the medicine bag theme essay

The Medicine Bag | Summary & Analysis

Summary of the medicine bag by virginia driving hawk sneve.

“The Medicine Bag”, a short story by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve was published in 1975 and reflects on the relationship between a Sioux man and his grandson in the nexus of reality, fiction, identity, and heritage. 

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve is an American author whose works primarily focus on the representation of the Aboriginal Americans divorced from myth and savagery, and rather invested in a traditional yet non-stereotypical way of living to set an alternate outlook for her contemporary readership.  

The Medicine Bag | Summary

This is a story about a teenage boy Martin and his relationship with his grandfather who belongs to the Native American land of South Dakota. Hailing from a mixed heritage, Martin is conscious about his grandfather’s unexpected visit to his house and fears the oblivion of the fantastical image surrounding the old man that he otherwise shares with his friends after every summer visit.

The conflict of reality with fiction threatens his reputation and he adopts all means to prevent his friends from meeting the grandfather. But one day the friends coerce their way into his house and find the old man charming and nothing less than an exotic sight. Following the pleasant meeting, the grandfather reveals to Martin his knowledge of the latter’s anxiety and embarrassment over his visit. He further familiarizes the young boy with his mythical ancestry and past to convey the emotional significance of the medicine bag that has been around his neck for years. Since he is approaching the end of his life, the grandfather desires to pass on the bag to the rightful male heir and the story ends with Martin wearing the bag after his grandfather’s death, thus accepting his mixed identity with love and respect. 

The Medicine Bag | Analysis

This first-person narrative centers on embracing your mixed heritage and realizing the essence of traditions as a gesture of love and respect towards your familial identity as well as your ancestors. The story is set in Iowa and creates a light mood with sadly a regretful tone on the account of the narrator Martin whose dual feelings towards his grandfather stand as a commentary on the contemporary generational conflicts. While he doesn’t dislike his grandfather, he certainly does not enjoy his presence in the house which interferes and threatens his modern identity. Like any child of his age, he does not wish to be constantly reminded of his mixed ancestry and the inevitable ownership of the medicine bag which he despises until the end of the story. 

Martin is conscious of losing his popularity, a vanity that children of his age usually engage in. But gradually he begins to alter his opinions regarding the grandfather as he entertains his friends at his best. Still, the looming despair of having to adopt the medicine bag troubles him and it is only when the grandfather reveals to him about the past and significance of the bag that his bubble of exoticism bursts and brings him closer to reality.

The Sioux have long endured the limitations of the reservation scheme by the government and Martin’s great-grandfather ventured on a journey in search of a guiding spirit and envisions a dream about the “white man’s iron” which is not fully interpreted even by the wise men of his day. However, the great-grandfather finds a broken shell of an iron kettle and collects a piece to be treasured in his medicine pouch by investing faith in its magical property to keep all evils at bay. But one day he was forcefully taken away by the soldiers to work as a blacksmith and he learned the art of using the white man’s iron. Upon his return, the medicine bag was then passed down to the grandfather who attempted to pass it down to his own son i.e. the mother’s father but his reluctance to take it along to the war caused his death, according to the grandfather’s belief. 

While the medicine bag definitely carries along with it myth and a superstitious belief system, it also sustains emotions and love for children which only wishes well and safety for them. The grandfather’s inevitable passing away communicates the need to appreciate people and things when they are with you rather than subjecting them to avoidance and ignorance. The bag becomes a symbol of continuity and a driving force to live life spiritually and honestly. 

The Medicine Bag |  Themes

Reality V/S Fiction

The author’s primary focus to pen down a narrative that expels all stereotypes surrounding Native Americans is highlighted through Martin’s fantastical appropriation of his grandfather’s identity and life in South Dakota in his stories shared with his friends. People in other parts of the States know about the Native population only through the less realistic portrayal on television and cinema which is often colored with prejudice. They are exoticized and considered otherworldly which in truth is not an appropriate representation. They are in fact people with high reliance on traditions often misunderstood as a primitive way of living. Instead, it is their respect and homage to their ancestors that compels them to continue with customs such as wearing the medicine bag and passing it to subsequent generations. The emotions shadowing such rituals are buried under the mythical air and thus lose significance in the modern and young generation.

