Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote, “there are victories of the soul and spirit. Sometimes, even if you lose, you win”(Brainy). An individual’s ability to maintain spirituality in the face of difficulty defines them by giving purpose to their lives despite impossible circumstances. Throughout history, heroic acts of duty have often led to tragedy and destruction, and morality and identity are often contemplated and questioned. Joseph Boyden's novel Three Day Road tells the story of two young aboriginal men, Xavier Bird and Elijah Whiskeyjack and their personal struggles through the course of their lives and specifically within the horror of war. It is a story about friendship, lost innocence, and contrasting and colliding cultures and beliefs. That innocence and morality cannot exist in war, that moral conduct coexists with abuse and corruption, and that progressive bloodlust and spiritual revulsion cohabitate within each of us is what ultimately divides these characters. …show more content…
I watch them move on a short way, and when their backs are turned, I force myself to roll away from the parapet’s edge. Now I can move to save myself, but I could do nothing for him. I am a coward, and the thought of living through this moment takes over my limbs. (Boyden 316)
Despite going to great lengths to justify and distance himself from the atrocities of war, Xavier, turns into the very thing that has consumed his conscious. As he strangles Elijah with the rifle, he states “You have gone mad. There is no coming back from where you’ve traveled” (Boyden 370). The irony is that in killing Elijah, whom he believes has become a Windigo; he too has become a monster. In this one act, Xavier has crossed the line between being morally correct and incorrect and the start of a new journey towards spiritual fulfillment in the aftermath of war