1. Elijah confesses to Xavier that he had tried morphine with Grey Eyes, but claims it was a one time thing
1.1. After Christmas passes, the boys' unit is sent to Vimy Ridge
1.1.1. Elijah begins to fight his morphine addiction after the raid at Vimy Ridge
1.1.1.1. Xavier tells Niska he will become "child-like" when he runs out of morphine. He only has enough left for one day
1.1.1.1.1. Xavier and his squad walk right into a German trap, and as a result soldiers McCaan and Thompson are killed
2. Xavier becomes home sick, and makes a plan to visit Lisette
2.1. Xavier and Elijah are sent into Passchendaele as scouts, where Elijah accidentally shoots a child
2.1.1. Xavier strangles Elijah to death
3. Niska, Xaviers aunt, will be guiding him on his journey as she shares her stories with her morphine addicted nephew
3.1. Elijah claims numerous German scalps during a raid at Vimy Ridge
3.1.1. The boys successfully take Vimy Ridge from the German soldiers,
3.1.1.1. There are only five of the original privates from the start remaining at this point
4. Puzzle Piece
4.1. Not long after their successful first killings, Xavier and Elijah have gained enough respect to start training as snipers
4.1.1. During the night, Xavier has an epiphany regarding the location of the "hun sniper"
4.2. Grey Eyes tempts Elijah with morphine, which is very interesting to me because Elijah refuses it
4.2.1. Xavier and Elijah are sent out to eliminate opposing German snipers that have been causing problems, and it seems that they are becoming the "go-to" snipers for their squadrant
4.2.1.1. During the raid Elijah rushed his machine gun placement and got wounded, forcing Xavier to pull Elijah out of harms way and finish the machine gun placement
4.2.1.1.1. The French trapper has stopped visiting Niska, and she was fallen in love with him.
4.3. The success the boys are having as snipers is beginning to draw attention from the German Artillary, and other soldiers do not want them around
4.3.1. Xavier has no issues with the fact that other soldiers no longer want him around, as he is happy to be out of the trenches
4.3.1.1. Xavier can tell that Elijah has adopted an addiction to morphine
4.3.1.1.1. Xavier and Elijah's unit moves to the battle of Somme
5. Reminder
5.1. The mentioning of the Ross rifles by Xavier in in the trenches reminds my of history class, and leaning about the Canadian built Ross rifle
5.1.1. The Canadians seeming "inspired by the cold" at Vimy Ridge reminds me of history class, where I learned the same thing
5.2. "I lie still by the fire and even the scent of warm bannock does not make me hungry. My guts are cramped like ropes bind them" This quote reminds me of the first novel I read this semester, "All Quiet on the Western Front" which displayed similar scenes of the horrors in a war trench.
5.3. The friendly competition between Elijah and Xavier reminds me of the competitive nature my friends and i share when we are together
5.3.1. On his journey with Niska, Xavier wonders what has become of Elijah. This reminds me of looking through my elementary school year book and wondering the same about my classmates
5.4. Xavier spotting for Elijah who gets his first kill as a sniper reminds me of hunting with my dad, and calling in the turkeys for him to hunt
5.4.1. The boys spending their remaining days liberating villages reminds me of watching a documentary on Nazi controlled areas in the First World War, and the hell those people went through
5.5. The shooting competition Xavier won by lighting a match with a bullet reminds me of target practice, and trying too hit small pop cans
6. I Wonder
6.1. I wonder how tough it must have been for Xavier to fit in with all the veterans when he got to the Canadian camp
6.1.1. I wonder if Xavier and Elijah are successful at seeking revenge for the death of Sean Patrick
6.1.1.1. I wonder if Elijah actually listens to the French soldiers advice regarding the scalps of dead German soldiers
6.2. I wonder if Xavier will ever learn to cope with his brutal addiction to morphine
6.2.1. I wonder what will happen to Xavier when his last few morphine shots run out
6.2.1.1. I wonder what will come of the visions that Niska has about Xavier in need of rescue
6.2.1.1.1. I wonder what is going to happen now that the Xavier is growing with resentment and jealousy toward Elijah
6.3. I wonder if Xavier dreaming of home is a sign that he is becoming home sick
6.3.1. I wonder what will become of the situation in Somme, since Elijah is still receiving all the fame for the previous raid
6.3.1.1. I wonder how many casualties the two boys witnessed throughout the many battles and raids
6.4. I wonder if Xavier is right about his hunch that Elijah is hiding something from him which could be related to morphine
6.4.1. I wonder how it makes Xavier feel that after the successful raid there is talk of Elijah getting an award, even though he messed up and Xavier had to cover for him
6.4.1.1. I wonder how Elijah could live with himself, knowing that he had taken the life of a young child
6.4.1.1.1. I wonder if Xavier will ever fully be able to recover from the actions he committed over seas
7. Voice
7.1. Smithy does the right thing by accepting Xavier, regardless of his native background
7.1.1. The french soldier who tells Elijah that he should star collecting scalps of the Germans they kill has some serious psychological issues
