Archetypal Characters and Symbols in Three Day Road

Character	Archetype	Explanation of Archetype	Influence on Xavier	Text Proof
Xavier	Hero	Xavier is the hero in this book not through his victories against Germans, but through his actions and moral points of view. He is kind to everyone but also delivers justice when required. He always stands for what he believes in even when he doesn’t say anything. The shadow that Elijah has cast over Xavier suppresses Xavier from speaking much, and so Xavier’s beliefs are supported through his actions.		“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 217) The lieutenant orders Xavier to destroy a bird’s nest which has given Xavier some sort of happiness through innocence. Xavier refuses to do so, risking his own life in order to save a few birds. This is the first time in the book where Xavier defies a direct order in order to follow his beliefs.
Elijah	Trickster	Elijah uses his knowledge of English to trick the white Canadians into looking over the fact that Elijah is native. By using words and phrases that they commonly use, he quickly became one of them. At some points in the book Elijah jokes about eating German flesh but through his expressions and actions it is evident that he was not joking at all.	By ‘protecting’ Xavier from needing to speak, Elijah cast his shadow over him. This shadow suppressed Xavier and almost made him forget that he needs to make his own decisions. Just because Elijah does all the talking does not mean that he should be making all the calls. Once Xavier noticed that Elijah had gone mad, he knew what he needed to do. He realized that Elijah had gone too far this time and there is no going back. The shadow that Elijah had cast over Xavier needed to be distinguished.	“The meat is gamy and a little tough. “Is it horse?” I ask, pulling gristle from my mouth. Elijah smiles his wicked little-boy smile. “No. It is human. German, to be exact.” I jump to my feet before I know that I do it and approach Elijah with balled fists. Then I find myself reaching for my knife. But what he has said makes me gag and I kneel down and stick my finger down my throat. The contents of my stomach come out in a slimy glob. “X! Calm down!” Elijah says. “I am only joking. What? Do you think I’m crazy? I was kidding. It’s just horsemeat.” His forehead creases innocently and the gleam of the trickster is in his eyes. He pops some meat in his mouth, chews it and swallows.” (Boyden 260) Elijah ‘jokes’ about eating human flesh, but it’s evident that Elijah wants to eat human meat when Xavier describes him as a trickster. “Elijah. He fools everyone but me. I am the only one who can see through his mask.” (Boyden 263)
Niska	Mentor/Mother	Throughout the novel there were many parts of Xavier’s childhood. These parts included how great of an influence Niska had on him. From how she rescued him from the residential schools all the way to Xavier’s return from war where she went out of her way to help him out. A big part of the book focuses on how Niska taught Xavier how to hunt and survive in the bush. Niska was Xavier’s mother figure through her unconditional love for him. Although Niska is Xavier’s aunt, she was more of a mother because Niska was the only family member to take care of Xavier.	Niska taught Xavier everything he knows. Rights and wrongs and how to handle certain situations. One important thing Niska taught Xavier is that people can go windigo, a term describing people that have gone insane. In the last few scenes of the novel, it’s clear that Elijah has gone windigo through his scalping of killed enemies and cruel jokes about eating German flesh. By connecting these points, it is evident that Niska had a great influence in making Xavier his own leader.	“We spent our days wandering and trapping and hunting in the bush. Amazingly, you had very little knowledge of any of it, and so I taught you everything I could. You learned quickly and naturally, and your ability to walk invisibly and to shoot was obvious.” (Boyden 186) “I taught you all I knew about the bush, the best way to snare rabbits and how to use their fur for protection against the cold brutality of winter, how to weave and walk in snowshoes through the deep snow, how to approach a moose downwind and even how to snare one, how to make your own clothing and moccasins, what plants and herbs were edible and which had healing properties.“ (Boyden 187) “He squeezes it hard, and the words from that letter come back to me then, Niska. Do what you have to.” (Boyden 306) Niska’s influence on Xavier is shown when Xavier thinks of her during the most climatic part of his life. He is fighting Elijah to the death, and Xavier remembers Niska’s words. She mentored him to become who he is.
The child and her mother in Passchendaele	Innocent	Although they are minor characters and only appear in one scene, the child and the mother had a great influence on Xavier. The innocent archetype describes a character that does not deserve anything bad. The child and her mother were clearly caught in the crossfire of war and were an unintentional casualty. The death of Innocents is always a tragic moment in any novel.	After the death of the mother and her child, Xavier became shocked and depressed. He could not live with himself after killing innocent people even though it was unintentional. He realized that following Elijah’s orders and ignoring his own instinct got these two innocents killed. He now knows that he must be his own leader and not fall under Elijah’s shadow once again.	“Passchendaele is by far the worst place we’ve been. The faces of the woman and child haunt me.” (Boyden 258) Xavier cannot get over the fact that he had killed an innocent woman. It was a turning point for him to realize that he must follow his own instincts to avoid casualties like this.
	Shadow (symbol)	The shadow represents Xavier’s internal conflict. The shadow’s point in this portfolio is to reflect how Elijah was stopping Xavier from developing as a leader, as well as represent the point in the novel when Xavier finally created his own shadow and became his own leader.