Which Theory Provided the Most Insight?

            After completely reading the novel written by Joseph Boyden, Three Day Road, and using all three literary theories to view the content, I believe that the literary theory which provided the most insight was the archetypal literary theory. I think the archetypal literary theory provided the most insight because it enhanced how I learned about the characters’ personalities. The archetypes felt like a blueprint of what to expect from each character and allowed me to create predictions as I read the book.

            Xavier is clearly the protagonist but I did not label him as “the Hero” but rather “the Outsider or Rebel” because I viewed him more as an outcast rather than a hero. He did present good, humane qualities but the other characters influenced me to label him as more of an outsider or rebel. He went to the war with his best friend Elijah and somewhere along the road the other soldiers changed Elijah which left Xavier all by himself. He no longer would have any companions until later on in the novel but when he fell in love with Lisette she also betrayed him. He clearly shows the qualities of an outcast and rebel because he does not conform to what others say if he doesn’t believe its right. Typically, rebels are very independent, stubborn and lonesome because they will not allow other to make them do something they do not want to do.

            Elijah is obviously playing the role of “the trickster” through his sneaky and deceitful ways. He is constantly using a fake English accent in order to become closer with his comrades and the other soldiers. He makes them believe he is one of them even though he is really aboriginal. Generally, tricksters seem to be insecure, clever and complacent because they want to be apart of the group and will be creative in a mischievous way so that they will get what they want.

            All in all, I believe that the archetypal theory provided the most insight because it is applicable to every character as well as just allowing the reader to gain more knowledge about each and every character. Using archetypes for characters allows the reader to expect certain qualities or traits the character would have. Also, using archetypes the reader can gain a deeper understanding of the characters’ personality through how the author will develop the character along with how they choose to follow the archetype. For example, Batman and Superman are both hero archetypes and they do contain some similar trait but they also have many significant differences. Using archetypes, authors have a building block to begin with and how they develop their characters is what will make their novel original. I feel as though Joseph Boyden did a terrific job of developing the main character’s archetypes which is what made the book so enjoyable along with providing the most insight. In conclusion, the theory that provided the most insight is the archetypal theory because it gave the reader the best understanding of each character.