War. War brings to mind many conflicts, whether a war between nations, societies, villages, or even families. In "Three Day Road" the central conflict revolves around war and its separate effects on different people. Joseph Boyden's novel was inspired by World War I hero Francis Pegahmagabow, an Ojibwa sniper of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces, who is portrayed by the two main characters Elijah and Xavier. Joseph takes Pegahmagabow and splits him into two distinct personalities, Elijah and Xavier; Elijah is the wild carefree side of Pegahmagabow whilst Xavier is the more careful and calculating side.
The bigger picture shows the man versus man conflict between two opposing forces of World War I but the main clashes are found within the man versus self conflicts of Elijah and Xavier. The conflict of Elijah involves gaining fame within the army's battalions. Well known for their shooting abilities as snipers by the soldiers, Elijah and Xavier quickly gain attention and rank as Sergeant McCaan and Lieutenant Breech, their superiors, notice their abilities and quickly put them to use. Again and again, Elijah and Xavier exceed the expectations of each mission. Not only do they kill all their targets, they even go as far as discovering a German "bunker thirty or forty feet below the earth... [with] comfortable couches and chairs and candles...and in the middle of the room... a grand piano" (Boyden 246-247). Although noticed for their achievements, Elijah is not content and plots different ways to garner even more attention. A simple, static character, Elijah remains this way through the whole novel and even goes as far as to cut the scalps of his victims to show his bravery.
On the other hand there is Xavier. At beginning of the novel, Xavier enjoys his relationship with his friend Elijah but as time wears on, he is no longer sure of this. Because the story is told in a series of flashbacks rotating between the narrators Xavier and his aunt Niska, adding the fact that I have yet to finish the novel, the resolution has not yet been revealed. Xavier's character faces a number of conflicts in the different periods of time; the periods being the past and the present. In the "past" periods of time, where he is still in the war, his man versus self conflict is whether or not to continue fighting in the war or to escape and return home. A part of this want to return home is provoked by a sort of jealously he develops caused by Elijah. Although better than Elijah in shooting, he is not as well known in the army because of his language barrier and personality. Unlike Elijah who is easygoing and absolutely adores bragging about his every accomplishments, Xavier keeps quiet and steadily grows darker every passing day. In the "present" period of time, where he has already return from the war and is under the care of Niska as they are rowing home on a three day journey, his conflict is whether or not to continue living; he has lost his left leg and is addicted to morphine as the drug soothes his pain. Though in living in agony, his love for his aunt is what keeps him from choosing death over life. The three-day road in the novel refers to the journey from birth to death and this is the conflict enchained upon Xavier.
As the novel progresses, I hope to reveal the resolutions both during and after the war.
Our novels share many similarities. Both follow the horrible and blood soaked journey of soldiers through World War I. In addition, the conflicts soldiers faced within themselves was often more difficult than the battles versus the enemy. The novels demonstrate the different personalities and their unique struggles throughout the war.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that the two main characters in your novel began as close friends and began to grow apart during the war. Usually, one hears how the war brought soldiers closer together and created bonds between people that could never be broken. Sounds like an interesting story and well done on your post!
Hello Douglas! :)
ReplyDeleteYou made your novel so appealing to read even though I am still a bit icky about books on war. And it is very interesting as I progress through your blog post on how you contrasted Elijah and Xavier. It seems as if one is the sun and the other is the moon.
The sun is usually met with delight albeit a bit miff while the moon is mostly associated with the dark and immoral acts. So it is really fascinating to understand the characters in the way that is described with contrast. :)
Your description makes a mark on me especially when the last couple sentences seem to capture pain and confusion of Xavier. I wonder what it really means to question your existence if all the problems and agony you have lived through is incomparable to the pain that steal the reason to live...
Either way, thank you for giving me some more thoughts I could ponder upon. :) I can not seem to get these thoughts you have wrote out of my mind. Plus, I'm now really curious if Elijah stays alive.