Blog #6 Setting means a lot

In Three Day Road the setting is a big deal, not just where, but when it takes place. Xavier and Niska's home is somewhere in the woods of Northern Ontario, Canada where they live life on their own away from society with the exception of running into town sometimes for supplies.

Source: www.myphotodump.com

 Niska has been living in the woods her whole life surviving year by year fending, and hunting for herself after her fathers death as well as taking care of others in need. At this time most Aboriginal people were being offered to live on reserves where their own people besides government agents would live. As well if the government were aware that you had a child they would more than likely try to take them away to Residential schools where they would be taught how to live, and talk like a wemistikoshiw erasing from their minds the teachings of their parents Aboriginal culture. Living in the woods gave Xavier, and Elijah an advantage in the war with all their training hunting animals for most of their lives knowing their environment, and how to use it to their advantage to kill animals to survive. The War is a very important setting of the book taking place in lot's of different areas each presenting a challenge for Xavier and Elijah to overcome. The terrain was cruel, and unforgiving with the trench warfare being muddy, watery, and dangerous with the constant bombardment of enemy artillery shells booming in the background.

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Xavier and Elijah adapted well to the environment  though using it to their advantage as snipers using the sun to block enemy vision, night time to provide them with invisibility, and the ground to provide cover from the enemy. The traditional Aboriginal way of life gave Xavier and Elijah them this advantage in the war that the modern living wemistikoshiw couldn't ever have. It was so important that Aboriginal people joined the war with their natural talent, and should've gotten a lot more respect back then for fighting for their country that has treated them so poorly.