Three Day Road Blog

The scene I have chosen proves to be an awakening for Xavier and his fellow soldiers, which opens their eyes to the true horror of war. It is the first friend of Xavier’s killed in the war and installs a sense of panic within him. Unfortunately, Xavier notices minutes earlier that both Sean Patrick, who is sniping, and Grey Eyes, who is working the plate, have been using the same position too long and Grey Eyes is not paying close enough attention to his job. Sean Patrick is shot directly in the neck by the notorious German sniper and his eyes widen with the terror of what is coming. The following excerpt depicts the terror of the scene, I bend back down to fill sandbags when I hear Gilberto shouting for help. When I look over, I see ten yards from me Sean Patrick on the ground writhing like a snake and grabbing his neck, blood spurting out in impossible amounts, his eyes wide with terror of what is coming. I run to him. We all run to him, McCaan and Elijah, Graves and Fat who’ve become closer and closer over the last months like a skinny father and his heavy son. We stand over Sean Patrick dumbly, none of us really knowing what to do, in shock at the sight of bright red blood pumping from between his fingers clenched so hard that it appears to be chocking himself, McCaan kneeling & fumbling to help. (111) Following this scene, the rest of the book begins to sound like the horrible war that we learn about in history textbooks. There is a sudden urge for payback and revenge in Sean Patrick’s name that cannot be quenched. This scene marks the end of Xavier’s innocence along with many others.