7.1.1.1. I think that Xavier has issues with Elijah and the fact that he always steals the attention
7.2. Xavier shows solid character by feeling the need to take care of Elijah due to his greater experience
7.2.1. Niska feels betrayed by the French Trapper who she has fallen in love with because the man stops visiting her
7.2.1.1. It must be very scary knowing you can die in the blink of an eye, such as in the town of Lens when the whole group is nearly killed by a single grenade
7.2.1.1.1. Xavier and Elijah should not have had to go through the massive difficulties that they did just because they were native
7.3. I amazes me that they executed the soldier named Gerald for falling asleep during sentry duty. Although his error lead to a German raid, i don't think Gerald received a fair punishment
7.3.1. As Xavier only has a few morphine shots left he no longer hides his addiction from Niska. I don't understand why he didn't just tell her about the addiction earlier
7.3.1.1. Elijah attempts to shoot a duck and misses, then Xavier takes his shot and hits it clean. This must give Xavier some satifaction as there were people watching and he is usually trapped in Elijah's shadow
7.4. Xavier and Elijah are relied upon quite a bit, such as when they are sent to no man's land as part of a raid party to scout out large crators
7.4.1. Back on the battlefield, it appears that Xavier and Elijah are becoming well known in the ranks of snipers
7.4.1.1. Elijah and Xavier have been going through hardships together all the way back to residential school, whee Elijah would steal food for the two of them to leave
7.5. It must be tough for Niska to cope with her fathers death, as she shows signs of frustration towards it
7.5.1. It angers me that Niska had so many troubles in a residential school as a First Nations, i do not agree with her being forced to attend one
7.5.1.1. I like how Niska would pick her battles quite wisely, and find it very funny that she shaved her head in defiance of the nuns
8. Camera
8.1. Xaviers explanation of their arrival at flanders fields is very brutal, and i can picture the photographs from my history class based upon his description of the scene
8.1.1. "I look like i've been painted red. The smell of blood is heavy." This quote allows me to picture the vast amount of blood they are dealing with in the battlefield, because i have experience dealing with blood when cleaning animals
8.2. "I lie still by the fire and even the scent of warm bannock does not make me hungry. My guts are cramped like ropes bind them" This quote helps me picture the hell the soldiers must be facing in the trenches
8.2.1. "Think of all the trees we passed canoeing to the town. Think of how many trees the fire ate. That many, maybe." I have seen devestating forest fires in northern Ontario and can picture the exact scene described in the book
8.3. I am able to picture the leaning statue of virgin Many which acts as a symbol to the Germans'
8.3.1. McCaan saving Xavier from the German soldier strangling him allows me to picture a time when I was in a fight, and one of my teammates came to help bail me out
8.4. The journey by paddle that Xavier and his aunt are on reminds me of last summer, when i took a canoe down the Big Otter river
8.4.1. Xavier often describes/ relates events to nature, because he spent so much time in the wilderness at a young age. "going off with pops, their splinters chasing me like great angry insects."
8.5. "Thompson, Elijah and I sit together, away from the others, and charcoal our faces. Its ritual." This quote reminds me of putting on eye black with my teammates before a football game
9. Character Development
9.1. Elijah and Xavier hunting together at age 12 gives some background information on two of the main characters
9.1.1. Niska, Xavier's aunt begins telling stories of her childhood as a method of soothing Xaiver. Niska has the ability to predict the future
9.1.1.1. Xavier and Elijah begin to earn the respect of the other soldiers after they throw grenades, each killing their first enemy soldier
9.1.1.1.1. After the raid we learn about Xaviers childhood, the fact that he had a distant relationship with his mother Rabbit, and that he was taken to a residential school where Elijah was his only friend
9.2. Xavier begins reminiscing about the war as he injects the morphine needle into himself, showing for the first time his deep addiction to morphine
9.2.1. When Xavier asks Niska to stop paddling the boat, he tells about how he and Elijah were caught in a forest fire in the area during their trip to volunteer for the Canadian Army
9.2.1.1. Niska talks about her hardships, stating that her and her family were forced to move into the Moose Factory and become dependant on the white man.
9.2.1.1.1. Niska traps a French hunter and has her first sexual experience
9.3. Xavier comes to realize the harsh consequences of war when he and Elijah are sent on a mission into no man's land and Xavier is nearly shot
9.3.1. Elijah is very fluent in the english language and an excellent shot with a rifle
9.3.1.1. After eliminating one German sniper on the hunt for the infamous "hun-sniper" Elijah begins to get cocky, while Xavier tries to focus on the task at hand
9.3.1.1.1. Rabbit became an alcoholic, and this was the reason for her distant relationship with her son, as well as why he had to attend residential school