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Essay / Literary Analysis of Three Day Road by Robert Boyden
In Three Day Road by Robert Boyden, there are many examples of effective language and form that help create an intriguing novel. Boyden effectively shows what life was like for the Cree in the early 1900s, both in Canada and at war in Europe. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the novel, Boyden uses literary devices that demonstrate what type of world the characters live in and how they will respond to their surroundings. One example is the use of foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is used to introduce the type of work cousins Elijah and Xavier will do in wartime and the type of people they will become. In the first chapter, they manage to capture and kill a marten. Xavier describes: “Elijah swings again, and once again the marten screams. My stomach hurts.” This is an example of foreshadowing because Xavier is uncomfortable with the idea of killing while Elijah does not have the same reluctance. Once the marten is killed, Elie declares: “We are great hunters”. This also foreshadows how skilled they will be at stalking and killing when they become soldiers in the war. Both of these examples of foreshadowing relate to events later in the novel. Elijah ends up being the more impatient killer and even scalps his victims, while Xavier feels more remorse for killing. The two men also became two of the most successful snipers of the war and were often chosen to act as scouts or to lead raids on the enemy. Boyden also effectively uses a simile to show how using morphine makes Xavier feel. Xavier says, “I watch my body shiver in the cold rain. But the morphine is very good, a warm blanket that wraps me like a moose's robe.” This comparison shows that when Xavier takes morphine, he feels very comfortable. He hasn't felt the warmth of a moose coat in a very long time, so the morphine gives him the feeling of being at home and coming back to a place where he feels comfortable. Boyden also used the form effectively with the use of flashbacks. Flashbacks are used to reveal the development of Xavier, Elijah, and Xavier's aunt, Niska, throughout the novel. Flashbacks demonstrate the similarities between the discrimination Niska faced at home, from the wemistikoshiw (white men), and the discrimination Xavier and Elijah faced during the war – despite being very strong soldiers. qualified. The flashbacks help the reader by connecting the stories of the three characters to create a combined storyline and theme. The flashbacks also symbolize how both Xavier and Niska are eager to return to their peaceful Cree lifestyle; as they both experienced discrimination and had their lives torn apart by the white man. Three Day Road and JK Rowling's Harry Potter series share the same theme of friendships tested by jealousy. In Three Day Road, Xavier and Elijah's friendship begins when they are children. When they go to war together, their friendship begins to be tested as jealousy sets in. Xavier becomes jealous when he feels that Elijah is being praised and treated better, even though Xavier feels that he is just as good a soldier, if not better. Similarly, in the Harry Potter series, Harry and Ron were best friends since they met as children. As the series progresses, Ron becomes frustrated with Harry's special status as Ron is seen as Harry's average friend. Ron often feels.