Brief Comparison Between 'Hunting By The Stars And Medicine Walk'

Parallel Relationship Journeys Between Hunting by Stars and Medicine Walk

Any relationship stems from the unification of two parties. However, different people undergo different journeys in relationships. In Cherie Dimaline’s Hunting by the Stars, the protagonist, Frenchie, recalls a distant relationship he had with his long-lost brother, Mitch. Mitch sacrificed his life to save Frenchie from an attack by government officials looking to take his and his brother’s bone marrow when they were younger. For the longest time, Frenchie hopes that his brother is alive somewhere, and his wishes are granted as he meets Mitch again seven years after the attack. Similarly, Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese depicts the story of Frank growing up in the

On the first day they reconnect, Mitch tries to convince Frenchie to stop running away from the government and instead join them alongside him. Frenchie recounts, “He put a tentative hand on my shoulder. I felt it as weight and absence. I felt it for what it was, something meant to hold me down, to break me” (Dimaline 76). Instead of being convinced, Frenchie is let down that the brother who saved his life years before now wants to side with the government that kills Indigenous people like them. Mitch’s change in character and values negatively impacts Frenchie, and it is from this point onward that Frenchie changes his demeanour towards his brother for the worse. Similarly, in Wagamese's novel, Eldon desires to share all the stories about his past with Frank. Frank irritably responds to this desire, “Ain’t never gonna be enough” (Wagamese 23). He is unsatisfied with what his father offers. After being absent from his childhood, Frank has hoped for an apology better than some stories. Prior expectations are shattered when both characters reunite with their blood relatives. Evidently, Frenchie and Frank have similarly upsetting experiences with family