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 by Joseph Boyden
On November 4, the ESPC Book Club met to discuss Joseph Boyden’s first novel, Three Day Road. Boyden tells the story of two young Oji-Cree men who enlist with the Canadian Forces to fight in the First World War. They distinguish themselves as formidable snipers while dealing with culture shock, racism, and moral issues related to warfare.
Our discussion began with some reflections on the two main characters, Elijah and Xavier. Xavier has been raised in the bush by his aunt Niska, a traditional healer; he is well-acquainted with survival tactics and has supported himself and his aunt by hunting and gathering. Elijah was raised in the residential school system and has developed a completely different set of survival skills. His impeccable English enables him to talk himself out of any situation, but he only learned traditional hunting and survival skills after befriending Xavier later in his childhood.
These different upbringings set the two characters apart. Xavier’s reverence for life even on the battle field is very evident, perhaps as a result of the years he has subsisted by taking the lives of wild animals only as necessary. By contrast, Elijah is proud of his learned marksmanship skills and views killing as a sport. Elijah also has an easier time separating himself from his aboriginal identity when interacting with other Canadian soldiers. His mastery of the English language obviously facilitates this, but the ability to blend into “white” society is likely another skill Elijah learned for survival in the residential school system. Xavier has no shame about his Cree heritage, but Elijah reflects the impact of the residential school; he manifests the sense of worthlessness and shamefulness in being Native that has been impressed upon him for many years.
It is fascinating to look at the differences between two characters who have grown up so close to each other yet experienced vastly different upbringings. When Elijah and Xavier mingle with the rest of the Canadian troops they are painted with the same brush because of their common ethnic roots, but they are in fact worlds apart from each other culturally. I was forced to wonder how many times I lump all Aboriginal peoples into the same category without stopping to consider the unique situations of different peoples and groups.
Boyden weaves a disturbing theme through the novel with the story of the windigo killer. It was recognized among this group of First Nations that, in times of hardship and starvation, people might be driven to eat the flesh of the deceased. This often led to craziness, or “going windigo”. A member of the tribe was set apart as the “windigo killer”, to be called upon in such situations to kill the offending persons and prevent them from further damaging the community. Xavier’s aunt Niska has inherited this role from her father and recalls instances where she and her father were called on to carry out this task. We noted in our discussion that the people who were driven to cannibalism had always, for one reason or another, left the community and found themselves alone when they committed cannibalism. By contrast, even in times of extreme starvation, members who remained in the community found ways to support each other and eke out a meagre subsistence. According to the tradition of the windigo killer, the needless consumption of human flesh drives people crazy.
In a similar vein, when Elijah and Xavier are cut off from community in the trenches of Western Europe, they make questionable decisions when dealing with their circumstances. Growing up in the residential school system, Elijah has never had the support of a real community; in the battlefields he holds himself accountable to no one. As Elijah and Xavier strive to prove themselves the best snipers, their consumption of human flesh moves into the realm of horrific.
When contemplating the idea that community can save us from making bad decisions, we asked ourselves whether First Nations today have any sense of community. We have done so much to damage this; when they try to live communally they are often evicted. Regulations and societal norms concerning the number of residents under one roof have undermined their ability to band together in community. In this sense, we have found a way to be racist without seeming it.
Some of the other themes we discussed include language, drug use, the different ways the characters in the novel manifest their guilt, and similarities between residential school systems and foster care. Joseph Boyden has given us an inspiring and thought-provoking read.
Do you like a good books? Looking for some people to chat with about a good read? Stay tuned for the next meeting of the ESPC book club!
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Sunday, 05 February 2012 
