Three Days Grace Theme

The song “Animal I Have Become” by Three Days Grace is the perfect representation of Pete’s time as a criminal as it personifies the experiences and emotions that he endured during this phase of his life. In both the song and graphic novel, the negative impact that anger can have on an individual is thoroughly discussed. In the song, the lyrics state that along with forcing an individual to become an “animal that no one [can] ever change”, fury can cause one to feel as if they “can’t escape this hell” or “control [theirselves]”. In the same way, Pete’s time with the gang and in jail displayed how his anger caused him to lose control over himself and make countless wrong decisions, such as murdering his mother’s boyfriend and harming an inmate …show more content…
Furthermore, the song and graphic novel explore the suffering and emotional trauma that guilt can cause in an individual’s life. In the song, the regret and self-loathe that the songwriter feels is clearly shown as they know that they have “lied … many times” and forced others to endure their “darkest side”. Similarly, Pete’s decision to abide by the gang’s cruel orders even while in jail, as long as they watched over Joey, proves the remorse that Pete experienced after abandoning Joey and proving to be a negative influence for him. Thus, making it evident that guilt can cause immense pain and emotional trauma in an individual’s life. The song “Animal I Have Become” by Three Days Grace thoroughly illustrates the anger and guilt that Pete experienced during his time as a …show more content…
Both the song and graphic novel explore the huge impact that recitifying one’s mistakes can have in their life. While the song speaks about how “erasing the pain ‘til its gone” and fixing the blunders one had committed would allow individuals to “heal [their] wounds”. Standing up for himself and Joey against his gang, finding a job in order to provide for his family and reconnecting with his daughter allowed Pete to both heal and mend relations with those closest to him. The song and Pete’s life experiences make it evident that correcting broken relations and one’s mistakes leaves only a positive impact in their life. In addition, the song and graphic novel both prove that finding your place in the world is one of the biggest factors which can lead to satisfaction and true happiness. In the song, the songwriter says that when his music allowed him to feel as if he had “somewhere [he] belonged”, he was able to heal and “feel [the contentment that he] never thought was real”. Similarly, by the end of the graphic novel, Pete realized that because his Indigenous culture and the In Search of Your Warrior program gave him a purpose and a sense of belonging, he was able to release his traumatic memories and rebuild his life. The song and the graphic novel clearly show how a