Similarities between the movie and the book

                Medicine River and Green Grass Running Grass by Thomas King share many similarities.  One of the biggest similarities I noticed in both the movie and the book is the presence of tricksters.  In Medicine River, Harlen in the main trickster figure and plays a huge role in how the movie plays out.  Harlen is responsible for Will figuring out what he wants in life and whether he should stay on the reservation or leave again.  Will is able to figure out what he wants in life with Harlen as his informal "guide."  Unlike in Medicine River, Coyote, the trickster in Green Grass, Running Water, doesn’t play as big a role in the plot.  It seems his presence is to add humor and some confusion to the story, rather than helping the characters fulfill what they want in life.

                Another similarity between the movie and the book is the idea of both Alberta and Louise wanting to be single parents.  They just want a child, not a man to be tied to.  This seems likes a progressive idea because in the past, Native American women had a man and then children.  This way of life seems to be changing in both the movie and the book.  They are also starting to become closer to equals with men and are given some rights that they didn’t have before.  Louise later realizes she might actually want to be with Will and changes her beliefs that she doesn’t really need a man in her life.  Alberta never really seems like she wants to be with Lionel or Charlie, and she seems content on raising her child on her own.

                Finally, a third similarity between Medicine River and Green Grass, Running Water, is the idea of staying on the reservation or leaving.  Many of the types of literature we have looked at have examined this idea and decisions on it have been split.  In the book, Charlie and Eli left the reservation and only Eli decided to return, whereas, in the movie, Will is the only one who left.  It seems that this decision to stay or go is more so on a personal level rather than a cultural level.  Native Americans have stayed secluded from the rest of society for many centuries, and they have just stared to integrate with the rest of the society.  For some, leaving is still not accepted and is often looked down upon.