"Three Day Road" theme: Throughout Adversity, Spirit Prevails

1. Man and Earth

1.1. After European colonization, Residential schools were set up to instill English language and Christian religion into young Native Americans. These were very abusive environments that rid all Indigenous children of their culture. Niska's mother had rescued her when she was placed into the school so that she could come back to learn the ways of her people. Similarly, Niska had rescued Xavier and taught him to live in the bush. They keep their language and ways of life.

1.2. Elijah and Xavier bring their skills of hunting to the battlefield. This allows them to excel on duty far more than their fellow soldiers. They wear moccasins when sniping to be quiet and less awkward in their movements. Their shooting technique is from their home, it feels natural to them. "We lie for hours during the day, me spotting, Elijah with rifle ready, not flinching a muscle, breathing long and deep and very slow so that a rhythm comes to the both of us. A spell descends on us and makes us a part of the earth" (Boyden 79). In this observation from Xavier, he relays how these actions are in his and Elijah's blood. They are recognized for their Cree ways of hunting.

2. Man and Animal

2.1. Xavier is called into General Breech's office one evening because he failed to report to Stand To. After making up a believable story to explain his whereabouts, Breech is still on his case. At one point, he asks Xavier to swat down a birds nest because the chirping irritates him. He outright refuses. He would never think of killing those birds for no reason.

2.2. On the boat ride over to England, Xavier ends up feeling sick and moves to stay in the lower decks with the animals. There is a storm that rocks the boat, the horses losing their balance and falling over. One of their horses had broken its legs as a result and was in a lot of pain. Xavier retrieves a gun and shoots the horses in the head to put them out of their misery. Xavier can sense when other animals are in pain and cannot be healed.

2.3. In several instances, characters in the novel connect with the land and animals, they feel the presence of their Gitchi Manitou (great spirit) in all that is around them. Native Americans see animals equal to people in status and some animals are sacred to certain tribes. When Niska was young, men in her clan brought home a black bear slung on a pole. This was important, as black bears were representative of their people. "The bear was our brother, and so he was invited in. Nothing was rushed. Nothing was to be wasted for fear of angering him" (Boyden 35). Afterwards, Niska's parents prayed for a long time, thanking the bear for its sacrifice. Their spirit allows them to connect with the animals around them.

3. Spirit is Respectful: Main characters show appreciation to animals

4. Man and Man

4.1. Niska's father has a strong connection with other people. As leader of his clan, he must keep his community safe. When Niska is young, a man named Micah leaves the clan with his wife and baby to find game. When he fails and dies from the cold, the wife uses meat from the corpse to keep her and the baby alive. She returns to the clan, slowly becoming mad. Her father executes the wife and baby to protect them from living with such a horrific act. This is not easy, but his will is strong.

4.2. Niska is a young woman who has assumed the position of her late father in her community. In two instances in the novel, she is visited by people whom have windigos (cannibal) living in their village that are beginning to harm others as a result of the mental trauma. Niska wants her people to be safe, be free. When her nephew didn't understand why she would do such a thing, Niska thought, "I needed to explain to you that I was a healer, and that sometimes healing entailed cutting out the sickness" (Boyden 245).

4.3. Xavier is afflicted with the issue of his own best friend, Elijah, becoming a windigo. He is bloodthirsty, having the highest kill count that anyone knows of. Xavier realizes that Elijah can never return to sanity. He has murdered people. Elijah's true shows through in between his bouts of insanity and blood lust, but they end up dying with him. There is a struggle between Xavier and Elijah until Xavier makes a decision, "The words from that letter come back to me then, Niska. Do what you have to" (Boyden 339-340). Xavier is killing Elijah, emptying him of his poison. "I must finish this. I have become what you are, Niska" (Boyden 340).

5. Spirit is Strong: Characters complete difficult tasks

6. Spirit is Guiding: Characters reclaim their culture