73 pages • 2 hours read
Richard WagameseMedicine Walk
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 16-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 16 Summary
Eldon begins to tell Frank the story of how Jimmy died during the Korean War. Because Eldon and Jimmy are Indians, they are chosen for reconnaissance patrols. The fighting is often at close quarters, and the men are reduced to “primates” (156) as they taunt each other. The men often fight hand-to-hand using knives and bayonets.
Chapter 17 Summary
Eldon explains to Frank the origin of their last name, “Starlight,” which represents storytellers and teachers: “They say nights like this bring them teachin’s and stories back and that’s when they oughta be passed on again” (159). Frank is grateful to Eldon for sharing the history of their family name. As the two grow closer, Eldon feels confident enough to tell Frank the reason that Jimmy died. Jimmy and Eldon became blood brothers by cutting each other’s hands and mixing their blood. Out on patrol, Jimmy is wounded and screaming. The Chinese are close by, and Eldon kills Jimmy with his knife to silence him. Back at the base, Eldon lies about how Jimmy died. Instead of reprimanding Eldon for what he did, Frank understands: “Musta been hard […] Carrying Jimmy all this time” (166). However, Frank notes that Eldon probably felt “like a coward all [his] life” (168). Frank believes that people can’t live with lies out in the wilderness: “Ain’t no trickery out here. No lies” (168) and explains that Eldon must learn to forgive himself.
Chapters 16-17 Analysis
Inspired by Frank’s courage, Eldon unburdens himself of the story of Jimmy’s death. As Frank begins to listen to and take Eldon seriously, Frank becomes less dismissive and more caring—he wants to understand and learn from his father. Until now, Frank has been the teacher, and for the first time, Eldon assumes that role. Fittingly, it is a role gifted by nature: “Starlight,” Eldon’s family name, comes from a story of how the stars passed on the gift of storytelling and teaching to certain humans. For the first time, Eldon teaches Frank something new, and Frank is grateful for the opportunity.
Frank—whose name literally means “honest” and “open”—explains that nature demands honesty and truth. There are no excuses in nature, and one must face one’s own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, Frank admits that he has been fighting a war within himself, “the one you never finished” (168). It is unclear what this means at this point in the story, but it may foreshadow Frank’s coming to terms with the longing and loss he associates with Eldon. Frank has already mentioned that he doubts his own ability to accept the loss of Eldon’s death. In a way, Eldon is teaching Frank how to do so through Eldon’s discussions of the Great Mystery—how one must accept it and not seek to solve it or understand it.
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By Richard Wagamese
