Medicine River

After watching Medicine River, it immediately stood out to me that there was a clear parallel to the novel, Green Grass, Running Water. The main parallel that I noticed was the idea of women and independence. In both the movie and the novel there were women characters, Louise and Alberta, who strived for independence, both doing so by deciding to raise a child on their own. However, in the movie, it seems as though Louise's baby was unexpected and she just made a choice to raise it alone. On the other hand, Alberta knew she wanted a baby and was determined to raise it by herself, not really caring who would be the father. There is a definate theme that comes out of both the novel and the book, showing that women can be independent and make important life choices by themselves. Since the novel, Green Grass, Running Water and the movie, which was adapted from the novel, Medicine river were both written by Thomas King, it would appear that this is an issue/theme that is important to him and prominent in his works.

Another inportant theme is both of King's works is the idea of returning home. In Green Grass, Running Water, there are many characters that leave home and deal with the issue of whether or not they should return. Eli left the reservation and only went back once, to the Sundance festival. Even after being pressured by Karen to go back, he never got a chance to do so. There was also Lionel, who was completely unsure of what he wanted with his life, but once he left the reservation, it seemed as though he would never return. At the end of the novel, it isn't clear what Lionel is going to do with his life, but he returned to his reservation for the Sundance Festival, and hoped to make a descision from there. In Medicine River, the main character, Will had left his tribe and became a very successful photographer. However, after he returned after many years, he feels torn between the life he left behind and his native roots. It appears at the end he realizes that the reservation is his home and he should stay with his family and his people. It seems as though King feels as though it is important to stick to your roots and, even if you decide to leave at some point, it is important to return to your home where you belong.