Three Day Road Character Analysis

It is often difficult to relate to events that occur in the past. However, if we can find any similarities between history and the present, we will relate to it more. Joseph Boyden, author of the novel Three Day Road, examines the effects of war through a first person narrative of two indigenous soldiers. The events that the two soldiers experience are comparable to what today’s soldiers face, and they affect them in a similar manner. The emotional and physical effects of war on soldiers make Three Day Road pertinent to the contemporary world.

Body parts fly everywhere, one must kill complete strangers, and the unimaginable becomes the norm. These common war occurrences, along with endless others, have disastrous effects on soldiers.

Soldiers develop disorders such as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and many other trauma-related mental illnesses from fighting in a war. The notion of diseases such as PTSD is a recent development, and soldiers from wars generations ago could not treat disorders that were not diagnosed. Society at large would dismiss trauma-related mental ailments as “shell shock”.

Xavier, one of two indigenous soldiers who are the subject of Boyden’s narrative, experiences a multitude of both physical and emotional effects.

In war, loud noises such as the explosion of grenades and gunfire arise constantly. As a result of sustained exposure to deafening blasts, Xavier loses much of his hearing. One morning after arriving back home from war, Xavier describes waking up to “a dull roar like rapids in the distance”(25). Repeated exposure to loud noises has unfortunate repercussions for Xavier, and it emphasizes that war can bring agonizing physical pain to anyone. While Xavier does not face mental deterioration to the same extent as his best friend Elijah, he does go through a rapid transition from being a talkative person at home, to being almost silent when he goes to war. Xavier experiences emotional trauma, becomes extremely quiet,and faces depression over the course of the war. For example, when a moment to collect his thoughts arises, Xavier realizes a personality difference between him and Elijah. Xavier concludes that “Elijah is still darling, still talkative. He still wants to fly”(161). This implies that while Elijah is still talkative and happy, Xavier is not. Moreover, he describes the changes in him since the start of the war, so Xavier’s emotional struggle stems from the events of

warfare.

War also has another significant impact on Xavier. It unleashes an addiction to morphine. Morphine is a drug that helps relieve pain, and it is commonly given out by the medics at war. Since it is readily available, Xavier has no problem feeding his addiction. After the war when he is in a canoe with his aunt Niska, the seriousness of his addiction is revealed. Xavier claims that “My body cries out for the medicine so loudly that I decide to not even try to hide what I do”(177). War can leave unbearable emotional and physical pain, and one must find a way to cope with that. It affects Xavier in numerous ways, so he resorts to morphine as a way to cope, and illuminates that horrifying circumstances force people to take refuge in dangerous ways out of desperation.

After prolonged exposure to war, it is easy to desensitize to horrific events. Elijah, the second indigenous soldier of Boyden’s narrative, goes a step beyond desensitization. Elijah begins to enjoy murdering people, and it gets worse as the war progresses. Moreover, he tells Thompson that killing is “in my blood”(75). It is unnatural for a person to be comfortable with killing someone else. Elijah’s claim is a sign that he has developed serious mental issues from war. As the war progresses, Elijah adjusts well to the murderous atmosphere. He begins to rationalize his actions. After killing a German soldier, Elijah vindicates his deed by claiming he “helped that soldier find his way to the spirit world”(99). When one does something immoral, there is often an immediate search for any explanation that would provide acquittal from blame. To find moral vindication, Elijah concludes that the soldier would be in a better place if he kills him.

The only person who notices this change in Elijah is Xavier, with whom he spends the most time. Xavier lives with Elijah’s new attitude throughout much of the war, but when his increasing enjoyment in killing becomes obvious, Xavier decides to do something about it. Xavier determines that “he must finish this. I have become what you are, Niska.”(370). Niska, the aunt of Xavier, is a Windigo killer. A Windigo is someone who has a monstrous spirit enter them, and turn into an evil person. Xavier concludes that because Elijah is comfortable with killing, he is a Windigo. Consequently, Xavier decides to kill Elijah. Murdering strangers on a daily basis has grave effects. For some, that means growing to enjoy killing. Elijah becomes one of those people, and illustrates how dire consequences follow continual exposure to murder.

Because the effects of war are similar in every battle, Three Day Road is applicable to our current society. In essence, Xavier and Elijah experience a horrifying war, and they face detrimental effects. Xavier suffers physical injuries and becomes a morphine addict, and Elijah takes pleasure in murder, which costs him in the end. The experiences and effects of war are consistent throughout time, and that consistency makes this novel relatable in today’s culture. We often dismiss past events as irrelevant to the present, but if we can find even a minor connection, we can comprehend the past much better.