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.

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.

Applying Archetypal Literary Theory

In this blog post, we will be exploring and examining the several different character archetypes present in the novel, Three Day Road, written by Joseph Boyden. The three main characters that are going to be discussed throughout this blog are Xavier, Elijah and Niska. Xavier presents himself as “the outsider or the rebel”, Elijah is considered quite a bit of “the trickster” and Niska is obviously “the wise elder or the mentor”. First, we will begin with the archetypes of Xavier.

As I said earlier Xavier seems to the outsider or the rebel. I think he is the outsider or the rebel because for the most part he seems to be part of an out-group while all of the other soldiers are part of the in-group. He wont listen to people who tell him to do something immoral or wrong and sticks to his beliefs because he knows what is right and just. He has a good heart and avoids killing without reason, as well. Xavier narrates: “Me, I’m clearly invisible to the officers. How is it that Breech refuses to recognize that it isn’t only Elijah out there killing Fritz? We are a team.” (Boyden 178). This shows how others do not acknowledge what he brings to the table and even though he is the better sniper between himself and Elijah, all of the other solidiers praised Elijah. 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 has a strong sense of justice and willpower standing by his morals regardless of what the others may think of him. Xavier reminds me of a basketball player named, Kawhi Leonard, because from an archetypal perspective they’re both very similar. Both of these people are very humble, reserved and modest for the most part. However, they both excel in their respective skills, Xavier is a phenomenal sniper, probably the best one in the army while Kawhi Leonard is one of the NBA’s best players but as I said both of them are quite humble.

Elijah plays the role of the trickster in this novel, he is very sneaky and seem to be good at tricking people especially the other soldiers around him. He speaks using an English accent even though he is actually Aboriginal to feel accepted by the other soldiers. Xavier narrates: “This is all like a game to him. Elijah can out-talk even the officers with his nun’s English and his quick thinking. The others in our section are drawn to him and his endless stories. I am forced by my poor English to sit back and watch it all happen, to see how he wins them over, while I become more invisible.” (Boyden 65). This quote shows how Elijah is able to trick his comrades for his benefit which is the role of the trickster. As Xavier said, he treats it like a game and can use his words to change people’s minds, even though his current circumstances are that he is fighting a war.

Niska obviously appears to be the wise elder or the mentor to these younger characters. She provides many lessons to Xavier especially as he was growing up because she raised him for a large portion of time. He developed the skills he used in ward through Niska’s teaching while he was still a youth. She offers him wise words of advice even though they may seem so simple but still entail such a deeper meaning. Niska said to Xavier: “Now I tell you this Xavier, to keep you alive” (Boyden 35). This may seem like such a simple message to stay alive physically but I interpreted it as she wants his whole being to stay alive. Once you experience war, those directly affected will be traumatized but she is trying her hardest to encourage Xavier’s mental, emotional and spiritual self to stay alive along with his physical body. She offers wise words to him especially in such a crucial time, when he is addicted to morphine. She cares deeply about him like much of the other wise elders in other stories. For example, I played on a team before and I could tell my coach genuinely cared about each one of the player including myself. He was considerably old but he would not only talk to us about basketball, he would teach us about life. He saw many kids that had an enormous amount of potential but they threw it all away going down the wrong path with the wrong people and he did not want any of us to end up like that. I feel as though Niska felt that way too because she doesn’t want Xavier to change who he truly is due to the aftermath of the war.