So far in Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, things have gone for a bit of a darker turn.
Here are the chapter summaries. Read sections 10-21 for the 2/3 of the book. https://www.gradesaver.com/three-day-road/study-guide/summary-sections-10-13
In this novel, we have three different main characters. Niska, Elijah, and Xavier. Niska is The Great Mother. She takes both Xavier and Elijah in even though Elijah isn’t blood-related. “Elijah is as close to a relation as I still have,” (Boyden, 4) She also carries great wisdom that she passes on to the boys and teaches them every that they know. Even after they have left her to fight in the war against the Germans, she still loves and prays for them every day and even forces herself to be among the wemistikoshiw just to get information about their safety and whereabouts. Although we do get to see into her past and see the struggles she went through, it only strengthens her in the future and made her be the woman that she is. She reminds me of Leigh Anne Tuohy, who is the mother in The Blind Side. She is a strong and brave woman but is caring for those around her and protects her own.
Xavier is the hero of the story. He leaves his home to go and fight to protect his country and his Auntie. Even though he is one of the best shots in the squadron, he doesn’t brag about it or uses it to get special attention. He also cares a lot for Elijah, caring for him even though he’s started a deep spiral into addiction. Although it’s kind of out of order, Xavier also follows the fundamental plot archetype because we start in his hometown and he proceeds to go to war against the Germans, making his first kills and constantly being in danger. in the end, he gets to go home and see his auntie. Xavier kind of reminds me of Wonder Woman played by Gal Gadot because her character has this innocence of the world yet she knows what she’s doing and is very skilled in her field. She is also very brave and selfless and cares about others.
Elijah is tricky because at the beginning he seems to be a hero along with Xavier because he’s running off to join the army and fight in the war. But, the longer he spends in the trenches the less he becomes of himself and starts to become wild. Based on where he is right now in the story, I would say that he is the trickster because he goes out of his way to become someone else when he is interacting with the others. “Elijah’s taken to talking in an English accent in the last days. This makes the other soldiers laugh, but I wonder why he really does it.” (Boyden, 77) He even manages to trick himself in the beginning that he was never going to become an addict. Elijah reminds me of Jack-Jack from The Incredibles. Jack-Jack is seen as a very innocent thing and is always happy and funny but he can be so deadly and unstable due to uncontrollable emotions.
Abby's Blog 