Blog Post #5: Feminism Literary Criticism in Three Day Road

     During the time that this novel was set in (1914-1918) women didn't have a say in anything, whether that be politics, or what was happening in their own home. They were expected to listen to their men whether it be their father, brother, or husband. A women was meant to follow the lead of a man. Joseph Boyden does an excellent job of showing how women were discriminated against and were controlled by men during this time. Throughout the novel he only spoke of three female characters: Niska, Lisette, and "the nurse with the pretty mouth" (376). Although Lisette and the nurse were only spoken about a few times throughout the novel, Niska gets her own point of view through which we see her grow into a strong, capable woman.

     Boyden had Niska take Xavier from the residential school and didn't have her really think of what people were going to say about that behind her back, or think when they saw her with a child. "I knew that the old man we walked with wondered about the little boy accompanying me. He knew I was not a mother, but the old man kept his stare straight ahead, his wizened eyes not giving a hint as to what he was thinking." (260) I believe Boyden took a risk with Niska's character then, showing that she doesn't really care what anyone thinks of her as long as she's helping her family. 

     Earlier on before Niska had Xavier to look after she met a Frenchman who she had chosen for a mate "I realized that this is how I thought of his now, as my mate." (165) who you come to find was really only using her for sexual relations. She didn't want to believe that that was true despite what the Kokum told her about him, that he had "half-French, half-Indian children running around." (169), Niska needed to know for her self which shows her persistence. Once she finds him, he takes her into a church and has intercourse with her saying "You are nothing special, just another squaw whore. I took your power away in this place and sent it to burn in hell where it belongs." (174). It turned out that the only reason he was having relations with her was so that he could take her powers away, making her powerless against him. Boyden wanted to make his point about women in that time by showing that a man would do anything to a woman to make her suffer in the end. It seems quite ridiculous that the Frenchman would waste so much time trying to purify her in a way, he wasted months trying to get to her only to try and take her powers even though that really had nothing to do with him. 

     It wasn't just Niska who was taken advantage of though. We find that Lisette was actually a prostitute to whom Elijah "paid a lot money for"(257). In her defense she was only trying to make money for herself as their weren't many jobs for women at that time, and since there was a war going on lots of men would be looking for a quick relationship such as that. 

     Joseph Boyden did a surprisingly well job at showing how women were treated around this time, showing how they suffered in the hands of men and what they did to support themselves.