Addiction In Three Day Road

Anybody can be trapped by addiction. Addiction is a habit of activity that targets and transforms people who have endured pain in their heart. There are a few factors that make some people more vulnerable to addiction than others. Moreover, Joseph Boyden depicts a certain character, Elijah, in the novel, Three Day Road, that is more vulnerable to addiction. Encountering bad experiences in one’s childhood, possessing a desire to fit in and a greed for power makes people more vulnerable to addiction.
People who have had traumatic experiences in their childhoods are more vulnerable to experiencing addiction. Elijah’s past was somber, lonely and unfortunate because he was raised in a residential school and grew up as an orphan. Growing up in such …show more content…
Elijah’s addiction to morphine, collecting human scalps and his blood lust is proof of wanting recognition and a place to fit in because he wants to be recognized and show others what he is capable of. Elijah did not start to use morphine, collect human scalps or develop an addiction to killing without any reason. The reason why he is more vulnerable to addiction is because he wants a place to belong and be recognized by others. Second of all, Elijah is vulnerable to addiction because he wants to be acknowledged by the Frenchmen as a good shot. This shows that Elijah wants to earn respect and recognition from the Frenchmen. This motivates Elijah to collect human scalps and develop a love for killing which eventually turns into an addiction. In addition, Elijah is more vulnerable to addiction because he wants to fit in and become more like the wemistikoshiw. For this reason, he attempts to speak in a British accent and starts using morphine and other drugs such as marijuana. Xavier notices how Elijah becomes angry and tries to hide his anger after Grey Eyes’ claims that he does not have any “tea”: “‘Would you be a kind chap and make me a cup of tea?’ ‘I’m afraid I’m out of tea, Elijah,’ he answers” (Boyden 144). This shows Elijah’s drug addiction because he never used drugs until Grey Eyes’ offered them to Elijah. Elijah could have declined, however he is more vulnerable to addiction …show more content…
Elijah admits that he feels empowered, physically stronger, happier and calmer after using morphine. Since the morphine makes him feel strong, happy and calm, this increases the chance of Elijah taking morphine over and over again to feel invincible. It is natural to want to feel strong, happy and calm, therefore, using the morphine over and over again fulfils that and leads to addiction. Furthermore, Elijah’s belief of being invincible makes him more vulnerable to addiction because he quickly becomes addicted by repeatedly killing and thinking that he has unbeatable power over everybody. Likewise, he thinks he is indestructible, allowing him to think he can freely kill whoever he wants without anything getting in his way. For this reason, Elijah becomes addicted to killing from the obsession with power. In addition, Elijah’s need to be invincible makes him more vulnerable to addiction because he becomes addicted to collecting human scalps to be recognized as the best hunter and honoured by the Frenchmen. Elijah will do anything he can to be honoured by the Frenchmen, including collecting “trophies” as evidence of his kills: “[Elijah] smiles. ‘And what will collecting these trophies really do for me?’ [Elijah] asks. ‘They will buy you honour among us,’ Francis says. ‘And we are honourable men.’” (Boyden 204). Accordingly, Elijah becomes addicted to scalping humans in order to feel powerful and be accepted