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Medicine Walk
By Richard Wagamese
Book Summary
Denise Alianza
Victoria Brunner
Julia Colarusso
Christian Giusto,
Isabella Ferrari,
Serena Trotti,
Sebastian Romanino-McDonald
The Journey to Redemption
Summary
Main Plot:
-Exposition: Franklin visits his ill father
-Inciting Incident: Eldon and Franklin go on a journey to a burial site
-Rising Action: Franklin and Eldon embarks on their journey
-Climax: The death of Eldon Starlight
Textual References
"the skin hanging off the bones like a loose tent" (Wagamese, 13)
Textual References
DESCRIBING ELDON'S CONDITION
"The liver, he said. She's shot." (Wagamese, 39)
RICHARD WAGAMESE
About The Author
SUBPLOTS
Plot Development
Subplot #1
SUBPLOT #1
- Franklin comes to term with his Aboriginal background
- Grows up without father, taken care of old man
- Audience learns how Eldon let Franklin down multiple times
-How their relationship as father and son became incredibly strained
Subplot #2
-Eldon talks about life before Franklin
-Eldon fought in the war
-Eldon's background and why he became an alcoholic
-How he met Franklin's mother
-Introduction of Angie (mother) and Bunky (mother's ex-lover)
SUBPLOT #2
Plots
Converge
Plots Converge
- Angie dies
- Eldon falls back to his alcoholic ways
- Gives him to the Old Man
- Franklin grows up under his watch
- Eventually grows up and takes Eldon on a journey
Character Development
Franklin
Eldon
Character Development
-Finds his identity
-Comes to understand his Father's life (Love & Forgiveness)
-He cursed at the world, at his own sorry history, and at himself for caring.” (p, 238)
-Path of Redemption
-Forgiveness
-Guilt
-Love
-Comes to terms with his past
-"Pour it out. The hooch. Pour it out. Get rid of it" (p. 112)
Themes
Themes
Love and Betrayal
- Eldon's parental love motivates him to start journey
- Angie and Eldon's love leads to betrayal
- Bunky takes in Frank because he loves Angie
Love and Betrayal
Social Isolation
- racism in town and school
- Eldon couldn't get a job because he was mixed race
- "rejects" isolated in one home
- Frank can't relate to any of his classmates
Social Hardships
Quotes
Textual References
"Suit yourself...Indian" (p,9)
"White man things was what we needed to learn if we was gonna eat regular" (p,49)
Redemption and Identity
- Frank doesn't know about his heritage or who he is
- Eldon says he "owes" time and stories
Redemption and Identity
Forgiveness
Guilt
- Eldon can't forgive himself for killing Angie and Jimmy
- Frank and Bunky forgive Eldon
Guilt and Forgiveness
- Eldon killing Angie and Jimmy
- Eldon abandons Frank and mom
- Frank cares about Eldon when he shouldn't
Quotes
Textual References
"Then it was just guilt an' shame over leavin' her alone...I dealt with it the only way I knew how." (p,100)
"You figure you might be able to forgive me, Frank?"
"I ain't the one that has to." (p,169)
Literary Devices
Symbols, Metaphor, and Similes
Literary Devices
Irony and Idioms
Similes, Metaphors, and Symbols
"Wars over, Eldon." (p, 238)
Symbols, Metaphor, and Similes
‘“You know. Like a kid. Watching you, you’re like a kid with a stick making circles in the sand because you don’t know how to shape words yet.”’ (p, 196)
Irony and Idioms
“Blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb”
Eldon was dying to Alcohol, but he needed it to live
Irony and Idioms
External Conflicts
External Conflicts
Ind. Vs. Society
- Rejection of Aboriginal peoples by society (Franklin and Eldon)
- Rejection from Aboriginal peoples for not being fully Aboriginal
- Rejection from other cultures for being of Aboriginal background
Individual vs. Society
Ind. Vs. Ind.
- Eldon vs Bunky
- Eldon vs Franklin
Individual vs. Individual
Internal Conflict
Individual vs Oneself
Internal Conflicts
Eldon
- alcoholic
- PTSD from war
- mental pain and physical abuse
- guilt
Eldon
Franklin
- disappointed with himself
Franklin
Hard Truths Found in This Story
- People will always come and go in and out of your life
- People will let you down
- Life will disappoint you
- You will feel alone sometimes
- You will want to give up
Message of Story
Things get Better
- This is all inevitable
- You do not have control over other people, but you do have control over yourself
- Life is full of disappointments, but life is also full of beauty and harmony
- All about balance
- There is always a light at the end of the tunnel
- Never too late to turn things around
- You are not alone