot think straight after destroying a base along with enemies, Xavier proclaims, “I replay it over and over in my head so that I don’t sleep all night, pulling the pin on my mill bomb, throwing it and watching it arc until it disappears into the crater, the concussion and screams. I have killed someone now” (Boyden, 75). Images of horror replay in Xavier head after he kills a group of men. It is shown that Xavier is attached emotionally to his victims. While most soldiers are alone and cannot express their feelings, this leaves these thoughts as a burden which can lead to insanity. However, Xavier finds love during the war which gave him hope again...

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...ks Xavier forcing Xavier to kill Elijah, Xavier says, “You’ve gone mad. There is no coming back from where you’ve travelled” (Boyden, 370). A fierce and emotional battle that occurs between the men, Elijah admitting his mistakes that he has done while fighting, Elijah dies in peace. Xavier killed someone that he only wanted to protect. The loss of close characters contrast personalities between Paul and Xavier, as Xavier has lost someone very close to him provoking hatred and guilt. In the end, Xavier suffers from depression from the loss of his best friend with severe injures where he has become addicted to morphine and can’t live without it.

Works Cited

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/quotes.html http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/canalysis.html http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/themes.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/section6.rhtml

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