meeting the weekly "Quota" (down under mates!)

The book "Three Day Road" by Joseph Boyden, is full of great quotes because the book is largley written as characters reflect upon their past experiences. The first quote id like to introduce is when the protagonist, Xavier is lying beside his friend Elijah when Elijah injects morphine into himself. Xavier recounts how "since being wounded in our raid, he has given up fighting the morphine." (pg. 192). This marks the beginning of Elijah's transformation. As the story progresses he becomes more and more dependant on the drug to funtion, and his demeanour changes and becomes very malicous. Many men became dependant on morphine during the war, and it was a part of the war that continued to effect people after the fighting had stopped. In the novel, Elijah has a friend named Grey Eyes who is notorious in the company for his morphine abuse. Elijah eventually tells Xavier that on the journey over to Europe, he tried morphine at Grey Eyes behest. For months, Elijah struggled with his fascination over the drug and the out of body experience he had his first time. His knowledge that the drug will turn him into a fiend detters him, but eventually he gives in and becomes a monster. It is this man vs. himself struggle that is embodied throughout the book. From Xavier hesitating to kill, to his aunt Niska and her responsibilities as a holy woman contrasting with her natural desires.

This brings me to my next quote which takes place as Xavier is strangling Elijah to death on the battlefield. ""You have gone mad. There is no coming back from where you've travelled." I press down harder. Elijah's eyes shine with tears. His face grows a dark red. He tries to whisper words to me but I know that I cannot allow Elijah to speak them. I must finish this. I have become what you are Niska.". This quote is significant not only because it shows the extent of Elijah's madness, but it illustrates the unspoken role of Niska's bloodline in their native culture. Niska's father was a shaman of sorts and would direct hunters to prey during times of need, and who would communicate with spirits and proform spiritual tasks. One of these such tasks is to kill individuals who are driven mad (usually by lack of food in the winter) and kill and eat another human. Since Elijah has become obsessed at this point with killing, Xavier recognizes that he must take his life.

The final quote is one that is said by more of a secondary character in the story. The man is a french fur trapper with whom Niska has sexual relations with. "He laughed. "I fucked you in a church," he said, and smiled. I smiled back at him. "I fucked the heathen Indian out of you in this church," he said, but this time the smile was not happy. "I took your ahcahk," he said to me, the smile gone now. "Do you understand. I fucked your ahcahk, your spirit"". This is a powerful moment in the story, and marks the turning point in Niska's life where she realizes she was born into a special bloodline that was not meant for corrupted cities and racist attitudes. She was meant to live as her ancestors before her, and utilize her talents to help preserve their culture that is being swallowed by the white men and their greed.