Silent Echoes Of Trauma In Medicine Walk By Richard Wagamese

Silent Echoes of Trauma

“The pain was roaring in him and he only knew one way to quiet it” (Wagamese 222). In Medicine Walk, author Richard Wagamese highlights the perpetual effects of trauma. Readers follow the protagonist, Franklin Starlight, a 16 year-old Indigenous Canadian boy, whose father, Eldon Starlight, is dying. As his dying wish, Eldon and Franklin go on a medicine walk, where Eldon reveals why he's been absent in Franklin's life. Through storytelling, Eldon unveils a lifetime of traumas he's endured, how he left them unaddressed, and how, as a result, that hinders his path to recovery. Sequential traumas can lead to a lonely void but suffocating in that sadness prevents one from healing. During his adolescence, Eldon experienced

Rather, he plunges into further despair. Readers gain insight into the severity of Eldon’s alcoholism when he describes the “cottony feeling” he gets when he drinks. “At first it was a beer or two at lunch. Then it became more … the low burn of booze hitting his belly, the cottony feeling at the sides of his head that chased all [the] thoughts away” (Wagamese 220-221). This exemplifies how, emotionally, Eldon begins to dissociate and drown himself in heavier sorrow. Using alcohol to cope leads Eldon to not have to face his issues and to temporarily “chase” away his emotions. In another scene, Wagamese gives readers false hope in a flashback to Franklin's birthday. Eldon appears to have turned his life around as he is sober, healthy, and in a new home. Franklin and Eldon set out to catch fish and have lunch to celebrate but, shortly into the date, Franklin noticed Eldon is acting unusually. The situation takes a turn for the worse when “the kid could smell the rank cut of whiskey on his breath” (Wagamese 132). Again, this illustrates how Eldon turns to alcohol even in the most wholesome moments and how dependent he has come to be. Wagamese emphasizes the gravity of Eldon’s self-medication and how he numbs his agony by washing it down, which ultimately restrains him from

In the final scenes, Eldon comes to conclusions about his life. He reflects “I come to know right there that some holes get filled when people die. But other holes, well, ya’ walk around with them holes in ya’ forever’” (Wagamese 230). Eldon touches on the fact that he never faces his problems, leaving him to have to “walk around with … holes” forever. This supports the idea that Eldon never healed because it brings attention to the permanent damage he is leaving behind. In his last moments, Eldon comes to terms with his past and his faults as he cries out “I'm sorry… I’m sorry” (Wagamese 234). One may recognize how Eldon is apologizing out of guilt. Guilt for leaving Franklin, guilt for turning away, and most importantly, guilt for not healing. One may feel disparity for Eldon as he is truly a flawed character, and in the story only exacerbates his circumstances by allowing himself to suffocate in his misery. From all the empty bottles to the failed attempts to be present, Eldon sees how he's put a halt to his own