Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Medicine Walk, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fathers and Sons
Nature and the Land
Identity and Heritage
Memory and Story
Love, Loss, and Grief
Summary
Analysis
When the kid was nine, he and the old man rode horses to the mill town, Parson’s Gap, for the first time. It was late spring, before the heavier farm work began. The old man explained that Eldon had written to summon Frank, but he didn’t know why. The kid wondered what Eldon did in the mill town and the old man laughed, saying that Eldon does lots of things and makes his own way in the world, something he can’t help but admire. The old man figured that Eldon and the kid will “visit,” and when the kid wonders how to visit, the old man said, “Damned if I know.”
Frank recalls some childhood memories of his father. Eldon took enough of an interest in Frank to invite him to visit in Parson’s Gap. Frank’s humorous exchange with the old man shows that like his guardian, Frank is more comfortable on the farm or in the woods than interacting socially. The old man’s remark about Eldon shows that he has some positive regard for Eldon—the flipside of his unreliability is his ingenuity.
Themes
The old man believed that Eldon probably wanted to get to know Frank in the way a father knows his son, but the kid wasn’t sure what that meant. The old man wasn’t sure, either; he was raised to work, and that’s the main thing he and his dad did together. Every once in a while, they’d go fishing. Sometimes, while they fished, his dad would tell stories about his life. The old man would hold onto every word of these rare stories.
Frank is unfamiliar with traditional father-son interactions. The old man’s memories of his father show that he thinks of Frank as a son—he mainly works alongside Frank, just like he did with his own father. Such interactions have been missing in Frank’s interactions with Eldon.
Themes
They reached Parson’s Gap in the early evening, bunking in the barn belonging to the old man’s Métis friends. The kid enjoyed himself as they talked and laughed together. The next day, they walked through the town and the kid was fascinated by the people, the smell of the nearby mill, and the fancy old houses overlooking the river. He asked the old man if his father lived in one of those houses, but the old man said it was unlikely. He was given an address closer to the mill.
Used to an isolated wilderness life, Frank is fascinated by the town environment. Its strangeness also reflects his unfamiliarity with his father’s life. Eldon’s way of life is a mystery to him, like everything else in Parson’s Gap.
Themes
The mill was dirty and loud, and the houses near it were smaller, often in disrepair, with car frames rusting in the yards. It smelled like grease and latrines; the streets were filled with cracks and potholes. They found a treeless street and walked to a clapboard house with a crumbling chimney and rotted fence. As they approached the door, they heard yelling and smashing bottles. They stepped through a broken door and find room three, which is where the noise is coming from. The old man knocked and a voice told him to bring the fresh hooch. He opened the door and saw Eldon and a woman dancing to a staticky radio.
Eldon is living in poverty. When Frank and the old man arrive, Eldon’s drinking is immediately apparent. He’s in no condition to welcome his son, and his living situation suggests that there’s no room in his life for Frank whatsoever. The only guest he’s looking for is one who’ll bring more whisky.
Themes
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The woman asked who the kid was, and Eldon turned in surprise, sending the woman tumbling. He said he wasn’t expecting them. The old man pointed out that Eldon wrote, but Eldon said he wasn’t expecting it to be today; he just got paid and he’s letting off steam. As he tried to straighten the furniture that got pushed aside, Eldon staggered, bumped into the woman, and laughed. He said they should have written before they came, but the old man said it wouldn’t have made any difference.
Despite his claimed desire to be a presence in Frank’s life, Eldon clearly doesn’t make him a priority. The old man sees that despite Eldon’s protests, he doesn’t think about Frank that much and isn’t capable of following through on his promises.
Themes
Eldon had trouble focusing. He sat down on a chair, rubbing his face with grimy hands, and said maybe they can do whatever the kid likes best. The kid stared at his flustered father and finally said that he’s supposed to get to know him like a father knows a son. But it seems like all Eldon wants to do is drink and break things. He doesn’t even know what having a father means except for what Eldon has shown him.
At age nine, Frank speaks with a combination of childlike bluntness and adult insight that throws Eldon off guard. In short, Frank senses that fatherhood is more than just biology, but he knows Eldon is only meeting the minimum requirement. His actions suggest that he doesn’t really care about being in Frank’s life.
Themes
Eldon says he’s working at the mine now and could buy the kid something nice, but the old man points out that the kid needs Eldon, not his money. Eldon says he’s sorry, and the old man tells the kid to wait outside. Out in the yard, the kid hears raised voices in the house and feels like crying, though he doesn’t know why. Eventually the old man comes out and says he’s sorry that Frank had to see his father drunk, offering to take Frank for ice cream. The kid says he and Eldon have something in common—Eldon doesn’t know anything about being a father, and he doesn’t know anything about being a son. The old man puts his hands on the kid’s shoulders and says he knows everything there is to know about being a son.
