Control or lack thereof is an abstract concept that can be manifested in many ways, shapes, and forms. It can be viewed generally as having authority over others, or in Three Day Road, a type of mental stability and composure. In Joseph Boyden’s novel, the concept of Windigos, a type of cannibalistic psychopath, clearly portray the negative consequences that result from losing one’s sanity, restraint and identity. One of the main characters, Elijah Weesageechak, clearly portrays the characteristic irrationality, recklessness and general insanity of Windigos. The repercussions of this loss of sanity, identity, restraint, eventually demonstrate that losing control of one’s self will ultimately lead to personal degradation, as well as significant …show more content…
When working with Xavier in the sniper’s nest, Elijah ventures out into no man's land, unjustly kills a wounded soldier, and claims that he “helped that soldier find his way to the spirit world”(Boyden,99). In response to this, Xavier sharply tells him to stop, clearly showing the first signs of degradation in their friendship. Since Xavier has a copious amount of respect for Elijah and would never have said anything remotely impolite to him in the past, the fact that he has reached the point of speaking impatiently evidently shows his deteriorating respect for his best friend. Additionally, as he continues to kill and become absorbed into war lifestyle, Elijah’s increasing insanity and irrationality further weakens his mental state and connection with Xavier. While scouting for Germans, Elijah needlessly kills a young German soldier, because he deliriously believes that he was attempting to kill him. As a result of this, Xavier states “I think you did more than just kill that young soldier yesterday”(351), which causes Elijah to become irrationally furious, stating that he “won’t let you or anyone else take [what he wants] away”(351). This growing animosity and disrespect between the two friends undoubtedly shows that Elijah’s escalating behavior