One can never know when the wind will blow; it could be a gentle breeze from the north or a monstrous gust from the south. The wind can be refreshing on a hot summer day or it can make a cool winter day frigid. The wind has many aspects to it, just as Harlen Big bear does in the book in Medicine River. Harlen comes and goes with the wind throughout most of Will’s days. When he is not around, he is not too far away; usually ready to push Will in the direction that he thinks is best. Like the wind, Harlen often swirls around a point or a suggestion until the time is right and Will, ” [he] generally tried to keep [his] mouth shut about the wind (…
).” (King pg. 1) Harlen was as unpredictable as the ” (… ) prairie wind.” (King pg. 1), people did not know what to expect from day to day.
The author captures this aspect in first meeting between Harlen and Will following Will’s mother’s funeral. Harlen’s words push Will in the direction of Medicine River “When we can see the mountain, we know we ” re home. Didn’t your mother ever tell you that?” (King pg. 93) This was an unexpected turn for Will, as he has never thought of moving back to Medicine River. At first, Harlen was gentle with Will in persuading him to move back but Harlen soon picks up his intensity. Harlen meets Will at the airport before Will flies to Toronto.
He hands Will a folder and say’s, “When you decide to come home, Will, (… ) you just call. That’s what friends are for.” (King pg. 95) The folder contained information about starting up a business in Medicine River, eluding to how powerful Harlen’s opinions will become in Will’s life, as he soon moves back to Medicine River. Harlen’s influence in Will’s life is especially strong when he talks Will into playing basketball. King hints to the reader that something is going to happen when Harlen says “Wind’s coming up.
The Essay on Thomas King Medicine River
THOMAS KING - WRITER Thomas King is a multi-talented and accomplished writer who expresses concerns of Aboriginal people through literature. He was born in 1943 in Sacramento California to a Cherokee father and a German and Greek mother and grew up in Sacramento. In 1980, King moved to Canada with his nine-year old son and lived in Alberta for about ten years. He returned briefly to the United ...
Good thing, too.” (pg. 11), just like that he puts a bag on the table for Will. “So what’s in the bag? Your uniform, Will.” (King pg. 11) This catches Will off guard and he gives Harlen a number of excuses not to play “No time. No interest. No energy.
No shoes. I said my knees were gone. I said I was too old.” (King pg. 13) Harlen does not take no for an answer and pushes Will into playing, the direction he initially refused.
Harlen has many moods and they often reflect the wind. An example of this is when Harlen gives a speech to the team. Floyd says ” (… ) its cold and blowing like hell.” (King pg. 15), this represents the approach that Harlen uses towards the team. He talks to them about playing to their potential and criticizes their play with statements such as, ” (…
) you miss them jump shots (… ) we should be winning (… ) .” (King pg. 15) The guys don’t like Harlen or the wind at this point and we know this because the guys ” (… ) slowly turned away from the wind and Harlen (… ).
(King pg. 15) In the statement above, we see how closely related Harlen is to the wind and how they are in the same foul mood. The wind can blow for days or even weeks at a time, or so it seems. Harlen definitely displays this trait and it is evident throughout the book.
Especially when he pushes Will into a relationship with Louise. Harlen starts by trying to get Will to date Louise and by the end of the book, he is trying to convince Will to move in with her. Harlen’s constant pursuit often makes Will do things he is uncomfortable with. Two such instances are, when he asks Louise out in the first place (King pg. 32) and the other scene was when Will got dressed up to go house shopping with Louise. (King pg.
The Term Paper on Golden Gate Bridge 2
The Golden Gate Bridge is a well-recognized landmark in the United States. This report provides you numerous information about one of the most astonishing suspension bridges in the world, it as well enlighten you with the history, design and the way that they have managed how to maintain the safety while construction was going on. The idea of a bridge linking the city with its neighbouring ...
220) Harlen pushes Will into both situations and causes Will embarrassment. Harlen is constant in Will’s life in Medicine River. The day Harlen and Will spent together getting South Wing a birthday present incorporates Harlen’s power. Harlen shows up at Will’s work expecting Will to have forgotten about the birthday. Harlen takes Will shopping, even though Will has a ton of work to do that day. Once they have gone to every store in town, Harlen gets an idea to visit Martha Old crow.
Will ends up receiving a rattle from Martha but it is at a cost, as the old marriage doctor talks to Will about Louise. Martha forces Will to answer some tough questions about South Wing ” You love her?” (King pg. 139) and of Louise ” How about the mother?” (King pg. 139) It is obvious that Harlen brought Will to see Martha to get him to start thinking about his feelings for Louise and their future.
However, this is not the only time, Harlen has an impact on Will’s life. The trestle bridge scene in this book is one of the most significant scenes. It shows Harlen’s parallel to the wind like no other scene. Harlen, his brother Joe and Will decide to go for a drive and climb the bridge. Will doesn’t know why he went and states, “It was the wind that did it. That damn wind was blowing hard (…
) and it blew us into Harlen’s car. I wouldn’t have gone, but there was the wind.” (King pg. 154, 155) The wind blows hard for most of this scene hinting how powerful the scene is. When they get about 20 feet above the Medicine River Joe jumps off into the flowing water. Will hadn’t notice the wind while climbing the bridge but notices it when they stop. Harlen had never jumped off of the bridge before and neither had Will.
Will tries to defy Harlen but Harlen tells him that the “winds starting to blow pretty good, Will. We better start climbing down.” (King pg. 163) His comment comes as a gust of wind nearly knocks Will off the bridge. Will then caves into the wind and says, “I’d jump (… ) if the wind wasn’t blowing.” (King pg. 163) Then the two of them climb down the bridge and talk about how they will jump next time.
(King pg. 223) In this scene Will talks about the wind influencing his decision, but as the reader it is evident that the wind and Harlen work together to make up Will’s mind. This shows the relationship that Harlen and the wind have with each other. It’s amazing how element can have many human features and vice versa.
The Essay on Martin Luther King Jr Speech Compared to a Raisin in the Sun
In the speech, “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr. , he talks about equality for the all men and how he dreams about a world where people can be in harmony with no division of color. The play, “A Raisin in the Sun”, relates to this subject in multiple facets centering around dreams. The play and speech take place in the same time period of the mid twentieth century, where color was a major ...
The book Medicine River shows us how these two things are related. Harlen and the wind were almost as one in this book their moods, the gusts, and their demeanor seem to be linked to one another. This book suggests that the two are link by giving hints such as “But that didn’t stop the wind from blowing and it didn’t stop Harlen.” (King pg. 2) The meaning of the word wind is “the natural movement of air”, (Oxford English Dictionary), but, an alternate description states, “meaningless talk.” Harlen often spoke of insignificant events and stories- he loved to talk. This characteristic of his personality is highlighted throughout the book. When combining this characteristic with the definition of ‘meaningless talk”, one can easily conclude that Harlen and the wind are synonymous, being both powerful and unpredictable….