Frank is too young to fully understand what he’s seen—he just knows he doesn’t feel valued by Eldon. After the old man takes Eldon to task for his failure, Frank tries to articulate this to the old man. But the old man tells Frank he’s wrong that he doesn’t know what it means to be a son. He implies that Frank is a son to him, and even if Eldon continues to fail him, the old man will still care for him—to act as a father to him in ways Eldon can’t.
Themes
The kid didn’t go again until the following year, on his birthday. The old man stayed with his friends at the farm and the kid walked to his father’s place alone, feeling sad as he remembered the previous year. He still felt an aching connection to his father. Not having a father made him feel like an outsider, and while he knew the old man was his guardian, it wasn’t the same thing as a father. His classmates’ fathers seemed quiet and strong, certainly never drunk. He figured fathers can only be known over time, which convinces him to see his father again.
Despite the old man’s anger with Eldon and his protectiveness of Frank, he knows it’s important for Frank to keep trying to have a relationship with Eldon. Based on what he sees of his peers’ fathers, Frank concludes that he hasn’t had enough time to solve the mystery of his father. He hopes that deep down in Eldon, he’ll discover a consistent, reliable father.
Themes
The old man showed him his father’s letter. Eldon has promised to be sober, and he says he wants to be with his son on such an important birthday. The old man said it’s up to the kid whether he goes. The kid looked older than ten these days; because of his farm work, he was bulky, and he walked more confidently and purposefully than a child. As he walked through the town, people stared at him.
The old man gives Frank the chance to decide if he really wants to see his father. Seasoned by farm work and the old man’s nurture, Frank is growing up in every way and is more mature than the average 10-year-old—a testament to the fact that he actually does have a good dad (the old man).
Themes
He reached his father’s new neighborhood, which was neater and brighter, with groomed lawns and verandas on the houses. His father’s house had flower boxes and a porch swing and he heard laughter inside. A tall, white-haired, blue-eyed woman answered the door and introduced herself as Jenna. She welcomed him into the bright, well-cared-for house and fetched Eldon, who enters the room clean-shaven and neatly dressed. His appearance made the kid smile.
Unlike last year, Eldon’s improved surroundings and appearance suggest that he’s moved up in the world and might really be trying to be a better father. Frank is heartened by his father’s appearance—to him, Eldon looks like a dad, ready and eager to spend time with his son.
Themes
Eldon introduced Jenna as his landlady. He was a roomer here, along with other mill workers, and Jenna cooked for them. Jenna had packed a big picnic for them. Eldon said the kid would have to open his gift in order to know what else they’re doing. The kid walked to the kitchen and found a narrow package on the table. He stared at it, then gently tugged the paper off. His father told him to just rip it. Inside he found a fishing rod. He’d never used one before, since the old man taught him to set out baited lines. Eldon said he was going to teach the kid to fly-fish and they each ate a slice of birthday cake that Jenna had baked. Then Jenna told Eldon to be careful with her truck—no foolishness. Eldon promised and told the kid he won’t have any hooch today.
Frank’s birthday celebration with Eldon is the most conventional father-son experience he’s ever had. In fact, with Jenna’s maternal presence, it’s the closest to a traditional family experience he’s had as well. He’s even unfamiliar with the tradition of unwrapping a gift. With the promise of a fishing trip, Eldon actually seems to be making an effort to give Frank the experience he’s dreamed of. Jenna, too, seems to believe Eldon is capable of that and is invested in helping make it happen.
Themes
As they leave, the kid thanked Jenna. She smiled at him, rested her hand on his head, and gave him a steady look before telling him to have the best day. Jenna kept staring at them while they climbed into the truck. Eldon told the kid that Jenna is a worrywart and a snoop, but the kid thought she was nice. His father drove slowly down the street. After he turned the corner, he stepped on the gas and worked the clutch, spinning gravel. They sped out of the mill town.
Jenna’s loving and serious gestures hint that she understands how significant this day is for Frank, and that perhaps she’s seen scenarios like this in her rooming house before. Ominously, Eldon initially makes a show of being careful and responsible, but he then reverts to his usual self as soon as they’re out of sight.
Themes
They drove down a single lane road in the country towards a narrow creek with small rapids. Eldon parked by a group of birch trees and the kid got out and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun, the sound of the creek, and the smell of the nearby bog. His father showed him how to assemble his fishing rod, explaining that using a fly rod is more about grace than strength. He demonstrated how to cast the line. Then he guided the kid in doing the same. After a dozen tries, the kid learns to mimic his father’s graceful cast.
This is a singular experience in Frank’s life. He’s getting to enjoy his favorite environment, the outdoors, with his father for the first time. And in addition to this, his father is teaching him a skill, something the old man has usually done. Eldon’s patient instruction even suggests that he has the potential to be a good father in some ways. So far, the day is fulfilling Frank’s hopes for a father-son experience.
