Innocence Shattered

Throughout the Joseph Boyden’s novel “Three Day Road”, there is an undeniable sense of innocence shattered; purity shredded to rags. Quotes from this novel will bring to light this theme and the areas in which Xavier, the main character, loses his innocence.
“He hoped that I would get a good souvenir from him. And I do. When I find the sniper, I see in the darkness that his face is a black smear. I had hit him dead on the nose. I go through his pockets” (139).
The first way in which Xavier’s virtue is destroyed is in his regard for human life. When Xavier first enters the war, the devastation and incessant killing makes him sick and miserable, in very obvious ways. His narratives describe the murdering that surrounds him as dreadful, and he vomits when he first sees a man get killed by a sniper’s bullet. But the war wears on Xavier, it instils its values into him. As this quote shows, he has gone from the miserable soldier to the accomplished killer, and has successfully ended the life of one of the finest German snipers. Through the cavalier description of the body, it is evident that Xavier has lost his regard for human life. But beyond just disregard, he now sees the enemy life as a prize to be captured; in his twisted mind, a souvenir is almost his justification for ending his opponent’s life. He has lost an enormous part of the innocence he once possessed, and this quote clearly shows this.
“If I am to take all of [the morphine] at once and in this way end my pain for good, I will have to do it soon. Only a few needlefuls are left, and I do not know what I will do when it’s gone” (177).
The second form of Xavier’s innocence that is ruined is his natural aversion to the drug morphine. When he is new to the war, Xavier sees the subtle yet sometimes devastating effects of morphine, and swears to himself never to take it. Another soldier named Grey Eyes is addicted to the drug, and Xavier’s makes continuous disapproving comments, and even goes so far as to blame Grey Eyes and morphine for the death of fellow soldier Sean Patrick. But as time progresses and Xavier’s friend Elijah describes the effects of the drug, disgust turns into curiosity, and a desire to use the morphine. And once again Xavier’s innocence is shattered, as we see him return from the war a morphine addict; the drug defining his life as can be seen in the quote.
“I listen and try to fight the anger that comes to me when Elijah does these stupid things. It isn’t fair” (99).
Although much more subtle than the others, the last area in which the war damages Xavier is equally devastating; his slowly waning friendship with Elijah. When Xavier and Elijah first enter the war, they are as close as brothers, and the only hope Xavier has in the bleak World War I landscape is his friendship with Elijah. But even from the beginning, the two friends take very different paths. Where Xavier resists the dishonourable practices of the war, Elijah embraces them. Elijah also likes to boast and promote himself, and is very talkative, whereas Xavier says next to nothing to the other soldiers. Although these two friends are so close, these differences become planted between them, and Xavier holds bitter resentment towards Elijah.