Charles Darwin once said, “A moral being is one who is capable of comparing his past and future actions or motives, and of approving or disapproving of them”. Darwin’s insight into morality is often challenged by the inherent imperfection of human nature. For instance, assimilation is one of many experiences that can have an impact on one’s values and beliefs. However, the interplay between assimilation and moral integrity is not straightforward, but rather depends on one’s identity. Niska and Xavier in Three Day Road both exude a strong sense of morals, which allows them to not succumb to assimilation. Despite the many adversaries that Xavier faces throughout his life, his moral integrity remains steadfast and strong. Additionally, Niska stays
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During his time at the residential school and in World War I, he experiences assimilation into wemistikoshiw culture. However, he never truly accepts their way of life, and retains his own identity. This resiliency is shown through his time as a new soldier, when he comments, “Me, I won’t sing their songs. I have my own songs” (Boyden 15). Referring to the songs that the other soldiers chant, he refuses to associate with anything related to them. This underlying sense of the “Us vs. Them” mentality instilled in Xavier originates from his upbringing as a child. As Jerome Kagan explains, “The experience of attachment in early childhood may attenuate the experience of inequality by empowering the child in relation to the parent, who otherwise seems unmovable and all-powerful” (282). Xavier emanates a strong sense of self and identity, which originates from his mother figure Niska. Consequently, Xavier’s childhood experiences are crucial in ensuring the continuation of his morals throughout his time in the …show more content…
Although Niska spends most of her time in the bush, wemistikoshiw culture nevertheless manages to affect her life. Niska’s childhood is not characterized completely by residential schooling, but rather by the wisdom and knowledge she learns from her family. The knowledge Niska absorbs is immense; “My mother showed me the magic deep in the bush that is as real, as alive as the flashing glow of the Wawahtew, the North Lights. She spent the next years teaching me some of it” (Boyden 83). These skills that Niska acquires in her childhood determine how she will adapt to assimilation as she matures. Furthermore, her hatred for the wemistikoshiw that arises from the loss of her father is a driving force in her strengthening morals. As her father is arrested by the police, Niska recounts, “I cursed them with everything I had as they receded with my father into their own world” (44). This traumatic experience related to white culture ensures Niska’s intolerance to assimilation in later years. Since she associates her father’s death with the wemistikoshiw, Niska not only resists assimilation, but seeks revenge for her father. When Niska is finally taken to the residential school, she demonstrates that she has already refused their assimilation; “I watched as the younger children were beaten with switches and forced to eat food from the floor like dogs, but something in my eyes must have
During his time at the residential school and in World War I, he experiences assimilation into wemistikoshiw culture. However, he never truly accepts their way of life, and retains his own identity. This resiliency is shown through his time as a new soldier, when he comments, “Me, I won’t sing their songs. I have my own songs” (Boyden 15). Referring to the songs that the other soldiers chant, he refuses to associate with anything related to them. This underlying sense of the “Us vs. Them” mentality instilled in Xavier originates from his upbringing as a child. As Jerome Kagan explains, “The experience of attachment in early childhood may attenuate the experience of inequality by empowering the child in relation to the parent, who otherwise seems unmovable and all-powerful” (282). Xavier emanates a strong sense of self and identity, which originates from his mother figure Niska. Consequently, Xavier’s childhood experiences are crucial in ensuring the continuation of his morals throughout his time in the …show more content…
Although Niska spends most of her time in the bush, wemistikoshiw culture nevertheless manages to affect her life. Niska’s childhood is not characterized completely by residential schooling, but rather by the wisdom and knowledge she learns from her family. The knowledge Niska absorbs is immense; “My mother showed me the magic deep in the bush that is as real, as alive as the flashing glow of the Wawahtew, the North Lights. She spent the next years teaching me some of it” (Boyden 83). These skills that Niska acquires in her childhood determine how she will adapt to assimilation as she matures. Furthermore, her hatred for the wemistikoshiw that arises from the loss of her father is a driving force in her strengthening morals. As her father is arrested by the police, Niska recounts, “I cursed them with everything I had as they receded with my father into their own world” (44). This traumatic experience related to white culture ensures Niska’s intolerance to assimilation in later years. Since she associates her father’s death with the wemistikoshiw, Niska not only resists assimilation, but seeks revenge for her father. When Niska is finally taken to the residential school, she demonstrates that she has already refused their assimilation; “I watched as the younger children were beaten with switches and forced to eat food from the floor like dogs, but something in my eyes must have