Themes
They walked to a wide pool, and Eldon taught the kid how to cast so that his line rode the current. As Eldon walked down to the next pool, leaving him to fish, the kid thought that his father seemed more confident here—even happy. The kid kept practicing, not noticing as time slipped away. Around mid-afternoon, he heard his father yelling. When he hurried up the bank, he found his father struggling to hold a large trout. Then his father slipped and crashed on a rock, the fish flying out of his arms, landing in the shallows and swimming away. His father fell again, so the kid ran and grabbed Eldon’s hand, pulling him out of the pond. He smelled whisky on his father’s breath and told him he was drunk. Eldon said he was just celebrating the kid’s birthday and suggested eating their picnic; he’s lost his rod anyway.
The idealized father-son scene is disrupted when Frank finds out his father has been drinking the whole time. In fact, Eldon seems to have taken advantage of his son’s happy absorption in fishing to step aside and drink in secret. While Eldon makes a joke of the whole situation, later on, it’ll be revealed that fear of failure is a major motivation for Eldon’s drinking. His fear is so strong that the father-son outing was almost bound to fail.
Themes
The kid stomped over to the trees and sat by the picnic basket, but his father rifled in the truck for another bottle of booze. As Eldon gobbled his sandwich, he chugged the bottle. Then the kid got in the driver’s seat of the truck and turned the key in the ignition. His father stumbled over and asked what he was doing, and the kid replied that he’d been driving a tractor since he was eight. He told his father to get in or walk home. Eldon finally climbed into the passenger seat, reeking of whisky, and the kid drove the truck slowly down the bumpy road. Eldon slurred, “Happy birthday.”
Given Frank’s training on the farm, it’s not very surprising that he’s capable of driving the pickup truck, but it makes for a tragic role-reversal: instead of enjoying Eldon’s love and care, Frank has to take responsibility for his father. It’s a painful coming-of-age memory for him, as he learns again that Eldon doesn’t keep his promises and is incapable of acting like a father.
Themes
The kid drove slowly and carefully back to town, focusing on the road. Eldon fell asleep halfway home. When the kid found his father’s rooming house, it was evening. He saw Jenna on the sidewalk, jumped out, and handed her the truck keys. Two men from the rooming house dragged Eldon from the truck and got him into the house. He asked Jenna for writing materials and she brought paper and pen. Leaning against the hood of the truck, he wrote in big childish letters, “You lied to me!”
Again, Frank is forced to take a more adult, responsible role—a dangerous one even for a precocious child—while his father shows himself to be completely unreliable. His note to Eldon sums up the current status of their relationship—Frank is just a kid, but he’s already facing stark truths about his dad.
Themes
The next time the kid sees his father, he’s 12. In the meantime, he has learned to let go of his expectations; as a farmer, he marks the passage of time by seasons, not special occasions. But when another letter from Eldon comes, the old man encourages him to go visit. He rides to Parson’s Gap by himself for the first time.
Frank starts giving up on Eldon. But even though recent experiences have been so disappointing, the old man still sees the value of Frank maintaining a relationship with Eldon, hoping that Eldon will eventually open up to Frank about his past.
Themes
When he reaches the town, his father is with a woman, Chevy, who has blackened teeth. They have supper together, then his father goes to a bar with the woman and leaves the kid to sleep on a rocking chair. When the couple comes home, they have sex in the dark. Once they turn on the light and notice the kid, the woman leers at him. His father grins drunkenly and tells him the woman wants to see him watching them. As the couple starts having sex again, the kid quietly slips out of the room and returns to his horse. He and Eldon were supposed to go on a camping trip.
This is the most shocking of Frank’s many negative childhood memories. It’s questionable whether Eldon is even sober enough to remember what happened, but Frank will never be able to forget it. He’s stuck with another wounding memory of Eldon failing him.
Themes
The following September, the kid started getting letters from his father about Christmas. Eldon told him about the big feast they’d have, the tree they’d cut down, and the presents he’d get. The kid grew excited. Usually, he and the old man exchanged a few practical gifts, then went for a snowshoe hike while their turkey roasted. The kid associated Christmas with the silent, sleeping land. The old man tried to discourage him from expecting anything different this year. But the kid couldn’t stop himself. When they went to town to meet the bus, his father wasn’t on it.
Even though Eldon has disappointed Frank many times before, Frank can’t stop himself from getting his hopes up again. This shows that even though Frank is well cared for by the old man, the longing for relationship with his biological father can’t just be suppressed. Once again, though, Eldon makes promises which he fails to fulfill. The promises he makes seem to correspond to the disappointments—as if they very act of promising leads to self-defeating fear and then to failure.
Themes
The kid stomped around the parking lot, pounding his fists against his thighs and wanting to scream or cry. He knelt in the snow. The old man said he should have never let Eldon near Frank. But the kid said he was angry at himself, for getting his hopes up after what he’d seen. The old man told him there’s no shame in having a heart, and that he had to keep moving through the pain. By the time they got back to the farm, he had.
Up until now, Frank has been emotionally restrained, even when faced with Eldon’s failures. This time proves to be too much for him, though it manifests as anger at himself for putting himself in a position to be disappointed. He’s bearing a complex emotional burden because of his father’s failures.
Themes