Martin conveys an unrealistic picture to his friends about his grandfather which amazes them every time they listen to one of his stories. The friends’ sudden visit one day puts Martin in a fix and threatens his reputation but his grandfather plays along with the fantasy his grandson has built upon him and dresses as per his narration without even informing him. Thus, the Native Americans are not unusually dressed braided men but just like any other U.S. citizen. 

Generational Conflict

There are three generations in the story— the grandfather, the parents, and the grandkids, each with their own worldviews. The old man represents tradition while the other two subsequent generations reflect modern ideals and lifestyle. At the vulnerable age of eighty-six, the grandfather journeys for two days to reach the house of his daughter to pay a surprise visit which they welcome with an overwhelming response. It is a poignant expression of the unrecognized responsibility that young people have towards their older family members. While this impression is implicit, the ideological conflict between Martin and the grandfather is evident through the former’s disgust at the sight of the ill-conditioned medicine pouch. It is not until he learns about the significance of the tiny bag that he experiences an ideological shift and prepares himself to step into the shoes of his grandfather. In the era of modernity and technology, the medicine pouch thus becomes a gentle reminder of Martin’s roots and his grandfather. 

The Medicine Bag |  Characters

He is the narrator of the story through whom the readers view the grandfather’s visit and thus the clash of tradition with modernity. Hailing from a mixed heritage, he is embarrassed about his native roots and prevents his friends from meeting his Sioux grandfather. For him, native America is a place of fantasy away from the real world he inhabits. He even fears and experiences disgust at the thought of becoming the heir to the shabby medicine bag his grandfather had been carrying around his neck for years because it represents a new identity for him, rooted in tradition and nativity. However, one-to-one interaction with his grandfather and the subsequent knowledge of the great mystical power of the medicine bag assures him to undergo a change of heart and accept his adherence and responsibility towards his mixed heritage. He is thus a bildungsroman character who grows mature during the course of the story and learns about the priorities in his life. 

She is the narrator’s ten-year-old sister who unlike her brother wholeheartedly welcomes her grandfather and even encourages her friends to meet him in person. At a young age, she exhibits maturity in her acceptance of her mixed ancestry and is far away from hypocrisy. 

Joe Iron Shell

He is the narrator’s eighty-six-year-old grandfather belonging to the Sioux tribe of Native Americans and thus a representative of tradition in the modern city setting. His old age loneliness and thus the consequent tiring journey he takes up to visit his family the latter in the light of guilt for abandoning the old man. But he never complains and instead settles well with them. However, he is aware of Martin’s unhappiness with his stay and thus familiarizes him with the purpose of his visit which is to pass over the medicine bag to him as the rightful heir in the nearing event of his death. His narration of the mythic past concerning the bag enlightens his grandson on the relevance and value of the little token of love, identity, and remembrance which enables him to assimilate his ancestral identity into his modern white American one. His death at the end of the story leads to Martin’s epiphany as he decides to wear the medicine bag. 

Mother and Father

An interracial couple, the mother belongs to the Native American Sioux tribe and the father is a white American. Their guilt of never inviting the grandpa to their house after his surprise visit is a powerful representation of the contemporary family setting where young children leave their hometowns to move into big cities and abandon their aging parents who reduce to recipients of annual visits and dinners. The mother loves her grandfather dearly and looks after him during his stay but her character also speaks volumes about her irresponsibility towards her old grandfather living alone in the remote setting of South Dakota. 

The Medicine Bag |  Literary Devices

“His rumpled black suit hung  like a sack  over his stooped frame.”

