The Symbols Of Personification In Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road

Identity determines the qualities and beliefs that distinguish or identify a person or thing. Going back into Canadian history, the children of the Indigenous community were taken from their families and placed in residential schools where they were forced to follow Christian traditions, forbidden to practice their own. As years went by, the Indigenous children adapted to the culture of the ‘white man’ country, forgetting where they came from and leaving their roots behind. Joseph Boyden uses the character of Elijah in his novel Three Day Road to illustrate the theme of identity loss through literary devices such as personification, irony and symbolism.
Personification is assigning human attributes to non-human things and is a literary technique …show more content…
Right when Elijah’s addiction begins, he seeks more morphine from Grey Eyes who does not grant him any and tells Elijah to ask the medic. Xavier sees that, “Elijah contemplates what Grey Eyes has suggested. I can also see that Elijah’s tempted to take his knife to Grey Eyes’ throat,” (144). Elijah seeks the medic however, the medic does not grant him any morphine either. Elijah, “… walks back to the dugout, his anger watered down by fear,” (146). Morphine has made Elijah incapable of controlling his emotions and restless enough that he considers killing a fellow solider. His tears represent frustration and worriedness as he cannot bare the pain of war without the help of the drug. Elijah is unable to think clearly and refuses to go back to his lifestyle before the use of morphine. Moreover, during the battle between Elijah and Xavier right before Elijah dies, Xavier says, “Water splashes on his cheeks. I think it is rain, but then realize that it is my tears,” (369). Water also acts a use of foreshadowing which in this case, is Elijah’s death due to his greed for morphine and ego of recognition in the war. Xavier’s tears represent his sympathy for his childhood friend Elijah and the monster he has become. Accordingly, rain is associated with destructive events throughout the novel.
Elijah is a character within the novel Three Day Road who encounters addiction to morphine, ultimately leading to a loss in identity. Joseph Boyden illustrates this particular theme through literary techniques like personification, irony, and symbolism. Drug addiction and self-identity are both aspects many individuals struggle with on a regular basis. It is important that one upholds their morals and traditions being sure that the outside world does not interfere with their