Medicine Walk

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. Parson’s Gap (Chapter 1)

2. He’s riding a horse. (Chapter 2)

3. Deirdre (Chapter 3)

4. An Ojibway warrior’s (Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. Bunky suggests Frank should not go to his father because his father, Eldon, is unreliable. Frank decides to go to his father anyway because he feels he has a duty to his biological father. (Chapter 1)

2. Frank is described as a skilled hunter and trapper. He is able to survive in the wilderness on his own and often attempts to find a connection with nature. He was motivated to drop out of school to learn about nature rather than learn from books. (Various chapters)

3. Parson’s Gap is a mill town. As soon as Frank and his horse enter the town, his horse snorts because of the sulfur smell. Frank describes the men he sees as “hard-looking men, grease-stained, callused with the lean, prowling look of feral dogs.” This imagery indicates that Parson’s Gap is not a pleasant place to visit or live. (Various chapters)

4. When Frank is traveling through Parson’s Gap, he attempts to connect with nature by feeling the autumn chill in the air. He says he can smell the frost coming and the rain that would follow. (Chapter 2)

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. Money (Chapter 5)

2. Tracking animals (Chapter 6)

3. Deirdre (Chapter 7)

4. Alcohol (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. Frank pities Eldon for living in town with a sex worker. In contrast, Bunky taught Frank to honor the land and showed him how to properly farm and hunt it. Eldon provided Bunky with funds for Frank on occasion, but Frank appreciates Bunky’s willingness to teach him more than Eldon’s financial contributions. (Chapter 5)

2. Bunky teaches Frank to hunt in a humane way, killing the animal so it does not suffer. He also teaches Frank to thank the animal for its sacrifice. Bunky believes everything in nature is holy and deserves respect. (Chapter 6)

3. Eldon describes himself as a “half-breed” and was not accepted in the white or Indigenous communities. Eldon was forced to work and scavenge because he was considered an outcast as a young boy, and life was difficult for him. Eldon is unfamiliar with Indigenous customs because he had never been taught. When Frank learns of Eldon’s past, he begins to empathize with his father, realizing that both of them had been dealt a bad hand. (Chapter 7)

Chapters 9-15

Reading Check

1. Painted rocks (Chapter 9)

2. World War II (Chapter 11)

3. Homemade medicine (Chapter 12)

4. A grizzly bear (Chapter 13)

Short Answer

1. Frank takes Eldon to see the painted rocks because he is afraid to see someone die, referring to Eldon. Eldon studies the rocks and wonders what they mean, but Frank is not sure of their meaning. He guesses they tell stories about traveling and things the individuals had seen. (Chapter 9)

2. Becka calls Eldon a “sorry sumbuck” because he isn’t schooled in the traditional ways of Indigenous people. She feels little sympathy for Eldon and does not like his alcoholism. (Chapter 10)

3. Eldon’s father died during World War II, so Eldon had to work to provide for his mother at the logging camp. His supervisor at the camp, Jenks, developed a relationship with his mother but was physically abusive toward her. After Eldon and Jimmy beat the man, his mother told the boys to flee so they would not get into trouble. Eldon felt betrayed by his mother, believing she took Jenks’s side. (Chapter 11)

4. Frank is often disappointed that his father is intoxicated and with a different woman every time he visits. He feels that his father doesn’t care for him because he gives Frank money instead of spending time with him when he visits. For example, Eldon promises to take Frank fishing while he is sober but takes a thermos filled with alcohol and gets drunk. (Chapter 14)

Chapters 16-21

Reading Check

1. During the Korean War (Chapter 16)

2. Bunky (Chapter 18)

3. Tell stories (Chapter 20)

Short Answer

1. Frank’s last name is “Starlight,” and it represents storytellers and teachers. They were to tell stories and pass on their heritage to others. When Eldon reveals the meaning, Frank feels closer to him. (Chapter 17)

2. Eldon kills Jimmy during the war because he is wounded and screaming while there are Chinese patrols nearby. Jimmy’s cries endanger them both, so Eldon kills Jimmy to silence him. Though Eldon was justifiably scared of being hunted by Chinese troops and may have saved his own life, he lies about what happened to Jimmy, indicating his actions were immoral. (Chapter 17)

3. Eldon likes Angie because she is a beautiful Indigenous woman. He is also drawn to her because of her storytelling. When Eldon meets Angie, he stops drinking alcohol. (Chapters 20-21)

Chapters 22-26

Reading Check

1. Logging camps (Chapter 22)

2. Benjamin Franklin (Chapter 23)

3. Indigenous families (Chapter 26)

Short Answer

1. Eldon is drunk when Angie goes into labor, so Angie is unable to make it to the doctor in time to save her life. Eldon feels responsible for Angie’s death and uses alcohol to quiet his pain. (Chapter 22)

2. Frank is saddened by his mother’s passing because he will never know her, but he extends forgiveness to Frank because he understands how painful her death was for him. The two hold hands in reconciliation. (Chapter 23)

3. Eldon told Bunky he could not raise Frank because Frank reminded him too much of Angie. Eldon’s relationship with Bunky has taught him that Bunky is a good person who is honest and has integrity. Eldon likely felt that Bunky would be a good role model for Frank. (Various chapters)

4. Frank refers to the warrior’s burial he has given Eldon. Eldon’s war, apart from his involvement in Korea, is the weight he carried after killing his best friend and inadvertently causing Angie’s death. Frank hopes that Eldon will be reunited with Angie in the afterlife. (Chapter 25)