“We never showed our friends Grandpa’s picture. Not that we were ashamed of him, but because we knew that the glamorous tales we told didn’t go with the real thing. Our friends would have laughed at the picture because Grandpa wasn’t tall and stately like TV Indians. His hair wasn’t in braids but hung in stringy gray strands on his neck, and he was old. He was our great-grandfather, and he didn’t live in a tepee, but all by himself in a part log, a part tar-paper shack on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.” 

This reflects the contrast between reality and fiction that commercial media tends to exhibit, blurring the truer version and existence of the Native Americans. 

“She was all smiles and was so obviously glad to see Grandpa that I was ashamed of how I felt.” This expresses the contrasting attitudes of the narrator and his sister towards their grandfather’s visit. 

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The Medicine Bag: a Symbol of Cultural Identity and Healing

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Published: Mar 16, 2024

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Historical and cultural significance, traditional healing practices, contemporary relevance.

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Wednesday, february 21, 2018, the medicine bag.

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“The Medicine Bag” by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve follows the story of a kid name Martin. He has a Sioux grandpa who live on a reservation, and he loves to tell many stories of him. However, many of the stories he tells to his friends are exaggerated to the point where the person his friends think his grandpa is like, is nowhere close to the reality of Martin’s grandpa. This is fine when his grandpa lives on the reservation, but his grandpa decided to come to Martin’s house. Not wanting his friends to see that his grandpa was not as good as he told, Martin pretends his grandpa isn’t at his house and doesn’t treat his with respect. He is embarrassed and and paranoid because of Grandpa. Hence, this shows us the theme that you shouldn’t be embarrassed of you ancestry. The first proof we get of this is Martin’s relationship to his friends. His friends were amazed by the stories that Martin told and were often jealous of Grandpa. His friends had never actually seen a real native apart from the likes of natives in tv shows and movies. Those two combined gave them a very different idea of the man that was Martin’s grandpa. This causes Martin to be embarrassed of his grandpa because he isn’t like the person he tells the stories about. Because of this, he strays away from his friends in an effort for them to not see Grandpa. For example, When Martin first sees his grandpa coming home he thought,”I felt like crying.” This shows us that he doesn’t want to have his grandpa at his home because he is embarrassed of him. While this might show that the theme is to love you family, I think the that to not be embarrassed by your family is better because he wants to cry because he is embarrassed and not because he hates his grandpa. Secondly, Martin’s relationship to his grandpa allows us to clearly see the theme. Martin doesn’t treat his grandpa very nicely throughout most of the story because he is too embarrassed to confront him. Take for example, Martin thinks,”I couldn’t think of anything to say,so I picked up Grandpa’s suitcase, took his arm, and guided him up the driveway to our house. This shows us that he was so ashamed of his grandpa that he didn’t even want to talk with him, so he just walked silently. As a result of being too ashamed of his grandpa, he just doesn’t treat his grandpa like most people would. Martin avoids and tries not to talk with his grandpa and just doesn’t want to be correlated with him. Finally, there is figurative language littered throughout the entire piece and is a main factor for the theme and neatly sets it in stone. The most abundant element is hyperbole, as you can barely go a paragraph without seeing it, like when Martin’s friends decide to finally see his grandpa. Martin says,” I was so ashamed and embarrassed I could of died.” This use of hyperbole shows us that he is embarrassed of his ancestry, and in this case it would be his grandpa. Another key part is repetition. Martin often repeats about how embarrassed his is about his grandpa, showing us that it is one of the core concepts. The last element we can find is imagery, which is mainly used to portrait how Martin’s friends think his grandpa looks, and how his grandpa actually does look and act. In the end, Grandpa finishes what he came to Martin’s house for, and he passes down the medicine bag to Martin, as he is the next in line to receive it. While he performs the sacred ritual, Grandpa tells Martin a lot about the past, and opens up his eye to his past. With this new information in hand, he learns to stopped being ashamed of his ancestors. This indeed shows us that you shouldn’t be embarrassed of you ancestry.

