Third point

Three-day road has made a comeback! As stated in my previous blog I was disappointed in the author's choice of story development. As I embark on this latest significant part of the novel, I noticed the story has made a strong comeback by maintaining a large emphasis on the World War I parts of the book. The author also does an excellent job of hooking the reader by abruptly ending sub story lines then tying them into the main storyline later in the novel. A prime example of this, is when Xavier’s Aunt writes Xavier a letter but the reader does not find out what the letter entails until later in the story. As to be expected, Joseph Boyden does an excellent job of describing the chaos of war as shown in this quotation.

“ ‘Sergeant,’ I call to him. He's looking up at me but his eyes don't seem to take me in. I see that his arm is gone. Blood spurts out of him in pulses. He struggles to sit up. I'm frozen up on the parapet, my legs and arms not responding to what I ask them to do. ‘Sergeant McCaan!’ I shout, and my voice is muffled in my head. His eyes focus on me then. A smile comes to his face and his red moustache curls with his lips. He stretches his remaining arm to me. I see the movement to my left. A couple of soldiers run up with rifles pointed and stare down at McCaan”(296).

This is just a synopsis of the extent of detail Joseph Boyden goes into when describing the horrors of the French battlefields.

This section of the novel was very rich in its theme and still carried on past themes of the story I’ve already addressed, for example the main theme of survival. This theme is also accompanied by insanity, and fear. Three-Day Road is oozing with quotations to support these themes.

Due to the circumstances of the story, survival is rightfully seen as the main theme in the story. “ I turn from him to stop myself from throwing up, just as another soldier runs at me, this one much larger...he carries a war club in his hand and swings it clumsily... I jump to the side and the force of his attack carries [him] onto the ground....with both hands I drive the bayonet into his back. I can feel it bounce sharply off his spine before it finds a softer spot and sinks in” (220). This quotation is removed from a part of the book where Canadian forces are forced to go over the top and into the German bunkers. Xavier’s only chance of survival is to fight, as treason at this time was punished by firing squad.

Another theme that was present in this part of the novel is insanity. The reader is openly exposed to Xavier’s thoughts on Elijah’s languishing insanity. There are many parts present in the book that blatantly show Xavier questioning Elijah’s state of mind.

“ The meat is gamy and a little tough. ‘Is it horse?’ I ask, pulling gristle from my mouth.
Elijah smiles his wicked little-boy smile. ‘No. It is human. German, to be exact.’I jump to my feet before I know that I do it and approach Elijah with balled fists. Then I find myself reaching for my knife. But what he has said makes me gag and I kneel down and stick my finger down my throat. The contents of my stomach come out in a slimy glob.'X! Calm down!' Elijah says. 'I am only joking. What? Do you think I'm crazy' "(288)

This quotation clearly shows that Xavier is questioning Elijah's state of mind. Xavier wasn’t questioning Elijah's well-being. He would have been more skeptical, and would have taken a less violent approach towards him. Overall, I can see insanity being a reoccurring theme as I enter the last portion of my reading.

The theme of fear goes hand-in-hand with the theme of survival. Although, fear can always invoke unjustifiable actions from individuals to secure survival. In this quarter of my novel fear is symptomatic of survival, and this is shown through this tragic quotation.

“I walk into what remains of another room. A table rests in the middle with a little food on it... As I head toward it, I catch a movement to my left coming toward me. I turn and fire my rifle just as I see that it is a young woman. She flies backwards, her face startled. She slumps against the wall....I peer quickly around me... A small child huddles in the corner... She begins to cry when I approach the mother. "I am sorry, I am sorry," I repeat over and over, to the child, to the mother... I turn toward the child to try and calm her, I come close enough that she begins to swing her fists with terror at my legs. I hear Elijah's boots as he runs into the room. A rifle shot explodes and the child goes still, a red hole punched in her chest by the bullet. "Mo-na!" I scream.... ‘You couldn't tell that she was a child?’ I yell at him. ‘I am trained not to hesitate in situations of danger,’ he answers coldly.”

This quotation shows how fear is interconnected with survival, as fear prompts an individual to act out of quick desperation for survival. This quotation also contributes to Xavier’s doubt of Elijah’s mental well-being.

Second Point

When reflecting on the past 100 pages it has become evident that the novel has been more mentally demanding to continue reading. This is mainly caused by Joseph Boyden’s decision to elaborate on a subplot in the story. The subplot is Xavier’s Aunt’s love life with a promiscuous “Wemistikoshiw” French trapper. I personally found this part of the story overwhelmingly reliant on the use of descriptive sex scenes that go above and beyond what the reader needs to know. On the contrary I still found the World War I scenes very descriptive but mature in the manner of drawing the reader a realistic perspective of war.

In this part the book still maintains its original theme of survival and its secondary theme of exclusion, but with the addition of the theme addiction. Although addiction is present at the starting of the book it is not until now you find out Elijah, one of the main characters, has started abusing morphine, as shown in this quotation “He takes the short needle from the moosehide bag in his chest pocket and slips it in quickly, efficiently, wincing as he hits a tender area. His whole arm is tender. Elijah practises self-control, knowing as he floods his vein that he is using the medicine right now out of anger” (187).


Another secondary theme of exclusion is demonstrated in this part of the novel. Exclusion is shown between the Caucasian populace and the first Nations that have refused to give up their traditional ways. The exclusion from this is demonstrated in this quotation “The Indian name for us was awawatuk, and we had the unfair reputation of being thieves and murderers, all because we rejected the Wemistikoshiw” (60). The extent of the first Nations exclusion in this story didn’t stop there. The exclusion in Three-Day Road was also physical “We headed south. A man in a uniform said to us, soon as we got on, ‘No Indians in this car.’ He pointed down the aisle. ‘You belong four cars to the back.’ We pick up our packs and walk through the river of people who ignore us.... A few other Indians sit here... The seats wood and uncomfortable” (149).

Lastly, the main theme of survival still subsides in this selection of the book. The theme survival is still strong throughout the book and the main characters Elijah and Xavier face imminent danger as displayed through their run in with a German sniper.

“I continue staring through the scope, scanning the ground all around.... That is when he captures my eye. Not fifteen feet away a corpse moves slightly and a puff of smoke comes out from it. Almost simultaneously wood splinters and dirt clods explode between Elijah's head and my own and Elijah yelps in pain,.... I train my sights on it and can suddenly see the barrel of a rifle pointing out.... I know that the sniper is reloading and it is a matter of seconds before he will fire at us again. My rifle is steady on a place just above the rifle poking out from under the corpse and without any more thinking I pull the trigger.”

Although I’ve gone through a mild rough patch in my book, the overall read, once you get past the awkwardly descriptive sex scenes in the book, is one of worthwhile proportions. The book still accurately betrays the struggles these first Nations people went through.