entry 5

Niska no longer talks about her past, because now Xavier is willing to tell her everything that happened. Elijah, who is known as the Germans killer, has become totally addicted to morphine-he eats very little and his mood is often uncontrolled. Moreover, his becomes more and more blood-thirsty, in order to gain respect to his kills, he even scalps his enemies as proof. Although people who does not know Elijah considers him a hero, but Xavier and those who are close to him know that he is becoming unbalanced and cruel.  Xavier, especially, fears the change in Elijah and tries to avoid him, but because he’s Elijah partner and best friend, he is forced to witness the crimes that Elijah commits- cutting the throat of a young German soldier of their age, stabbing the head of their comrade in order to avoid detention. As Elijah becomes more and more paranoid and unbalanced, Xavier becomes more and more fearful of him and subconsciously knows that one day Elijah’s knife might even point toward him. Finally, when they go to a mission together, Elijah tries to choke Xavier to death; Xavier fights back and kills Elijah. After that, Xavier loses conscious and is transported to the hospital, when he wakes up he finds out that he is mistakenly identified as Elijah but not Xavier, he has also lost his hearing. Xavier then is recognized as a hero for all his killings and sent to a town until Niska picks him up. The whole story ends when Xavier finishes recounting his story and they finally arrive at home.

In these final chapters, the mood is extremely intense because the plot is mostly centred in Elijah whose action has become unpredicted. At first when he’s simply obsessed by killing, but after event happened he realizes that he, like the others, cannot control their fate and may also become a sniper’s target. This realization influenced his bravery and destroyed the last bit of balance in him, he has become insane. Xavier, on the other hand, is struggling with himself; he is torn between his will to survive and his friendship. In the final scene, when he points his sniper at Elijah he hesitated, he knows that he will not be able to survive if he doesn’t kill Elijah, but he also knows that he loves Elijah as a friend. After he is sent to the hospital, he does not correct the others when they identify him as Elijah but instead hopes someone will identify him. This shows that he regrets having killed Elijah and innately hopes that Elijah is the one who lives.

The end is touching that I nearly cried, these are my favourite quotes “I straddle him once more and place the rifle across his throat. I look into Elijah’s eyes. Water splashes on his cheeks. I think it is rain, but then realize that it is my tears.” /”looking down at the ground far below, where I swear Elijah stares up, smiling once more, arms outstretched to me” When I read this part I keep recalling the time they have been together, although Xavier is jealous of Elijah and often complains about him, he still loves Elijah who has become an unseperatable part of him.  I think the reason why Xavier becomes attracted to morphine although he has hated it so much before is not only because of the war, it is also because of he wants to keep something that reminds him of Elijah. Finally, this friendship between them is what attracts me the most in this novel apart from the war. Although it is a sad and realistic story,  three day road is still one of the best novels I’ve ever read.