“The Medicine Bag” is a short story by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve that takes place in a small town in Iowa. The main character, Martin, always brags about his Sioux grandpa, but is horrified when he comes to visit. Martin surrounds himself with fear of what others will say about his grandpa. Because Martin is embarrassed of his grandfather, he does not make an effort to connect to him. The author uses this to teach the reader that you should stay connected to your family, or you will lose some of your culture and even become embarrassed of it. From the moment that his grandpa comes to visit, it is clear to the audience that Martin was embarrassed to be associated with him. The author illustrates this point when Martin sees his grandpa walking down the street and becomes “so ashamed and embarrassed” he could’ve died. Thus, he won’t allow his friends to see his grandpa. The author leads us to believe that this is because Martin’s grandfather is not a “T.V. Indian.” However, as the story progresses, it is clear that it is because Martin is worried that his friends will laugh at him and make fun of him for his culture. Although it could be argued that the theme is shame, the text actually proves that it is that you should stay close to your family or you will lose some of your culture because Cheryl tried to stay close to her grandpa, and she was very appreciative of her culture. Another key point in the story that illustrates Martin’s embarrassment of his grandpa’s culture is when his grandpa tells him that he will receive the medicine bag, a sacred Sioux article that has been passed down through multiple generations through the recipient’s oldest son. From the moment that his grandpa brought up the subject, Martin is extremely reluctant to accept the medicine bag, and imagines himself wearing in public and being teased about it by his friends. Martin describes having “the same hot and cold feeling that I (Martin) had when I first saw Grandpa in the street.” This proves that he is embarrassed for having to hold on to this article despite it being a large part of his culture. Eventually, Martin accepts the fact that he must take the medicine bag, although readers are left to believe that he is doing this just so his grandpa’s feelings aren’t hurt. Martin continues to disconnect himself from his grandfather as well as his culture, and this is evident because of these actions. Although Martin did not try to connect to his grandpa, his sister Cheryl was the complete opposite. Upon their grandpa’s arrival, Cheryl was extremely excited and did not care what others thought of him. For instance, when Cheryl sees her grandpa, she greets him with a big hug, despite the fact that there were nearby onlookers. The author shows that although a family member may have a different cultural background, they are still family and deserve to be loved. The author included this detail to demonstrate the point of Cheryl making an effort to stay close to her family. As a result, she does not allow the opinions or thoughts of others to come between her and her grandpa. Later on in the story, we find that Martin and Cheryl’s grandpa is living with them. This is the point in the story where Martin is apprehensive about letting his friends come to visit him. However, “nothing bothered Cheryl about bringing her friends to see Grandpa.” This is significant because it shows that Cheryl is perfectly comfortable about allowing people to see her grandpa while also illustrating the fact that she is not embarrassed of him. As a result, Cheryl helps make people more aware of the Sioux and their culture from hearing her grandpa’s stories. All in all, Cheryl demonstrates that she is trying to connect with her grandpa and is not embarrassed by his culture.

The author used a lot of figurative language throughout the story to bring the overall theme of the story to life. One of the major elements that Sneve used to show that Grandpa and his culture were out of place was imagery. When Grandpa first arrives in Iowa, the author describes his appearance through Martin’s thoughts. “His rumpled black suit hung like a sack over his stooped frame...his gray hair straggled from under his big black hat, which had a drooping feather in its crown...his get-up wasn’t out of place on the reservation, but it sure was here.” Therefore, the readers can deduce that Martin’s grandfather’s clothes cause him to stand out because they are not what you would typically wear. For this reason, Martin believes that he must also stand out for being associated with him. Virginia Sneve also uses the hyperbole, “I was so ashamed and embarrassed I could’ve died” to help show the theme. Martin sees his grandpa as someone to be embarrassed of. Therefore, he doesn't try to connect with his grandpa. Martin doesn’t dare to imagine that others may be accepting of the fact that his grandpa has a unique cultural background. At the end of the story, we learn that Grandpa is preparing for his death. Before passing away, he hands down the medicine bag. He also tells Martin the unique history behind it, and the story ends with Martin standing on a prairie in the reservation, finally accepting his culture by placing an item in the medicine bag. The readers are left with a sense of closure and begin to realize that staying connected to your family can help you to accept your own culture without being embarrassed by it. The author notes that others may be understanding of your culture, just and Martin and Cheryl’s friends were of them. It is important to stay close to your family in order to truly accept your culture. Part 2

