Joseph
Boyden uses several different symbols, images and archetypal figures in order
for the reader to understand the novel deeper. Different Cree words are used to
explain their culture. Elijah is a Trickster archetypal type while Niska is the
Great Mother. There is a reoccurring pattern of the number 3. It is mentioned
in the title and is referenced throughout the novel. Boyden uses symbolism by
hiding deeper meanings behind fire, water, circles and the lynx.
Some
reoccurring words within Three Day Road are written in Cree. Windigo is a creature or spirit that can
possess both human and beast characteristics. Niska is from a powerful Cree
family with a long line of windigo killers.
She tells Xavier that this trait has also been passed to him once she notices
his hunting talent. When Niska says, “I am second to last in a long line of windigo killers. There is still one
more” (48) she is referring to Xavier. Wemistikoshiw
is the Cree word for white people. This word is used whenever Niska, Elijah or
Xavier talk about the European settlers. Awawatuk
means old hunters. They came to Niska for advice because “The awawatuk accepted that I was a natural
extension of my father, the new limb through which my family’s power travelled”
(131). Matatosowin is a sweat lodge
where Niska and Xavier go to call for the spirits. It is a circular hut that is
warmed like a sauna with hot stones. Ponenimin
is asking for forgiveness. Xavier repeats this word over and over in the matatosowin “for killing his friend
(Elijah) over there in that place (France)” (380). The Cree version strengthens
Xavier’s plea because he is trying to connect to Elijah in a way that is
disconnected with the war. Wawahtew
is Cree for the Northern Lights. Ashtum
means come with me. Niska’s wemistikoshiw
lover uses the simple words he knows in Cree to lure her into his church in
attempt to take away her windigo
spirit. Boyden uses the translated Cree to effectively tie the
non-chronological pieces of the plot together. When Elijah doesn’t speak to
Xavier in Cree and uses English instead its because “their tongue is better for
lies” (51).
Elijah
is an example of a trickster archetypal type. He is always joking around even
in the middle of a war. He entertains all the soldiers with his fake British
accent. Once he handed Xavier a piece of meat and “smiled his wicked little-boy
smile. No. It’s human. German, to be exact” (310). This prank caused Xavier to
spit out the meat only for Elijah to explain that it was just horsemeat. He was
also daring during his time in the Residential School. Elijah would make fun of the nuns who ran the
school making the other children laugh. Punishment always follows Elijah’s
pranks.
Niska
is an example of the Great Mother archetypal type. She displays the positive
aspects of Mother Nature. She is associated life principle, nourishment and
protection. Niska rescues her nephew from Residential school and teaches him
how to survive in the bush strictly off the land. She also takes in Elijah once
he is finished Residential School. When Xavier comes home from the war with one
less leg he is in lots of pain and addicted to morphine. He only has small
number of needles left so Niska tries to help by telling stories and calling
the spirits for his behalf.
The
number three is mentioned more times than just the title. Xavier finds that the
white men are obsessed with the number three. “There’s the front line, the
support line, and the reserve line, for starters. There’s the infantry, the cavalry,
and the artillery. Off the battlefield, there’s food, then rest, then women. In
church, there’s the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” (Drainie). Xavier also
realizes the number three in his own culture. Niska taught Xavier that those
who are dying must walk the three-day road to death, hence the title.
Boyden uses
symbolism of the lynx. Niska gives the boys the tooth of a lynx that would
offer them “speed, invisibility and vision” (294) before they left for the war.
The spirit of the lynx is always the first to appear in her shaking tent.
Another common symbol within the novel is circles. “Life is in a circle…. You
always come back, in one way or another, to where you have been before” (360).
Circles have always been dominant in aboriginal cultures.
Works Cited
Drainie,
Bronwyn. "Three Day Road." Quill and Quire. Web. 04 May 2015.
<http://www.quillandquire.com/review/three-day-road/>.
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