Thematic Essay
The novel “Medicine Walk” written by Richard Wagamese shows the devastating story of two characters. One of the characters is Eldon who is an alcoholic and is the father of Frank. In the book, it shows how in Eldon’s early life he loses many loved ones which changes who he is. As time goes on, Eldon resorts to alcohol as a way to shelter his pain. This toxic substance forces Eldon to change his identity to something he is not. Through the use of flashbacks and hidden symbolism “Medicine Walk” demonstrates how people’s identities are transformed when they can’t get over the loss of a loved one.
The first glimpse of identity change is shown in Eldon when at a young age he loses his father. His father meant a lot to him and was …show more content…
Which meant a lot to Eldon since he mainly spent time with his mother during his childhood. After Eldon’s father’s death his mother has an affair with another man named Jenks. Eldon feels as if his mother isn’t spending much time with him but is instead spending more time with Jenks. Eldon leaves his mother which forces him to change once again. “Felt like I was no account and it pissed me off. Made walkin’ away easier, but the anger cooled after a time. Then it was just guilt an’ shame over leavin’ her alone with that bastard. Got to be so it ate me bad” (Wagamese 99-100). This shows how Eldon regrets leaving his mom for the abusive man, Jenks. The guilt of leaving his mother to an abusive man lives with Eldon for the rest of his life. Losing the only person in his life causes Eldon to go from a hardworking man to a depressed sad man. Whenever Eldon talks about his mother he goes back to a very dark harsh place which shows him how weak he is. After the incidence with his mother, Eldon is completely torn emotionally which changes him to become depressed and upset. Another quote that shows how much the loss of Eldon’s mother means to him is when he talks to Frank about all of his loved ones he has lost. “I never told her about Jimmy, about my mother, even though she told me I could tell her anythin’. I was ashameda myself, Frank. Bone deep shamed. I was scared if I started in on tellin’ about myself I’d break …show more content…
The alcohol is a symbol of the loss Eldon has gone through which makes it so Eldon loses himself in it. Alcohol helps Eldon to drown out his pains, thus triggering another change in Eldon. This causes him to change into a different person with another identity. This is first shown when Eldon says “They never found his body. Me, I took to drinking after that. Drank so bad they drummed me out dishonourable pretty quick. They said it was because my friend had been killed and it was. I just never told no one it was me who killed him” (Wagamese 166). In the quote, it shows how Eldon first took to drinking and why he did it. Again, it shows that because of loss, Eldon is forced to resort to something he does not want. The loss of his friend forces Eldon to once again go into a dark room, except this time he uses alcohol to drown his sorrows. This event is one of the first times Eldon uses alcohol to get rid of pain. He later uses alcohol again when he is with his wife Angie. He realizes that alcohol can get rid of his sorrows and make it so he can seem like a tough guy in front of Angie. The drink helps Eldon forget about what he did to Jimmy and the pain of living with the guilt. The quote “He stood and dropped on shoulder so he could angle out the doors without falling. The pain was roaring in him and he only knew one way to quiet it.” (Wagamese 222) depicts Eldon telling Frank
The novel “Medicine Walk” written by Richard Wagamese shows the devastating story of two characters. One of the characters is Eldon who is an alcoholic and is the father of Frank. In the book, it shows how in Eldon’s early life he loses many loved ones which changes who he is. As time goes on, Eldon resorts to alcohol as a way to shelter his pain. This toxic substance forces Eldon to change his identity to something he is not. Through the use of flashbacks and hidden symbolism “Medicine Walk” demonstrates how people’s identities are transformed when they can’t get over the loss of a loved one.
The first glimpse of identity change is shown in Eldon when at a young age he loses his father. His father meant a lot to him and was …show more content…
Which meant a lot to Eldon since he mainly spent time with his mother during his childhood. After Eldon’s father’s death his mother has an affair with another man named Jenks. Eldon feels as if his mother isn’t spending much time with him but is instead spending more time with Jenks. Eldon leaves his mother which forces him to change once again. “Felt like I was no account and it pissed me off. Made walkin’ away easier, but the anger cooled after a time. Then it was just guilt an’ shame over leavin’ her alone with that bastard. Got to be so it ate me bad” (Wagamese 99-100). This shows how Eldon regrets leaving his mom for the abusive man, Jenks. The guilt of leaving his mother to an abusive man lives with Eldon for the rest of his life. Losing the only person in his life causes Eldon to go from a hardworking man to a depressed sad man. Whenever Eldon talks about his mother he goes back to a very dark harsh place which shows him how weak he is. After the incidence with his mother, Eldon is completely torn emotionally which changes him to become depressed and upset. Another quote that shows how much the loss of Eldon’s mother means to him is when he talks to Frank about all of his loved ones he has lost. “I never told her about Jimmy, about my mother, even though she told me I could tell her anythin’. I was ashameda myself, Frank. Bone deep shamed. I was scared if I started in on tellin’ about myself I’d break …show more content…
The alcohol is a symbol of the loss Eldon has gone through which makes it so Eldon loses himself in it. Alcohol helps Eldon to drown out his pains, thus triggering another change in Eldon. This causes him to change into a different person with another identity. This is first shown when Eldon says “They never found his body. Me, I took to drinking after that. Drank so bad they drummed me out dishonourable pretty quick. They said it was because my friend had been killed and it was. I just never told no one it was me who killed him” (Wagamese 166). In the quote, it shows how Eldon first took to drinking and why he did it. Again, it shows that because of loss, Eldon is forced to resort to something he does not want. The loss of his friend forces Eldon to once again go into a dark room, except this time he uses alcohol to drown his sorrows. This event is one of the first times Eldon uses alcohol to get rid of pain. He later uses alcohol again when he is with his wife Angie. He realizes that alcohol can get rid of his sorrows and make it so he can seem like a tough guy in front of Angie. The drink helps Eldon forget about what he did to Jimmy and the pain of living with the guilt. The quote “He stood and dropped on shoulder so he could angle out the doors without falling. The pain was roaring in him and he only knew one way to quiet it.” (Wagamese 222) depicts Eldon telling Frank