Francis Character Analysis in Three Day Road

A soldier in the French Army during World War I. Elijah meets Francis in a wrecked French town, where Francis tells Elijah about Peggy, an Indian sniper who isn’t given credit for his kills because his racist officers didn’t believe him. “Avoid what happens to Peggy,” Francis says to Elijah. “Do what we do. Collect evidence of your kills. Do what my people taught your people a long time ago. Take the scalp of your enemy as proof. Take a bit of him to feed you.” Francis’s advice is important because it is reflected in Elijah’s madness when he “goes windigo” (is infected by an evil Anishnabe spirit), but it also disrupts popular stereotypes of Indians as uncivilized savages who scalp innocent victims. Here, scalping is directly attributed to the French (the wemistikoshiw), not Indigenous people. In this way, it is the French wemistikoshiw who are savages, not the Indians.

Francis Character Timeline in Three Day Road

The timeline below shows where the character Francis appears in Three Day Road. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...go from house to house and visit with different units and soldiers. A Frenchman named Francis approaches Elijah. “You do not look like the Canadians that I have seen,” Francis says.... (full context)

“I’ve heard of one of you Indians, a Canadian too,” Francis says to Elijah. “His name is Peggy, and he works alone.” Elijah stares. “I hear... (full context)

...Elijah and the others put charcoal on their faces, and he thinks about the Frenchman, Francis. Xavier shudders. He thinks Francis is “windigo.” When Elijah and the others return, Elijah is... (full context)

...is talk that the French army will be there. Elijah wonders if he will see Francis. The next day, they go out to “no man’s land,” and Elijah and Xavier can... (full context)