Medicine River: Book Talk # 2

Medicine River

By Thomas King

Toronto: Penguin, 1989

261 pages

Recommended Grade Level: 12

The Quest for Identity in Thomas King's Medicine River

The Analysis:
Medicine River is the story of Will Sampson's homecoming to Medicine River, the town where he grew up. We follow Will as he comes to terms with who he is, in both flashback and present day first person narrative. Through Will's quest, we see varying degrees of what it means to be a brother, a father, and a First Nation's person.

Half white and half Blackfoot, the precarious nature of First Nations identity, as restricted by the Canadian government (the flashback sequences occur in the 1950s - 1960s) is problematic for Will's identity. Because of his white father (who Will never knew), Will's mother losses her Indian status (although First Nation's men could marry non-First Nation's women and retain their status, First Nation's women could not marry non-First Nations without losing their status and their children's status).

As a result, Will and his little brother James grow up just outside the Blackfoot reserve in the town of Medicine River. As Will and his brother grow up they move further away from the Blackfoot reserve and their Blackfoot heritage. While James becomes a world traveller, Will ends up working as a photographer in Toronto. Only two things connect Will to Toronto: his job and his lover, Susan.

Susan is one of the two complex relationships that Will has with women (excluding his mother) in the novel. The other relationship is with Louise, with whom Will assumes the father role with her daughter, South Wing. With Susan, Will is the other man in an affair. With Louise (back in Medicine River), Will is a consumate companion and surrogate father to her daughter, although neither title is formalized through marriage.

Will's return to Medicine River is sparked by a number of events. The first is the death of his mother. On returning for her funeral, Will meets Harlan Big Bear who sells him on the prospects of opening a photography shop in Medicine River. Harlan, throughout the novel, acts like a brother to Will, by offering him advice and support over a plethora of events and relationships as they come up. Will's decision to return to Medicine River is solidified by the dissolution of his relationship with Susan (she returns to her husband) and the loss of his photography job in Toronto.

With the help of Harlan Big Bear, Will reintegrates himself into the community of Medicine River, finding a new brother (Harlan), a daughter (South Wing), and deep connection to the Blackfoot community.

Recommendation:

I highly recommend Medicine River for Grade 12 students. The book covers a number of subjects that are ripe for discussion and further inquiry: First Nations rights, cultural identity, and gender rights. On top of this, the structure of the novel (juxtaposing past and present scenes) allows students the opportunity to experiment with comparison arguments (there is an essay just waiting to be written)!