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Essay / Archetypal Theory on the Three Day Road
While reading the novel “The Three Day Road,” I discovered that there are various archetypal themes and characters that inhabit the story. To see these archetypes, I had to analyze the text and dig deeper because it was hidden. The characters that I found to have archetypal personality types were the three main characters: Xavier who is the protagonist, Elijah who is Xavier's best friend, and Niska who is Xavier's aunt, also the protagonist. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay From my understanding, Xavier shows the characteristics of an outcast and a hero. Since Xavier is the narrator, he likes to describe events and while analyzing, I found that Xavier is similar to the Hero archetype because he represents what he is good at while showing courage, but also differentiates himself because that he doesn't feel like a hero. must deserve credit for doing good. A good example is when Xavier hears the other soldiers talking: “'It's Elijah who's the killer,' Gray Eyes suddenly says. 'X just places for him. Elijah told me how X threw up the first time he saw Elijah get killed. …I leave quietly so they don't know I've been there with my ears burning” (Boyden 88), he doesn't let the enemy know he's in the wrong, even if it affects his honor. This quote demonstrates how Xavier has a good mindset and his belief in doing the right thing by helping Elijah defeat the Germans. Another case of Xavier that this statement shows is that Xavier is not constrained by a sense of duty. He realizes that what the soldiers are trying to say is that Xavier is futile and that Elijah doesn't need him, but he gives them a chance to accept what they need, even if they have not the slightest idea of reality without Xavier Elijah would not have the strength to defeat the Germans. Xavier always portrays Elijah as the trickster when he regularly fools the English-speaking soldiers with his fake dialect and accent, making them appear as if he is one of them. The reason why I Elijah is a trickster lies in his activities in the private school where he regularly escapes unpleasantness by cajoling the nuns. Another basic thing that Elijah does is talk like the soldiers to deceive them into believing that he is one of them. Elijah uses their intonation, as well as the same type of vocabulary, for example: "'Dear Henry,' said Elijah, 'would you be a nice guy and make me a cup of tea?' » (Boyden 125). This quote shows exactly how much of a trickster Elijah can be when talking with the English. Although when he speaks with Xavier he is truthful, unlike when he speaks to the English it is all lies and deception. As indicated by her support of Xavier and the way she uses spirituality to guide her, I imagine Niska portrays the qualities of a mentor and magician. There are two statements that truly demonstrate such a case in Niska's character. The main quote is where Niska describes how she showed Xavier when he was a child: "I taught you [Xavier] everything I knew about the bush, the best way to trap rabbits and how to use their fur to protect yourself from the cold... what. plants and herbs were edible and had healing properties” (Boyden 186). This statement implies that everything Xavier knows and does would not be conceivable without the information Niska provided him. Xavier's mother was desperate after his father died, she put Xavier in a private school because she couldn't.