Applying Feminist Literary Theory

I have just finished the book I have been reading which is Three Day Road written by Joseph Boyden. I am lucky to have viewed this novel from other literary theory perspectives before viewing it under a feminist lens because I feel that this is the most modern lens. Feminism has been a cause worth fighting for a very long time now and still continues to this very day. However, back in the 1900s it was a totally different from how women are treated now and I never knew that. In the 1900s the rights women had were very limited. Since, Niska is the only main female character, this blog post will be heavily focused on her along with some of the other women that were introduced during the war. Niska receives the utmost respect from Xavier, feeling ashamed of himself having to take morphine around her. Xavier said: “Right there in the canoe, I extract the needle and the rawhide from my pack, prepare my bruised arm and inject some directly into a vein, just enough to take the knife’s edge of pain away. I can feel Auntie’s eyes on my actions, and I feel like a pathetic criminal under her gaze even though I know she does not judge me” (Boyden 177). He feels so ashamed to take morphine in front of his aunt even though he knows she will not judge him. She helped him escape the residential school and basically raised him for much of his childhood because his mother was an alcoholic which makes her his mother figure. His respect began for her when they were young but it seems as he grew older and more mature he truly learned to appreciate what his aunt has done for him. Since she is his mother figure, he somewhat looks up to her especially because Niska has been his mentor for some time now ever since she taught him the ways of the bush.

            So, the main protagonist of this novel is clearly Xavier Bird and his attitudes toward both the male and female characters have similarities and differences. He knew his best friend Elijah ever since they were young and the other men he encounters throughout the novel are his comrades, the soldiers he is fighting alongside. Xavier doesn’t feel inferior to the other men but he also doesn’t necessarily feel as he is superior to them other than his sniping ability. He feels as though they are all on equal footing and since he believes they are all equals, he does not allow any of them to change his morals. They may try to sway his decisions but at the end of the day, he will not give in. Xavier narrates: “Elijah reaches for a broom in the corner, hands it to me, points to the nest. I refuse to take the broom glare back” (Boyden 258). He does not even allow his own best friend to convince him to do something he knows is wrong which shows he that he thinks of them as equals and respects each and everyone of them but will not let them taint his mind. As for the women he encounters, I already described his relationship with Niska but he also encounters another woman, Lisette. Xavier falls madly in love with Lisette which come with the trust he bestowed upon her until she betrayed him. He thought of what their future would be like after the war but sadly she betrayed him. As you can see Xavier respects both men and women but for different reasons. He sees men as his equal but he viewed women under a different light. One woman taught him the skills he developed to become the sniper he is today while the other woman gained his love and affection.

            Women don’t realty have an important role at the time which basically degrades them to mere objects while men are presented to be the superior gender. It seems as though men are free to do as they please while women have to abide by the men’s command. Generally, women are the sex object or the servant while men are supposed to be the hero and the breadwinner during this time because of their genders. Men were supposed to make money for their family strictly because they were men while women had to do as the men pleased. Niska spoke about her being sexually assaulted: “I fucked you in a church” he said, and smiled. I smiled back at him. “I fucked the heathen Indian out of you in this church,” he said… “I pushed myself away with my legs and covered myself up “It’s too late,” he said. “You are nothing special, just another squaw whore.” (Boyden, 174). This is a great depiction of how men would treat women during the 1900s, merely as objects to have sex with and women felt powerless against these monsters. Women at the time seemed to have only been good for housework and sex objects for both pleasure and to conceive a child. However, other than that society did not recognize their abilities, talents, or personal values. The day-to-day circumstances they faced were the gender roles that was considered norm. They had to follow what society would approve which was for women to listen to the men. Lisette allowed Xavier to use her while Niska seemed to be a strong woman because even though men mistreated her all her life, she still will do what she feels is best. For example, she helped Xavier escape residential school which could have major consequences had she been caught.

            Compared to this day and age women were restricted and limited to the fullest. They had very limited options as to what they wanted to be whereas today, women are capable of anything men are capable of. Actually, allow me to rephrase that women have always been capable of what men are capable of, the only difference is now they are actually given the opportunity to actually showcase their abilities. As I said earlier in the 1900s they were greatly restricted due to the fact they only had few options as to what they would make of their lives, and the majority stayed in the dark choosing to be a housewife and/or mother.