Reflection

After only a couple of chapters, I have completely entered into the fields of death. With gruesome and gut-wrenching imagery, the setting of World War Two just seems too real. Joseph Boyden effectively uses setting and character to carefully craft a rich plot line  In the heart of the battle, we are given a close feeling of what it was like to be an aboriginal fighting in the war. Both strenuous and heart-breaking, soldiers were put in the front of the line to protect their nation; Canada, a country that didn't even accept First Nations people at that time. It really contrasts immensely when compared to today’s society. However, are First Nations people treated with the same respect as other nationalities? Often it is hard to determine a scale, but I believe that although we have come a long way since World War Two even though there is still a tight conflict between both the First Nations and the government as well as the people of Canada. By underlining this conflict, Joseph Boyden continues to deepen the conflict by adding an atmosphere of suspense and fearful situations. In addition, with a close look into the characters Elijah and Xavier’s minds, the plot just becomes that more serious. Also, character development is also a big factor in strengthening plot. “Three Day Road” experiments with flashbacks, often going back and forwards in time to give hints and structure to a variety of aspects including character development as well as plot. In the story, there are two main characters which include Xavier and Elijah. In contrast to Elijah, Xavier is more controlled and smart. Xavier thinks entire situations out and is structurally organized. These contrasting attributes plays with the interactions between Xavier and Elijah, which effectively act as character foils. All in all, “Three Day Road” so far has been a great read.