Medicine River

The longer that Will lives in Medicine River, the more difficult it becomes to escape his past, and the more he must contend with the ways in which his past influences his current choices through the Intersections of Past and Present. Will loves Louise, and he loves her daughter even more. He support Louise through her pregnancy, and he is the one who greets her baby daughter when she comes into the world, and he is the one who names her South Wing. But while he continues to be part of their lives, he cannot bring himself to propose to Louise or to move in with her. Louise is also ambivalent about the idea, preferring to live on her own, though she does hint at the possibility a couple of times. Will’s current relationship with Louise is influenced not only by his father’s absence, which makes Will feel as if he may not make a good partner, but also by his past relationship with Susan, who had led him on, but ultimately would not commit to him. These relationships mirror one another in Will’s mind, as Louise’s hesitancy, while altogether different, reminds him too much of Susan’s hesitancy. This in turn causes Will to hesitate, shaping his present circumstances through the parts of the past that haunt him.

Harlen may be outgoing but he’s not always forthcoming. Harlen rarely speaks of his past, and Will is always finding out new things about him through other people or unusual circumstances. For example, Will is not even aware that Harlen has a brother until Joe Bigbear comes to town. Joe Bigbear is a bold and overbearing personality, and Harlen barely speaks through their evening together. Their decision to climb the bridge over Medicine River and jump into the river is symbolic of their rivalry and of the men’s reluctance to grow beyond their current selves. It is also an instance of Intersection of Past and Present. That Will joins in signifies that he, too, is caught in his past and struggling to mature beyond a certain point. For all of Joe Bigbear’s domineering influence, Harlen and Will decide not to jump into the river after all: “Joe had his way of doing things, Harlen said, and we had ours” (131). Will and Harlen’s decision not to jump in the river and relive an old rivalry hints toward the possibility of growing and moving beyond the past.

Almost every chapter of the novel introduces a new character—a member of the community who, in their own way, shapes and is shaped by Life in an Alberta Blackfoot Community. As Will describes the people he meets, he demonstrates Forbearance not just with Harlen, but with everyone in the town. He describes these people as if they are the townspeople that every reader has met before; there are the gossipers, there are those who always arrive unannounced, those who cause trouble, and those who fix it. There are those who come and go, and those with big families or no family at all. Each of them is important and each has their place.

The portraits on Will’s wall in his studio are symbolic of Life in an Alberta Blackfoot Community and of its peoples’ values and personalities. Elders such as Lionel James are important to this community, as they hold the stories of the past and the lore through which they pass down the morals of the people. Will himself, though only part Blackfoot, comes to recognize the value of Indigenous tradition, as his birthday gift to South Wing of a Native rattle indicates. Will’s photography weds these more traditional means of keeping tradition alive to contemporary technology, as he captures elder Lionel’s likeness, preserving it for generations to come.