Reading Response
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Reading Response
In many novels, extreme events occur that range from shocking war violence, sexual abuse to severe substance abuse and more. The novel “Three Day Road” is one of the novels that present some historical issues in the past. In the novel, Joseph Boyden explores the lives of people of the past and their relationship with colonialists. Using three main characters, Xavier, Niksha, and Elijah, the author presents various perspectives on the effects of World War I. Furthermore, the author uses these characters to create various themes and develop the plot of the story. The author writes the novel to inform and educate the reader about the issues that people of the past experience in the hands of the colonialists. From reading the novel, it appears that the author intended to inform Canadians of the history or any individual interested in learning Canadian history. “In the Three-Day Novel,” the author delves to present the story with the major theme of shocking war and the theme of oppression among the Aboriginals.
The author of the novel uses the setting to show the significance of sustaining cultural identity and the negative effects associated with failure to sustain cultural identity in human life. The novel provides a setting that presents salient spiritual malfeasance and the supremacy of the white man over the Aboriginals during World War 1. The novel has a European setting that demonstrates the main cause of Elijah’s spiritual bankruptcy, one of the novel’s characters, and the theme of oppression. The author presents the Europeans as powerful individuals suppressing the Aboriginals in Canada. The wemistikoshiw continued to exploit and ridicule Cree. The White man who is not interested in understanding the Cree culture arrests Niska’s father. Later the French betrays and mocks Niska after engaging in romantic activity. The people are characterized by “sadness so pure that shrivels the human heart and lets something else grow” (Boyden 261). Nonetheless, Xavier is defiant and does not want to conform to the European culture for the sake of the Cree culture that he cherishes.
Although the characters in the novel experience extreme events, the authors inform the readers that some characters manage to survive through the hardships. The author aims to show the audience that it is possible to survive amidst many challenges. The author explains the occurring circumstances by narrating the experiences that Niska endured while growing up in the bush. Niska experienced famine and watched some community members become mad and turn into cannibals as they found it difficult to survive in the harsh conditions. The author also narrates how Niska imparts essential surviving skills to such as hunting and divining. Furthermore, the aspect of survival in extreme conditions extends from Canada to Europe as Xavier gives a vivid description of dead bodies and bombed towns. The author says, “Before he leaves a corpse, Elijah tells me that he has taken to opening each man’s eyes and staring into them.” (Boyden 184) The quote illustrates some of the fearful experiences and shows the reader how difficult it was to survive in such conditions.
Joseph Boyden continues to tell us more about the extreme circumstances during the war and how storytelling playing a significant role in helping the characters to release their emotions by sharing experiences. For example, Niska uses stories to anchor Xavier into reality. Stories played a central role in her childhood as well. During hard times in the bush, Niska notes that “sometimes his stories were all that we had to keep us alive.” (Boyden 33). Additionally, Elijah tells Xavier stories about the war of the past and his experiences at the battlefields. The three-day journey of Elijah focused on the inability of Xavier to reveal a story. The story of what happened to Elijah brings Niska and her nephew closer. As a result, the audience manages to understand the influence of storytelling and the power of communication through storytelling.
Furthermore, the novel explores how the war turned people into cannibals that could affect other people. For example, in her childhood, Niska watched her father kill a woman and a child as a result of starvation and turned into a cannibal (windigo). Similarly, Xavier watches Niska killing a windigo. In the end, he becomes a windigo killer. Windigos represents the fear that the Cree feel in times of hardships as people plunge into madness. Evil issues also came in difficult times and made the occurring events stressful for life. After returning from the war, Xavier and as they start their journey down the river, “He sleeps, but his sleep is not restful. He twitches, and his hands shake. He calls out, and this wakes him up” (Boyden 16). Sleep is an indication of someone suffering from PSTD disorder, which is common among war soldiers.
The novel is generally riveting as the author uses various strategies to communicate his message. From the setting, Joseph Boyden has used themes, characters, and stylistic devices to present the effects of war and the consequences of the associations between colonialists and Aboriginals. On reading the novel, one appreciates the value of history and wants to know more historical issues. However, it also feels sad to know the extreme issues such as war and oppression that people experienced in the novel.
References
Boyden, J. (2006). Three day road. Penguin.