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The Symbols Of Silence In Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road

Decent Essays

As Elbert Hubbard, famous American writer once said “He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.” This quote does a great job at explaining a trend between the main character’s strongest relationships. Xavier and his best friend Elijah are the first example, as well as Xavier and his aunt, Niska in the novel Three Day Road, by Joseph Boyden. In Xavier’s life, different sounds and silence are very important and play a major role in his feelings of safety. The quote speaks to silence as evidence of a significant relationship, which is shown throughout the experiences between both very different relationships along with the struggles they face. On the contrary, in the text there are many examples as to why silence can bring great hardship. The motif of duality is developed through the pattern of silence, as silence can be both a virtue and a burden.

The mixed blessings of silence are shown many times during the story of Xavier’s life. Throughout the book, Xavier’s strongest dependencies with others are highlighted using silence as another form of communication and understanding, which becomes a virtue quite quickly. The readers are able to see the first example of silence’s virtuous nature with a simple but meaningful interaction between Niska and Xavier during a canoe ride, “He does not hear me. I touch my paddle tip to his shoulder. He turns. I say it again and he watches my mouth intently. He lies back without speaking… I push down the

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