Medicine Walk By Richard Wagamese Analysis

Evil in Humanity

From the beginning of time, humanity has been shaped by the inescapable circumstances that frequently emerge from surrounding social climates and impulsivity in decisions of peers or leaders. The fate of one’s future predominantly relies on the hand they are dealt, whether it affects aspects of one’s life favourably or quite the opposite. The book Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese is an emotional story about how being caught in a hindering situation can permanently destroy one’s life and the family or friends surrounding them. Often traumatic experiences can invoke an unstoppable evil in certain individuals, in obvious or more subtle ways. Evidently, it is in human nature to respond negatively to negativity and positively …show more content…
Eldon specifically makes the decision to not have a role in his son’s life. He lazily tries to redeem himself but fails to be a proper father, ultimately proving he can not go back on the negligent decision he originally made. By abandoning his son at birth due to the guilt of his alcoholism, rather than vowing to be a good father and put his mistakes behind him, he misses yet another great opportunity for redemption. Seemingly, even after attempting to reunite with his son, he does it nonchalantly and acts without respect. It is on Franklin’s tenth birthday that Eldon appears to have stopped drinking and tries to look presentable for his son. However it is revealed to be a ruse and he further damages his relationship with his child by getting drunk in front of him during their picnic - widening the agonizing divide between them. 10 year old Franklin leaves a note for his drunken father after having to drive him home, clearly upset and feeling betrayed -“You lied to me! Was all it said in big childlike letters”(134). The two do not engage with each other for a long period of time after that. Eldon treats his son like garbage the few times they interact, filling their relationship with further empty promises and pain. Franklin later describes his relationship with his father by saying “Wars nearly over,”(169) when his father …show more content…
This take on reality can further chip away at the people around the inflicted individual. They can appear to not care about anything anymore, as is it recognized that they have thrown everything away, blocking out the last strained bit of light amidst the darkness engulfing them. Even when his own life is at jeopardy, Eldon does not think twice about drinking and wants nothing but to forget his pain and to disappear. It is at this point that the hole he dug himself into is far too deep to escape, he shows the reader that he is forever stuck and has given up almost entirely. Throughout his whole life, his alcoholism stays by his side and slowly leads to his death. The thing that kills his relationships and the person he loves the most, ends up killing him in a somewhat fitting way. Even after going through all this pain, instead of apologizing to his son for his actions, he continues to drink every single day. He forces Franklin to drag him to his death and bury him in an honourable way he evidently doesn’t deserve. Franklin hints that he doesn’t forgive him in the dialogue they have while his father is dying. Eldon, full of guilt, confesses that he killed his friend - although it is brief, their conversation, “‘You figure you might be able to forgive me Frank?’ ‘I ain’t the one that has to.’”(169) reveals that Eldon has hurt numerous people that needed his apology much more