An Introduction to "Three Day Road"

In Joseph Boyden’s “Three Day Road” the protagonists, who are Cree, include Xavier, Elijah and Niska. The story is set mainly during WWI where Xavier and his childhood friend Elijah serve as snipers in the war. However by utilising a series of flashbacks and alternation of narration between characters, Joseph enables himself to switch between the past, present and future of overall storyline.

The novel begins in a wemistikoshiw town where Niska awaits the arrival of Elijah (wemistikoshiw is Cree for European settler). However instead of Elijah, Niska finds her nephew Xavier, who she was told had died in the war. From there Niska begins a three day journey back to her home in Moose Factory by canoe with a mentally and physically ill nephew as a passenger.

Niska, Xavier’s aunt, is a mid-aged woman who lives a solitary life in the woodlands. Niska grew up being separate from others in her clan as she had the ability to see bits and pieces of the future. Now as a grown woman, she is distinct not only within the Cree society but also in the outside world as she is an Indian. Being “second to last in a long line of windigo killers”, Niska is a headstrong woman who is up for anything life hurls at her (windigo is Cree for cannibal). Her motivation is to preserve the true culture of her people as the members of her clan have been assimilated in nearby reserves. But with Xavier dying, she will be the last of her kind if she does not save her nephew. Niska reminds me of the “giver” in “The Giver”. The gifts they possess give them access to knowledge that no others can acquire. This knowledge holds the key to their society’s outcome.

The next character is Elijah. Not much has been revealed about Elijah so far except that Xavier looks up to him: “he is the truly skilled one… Elijah, he is the blessed one” (pg 10). Xavier also mentions that Elijah seems to enjoy the bloodshed and fighting as “he [feeds] off the fear and madness of [the war]” (pg 26). Elijah was believed by the army to have lost a leg and sent home but in reality, the injured was Xavier; Elijah’s whereabouts and unknown at this point.

The final protagonist is Xavier who is a much quieter and reserved character when compared to Elijah. With long braided hair, Xavier is of small stature and is even called “pretty short for an Indian” by one of his comrades (pg 23). The reasons Xavier and Elijah enlisted themselves has yet to be shown but what is certain is that Xavier has a much more difficult time seeing himself as one with the war. As opposed to Elijah enjoys the thrill of killing, Xavier realizes that he is “in the middle of a terrible place” (pg 31). Flashbacks shown through Xavier’s dreams illustrate the horrors and destruction of life in WWI. Now discharged, Xavier fights the will to live as the last of his precious morphine is used up.

Quote of the Day

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

A Year And One

How could I have ever known,

That you and I’d become like this?

My time with you has been a blur,

A blur too good to ever miss.

The summer walks, treading the sand.

Watching soft waters, the unearthly sky growing dark.

Lying on those “dirty” logs,

The banjos in the park.

I can’t get enough of you,

The thought of you makes me swoon.

You make my heart skip two beats,

Then altogether beat too soon.

Come find me,

Tumble in my arms once more.

You know that I will never leave,

Let silence surround this amour.

I miss you

This Valentine's poem is for the girl who's been with me through all the ups and downs in the past year.

The Lingering Temptations

In life, the greatest challenge we face is with ourselves. No matter what action or thought is to be performed, ultimately, it is ourselves that gives the final "thumbs up". The greatest barrier in my life is no different except that this challenge revolves around my passions, more specifically music.

To begin, in my life there has always been a string of endless passions. However, armed with my new companion, my guitar, I sensed this time something was different. I was determined to take this newfound obsession to a higher level; this is exactly the reason why I decided to register for The Royal Conservatory of Music exam. I already had a teacher at the time and he was a funny man. David, my teacher, could easily transform a room into smiles and laughter with his endless chattering. An ecstatic man, David was the light and soul of every situation.

One lesson, I decided to inform David of my plans for the exam and immediately he was jubilant. Bouncing up and down in his chair with the force of a miniature earthquake David wished me luck but reminded me that the most important aspect of the exam was practice.

At home I disregarded David’s words of wisdom and continued on with my daily life. The exam was a month away and I still had what seemed like a lifetime to spare. Outside the air was fresh, birds chirped from the treetops and most importantly it was the weekend! I stood contemplating; I had already learned four of the five songs and had all day tomorrow as well to practice. Moments later, my room found itself alone once more.

Saturday came and left and my “practice day” took its place. Solemnly sitting on my seat, preparing for sore fingers, I looked towards my guitar. Like an eager puppy waiting to be played with, she stood patiently. Picking her up and heading back to my seat, I noticed a warm glow shining on my face. The Sun’s warm rays shone in through the crystal clear windows and as if beckoning towards me, pulled my restless will to the outdoors. I pondered for just a second before placing my guitar back down and dashed into the open air like a frantic, untamed wolf wanting to be set free.

One day about two weeks later I suddenly realized the urgency of the situation. The Sun’s rays did not warm the icy panic in my chest this time. I finally learned all my songs the day before but in particular sections, my fingers would still remain stubbornly uncooperative. However, I thought to myself, all will be set back on track when David fixes my mistakes during our lesson the following day. A while later I received an email that caused the sinking feeling in my chest to return once more.

As my heart turned as cold as ice I read, “Attention students of David. David has undergone cancer surgery and will not be able to continue the regular lessons.”

I turned towards my once eager guitar for comfort and was returned with a piercing chilled stare by six glistening strings. Without a teacher and the upcoming exam only two weeks away, waves of panic began to sweep through my body. Picking up the guitar, the frigid wood amplified the blame. Procrastination, my victorious, cunning rival had taken over.

Suddenly a warm glow, likewise of the Sun’s rays, radiated through the object in my hand. As I struck a chord, a powerful voice emanated from the six strings telling me to conjure up my remaining willpower. As if fused into one, my guitar and I spent the next two weeks working towards our mutual goal. Two weeks later, I passed my exam.

In conclusion, although from the very beginning I was aware of the limited timeframe, the sly procrastinator from within coaxed my willpower and almost succeeded in taking complete control. This mischievous rival as I realized was none other than myself. Therefore the only challenge is to overcome your own self and stay true to the goal like an arrow streaking towards its target. Despite the fact that exterior forces like David may be able to provide assistance, this support is minute. Only the ability to persuade willpower can help you overcome the challenges being faced. Once the barrier surrounding willpower is broken, the greatest complication in life is therefore removed and all other ambitions will become simple to achieve.