“The Medicine Bag” by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve is a short story in modern time. The story is in the perspective of Martin, a half white half native American boy who lives in an average suburbs. Martin is embarrassed about his Sioux Grandpa to his friends, his Grandpa lives on a Native American Reserve by himself, but every summer Martin’s family comes to visit. Martin’s Grandpa passes on the Medicine Bag, this bag grants protection to whoever wears it and Grandpa is giving the bag to Martin. Martin should respect his history and culture that he has but doesn’t by saying “So when grandpa came to visit I was so ashamed and embarrassed I could have died. Make sure you never take anything for granted that you hold dear. Martin is an average boy, he has many friends and goes to school but he also has an amazing heritage. Martin has a Native American Grandpa who teaches him all sorts of new things, he loves his Grandpa but his friends haven’t seen him because Martin is afraid that his friends will make fun of him. His friends are mainly influenced by TV and movies making Martin think that his friends won’t see his Grandpa as much “I knew it wasn’t Grandpa that I was afraid they’d laugh at”. By doing what he is doing he is hurting himself and hurting others, Martin took his life for granted. On the other hand Cheryl (Martin younger sister) is enthusiastic about grandpa and is loving showing him to her friends “Nothing bothered Cheryl about bring her friends…”. Cheryl is young enough so that her life isn’t affected by crul drama and life. Cheryl’s character stood for almost a good and evil side between Martin and her, this made her one of the most important characters (story wise). All of showed how she didn’t take grandpa for granted. Grandpa stood for a good purpose, he was a kind character with love at every thought “grandpa smiled his gentle way”. Grandpa had the medicine bag, a bag that would grant protection and guidance when you needed it most. This could be interpreted as the theme being hope because grandpa gave the medicine bag, a bag that gives you hope that you will be saved somehow but it has to be not taking things for granted because the medicine bag is a great thing that Martin took for granted. All in all that night once Grandpa gave Martin the Medicine bag he died but his legacy went on. Everyone learned to go a little farther even without him and to never take anything for granted.

'The Medicine Bag’ is the story of a boy named Martin and his grandpa. Martin’s grandpa is of a Sioux tribe. He travels from his reservation, alone, to give Martin the medicine bag. The medicine bad is a tradition that is explained in the story. In the beginning of the story Marting feels dread when he sees his grandpa because he is afraid of what his friends were going to think. Which contributes to the theme, don’t let what others think or even might think change your views on something you love. Martin had a few thoughts on seeing his grandpa walking down the street. One of which was, ‘Oh no, it’s grandpa,’ which shouldn’t have been one of his first thoughts and probably wouldn’t have been if he wasn’t thinking about what others were going to think. Which is kind of sad seeing as the only reason he was feeling this dread and thinking these thoughts is because he was worried about how his friends and others would react on seeing his grandpa. So Martin becomes embarassed of his grandpa for no good reasons. He wouldn’t let any of his friends come over until they had pressed him so much he had no other choice but to give in. Of course most of this was still in the beginning of the story. As you’re nearing the end Martin becomes more accepting of his friend’s views. It helps that they all enjoyed his stories and personality that his grandpa brought with him in the first place though. The exclamations of “Martin, he’s great!” and “Can we come back?” made Martin realize that he should be pround of his grandparent, not ashamed. Cheryl, Martin’s sister, had a completely different reaction to all of this. ‘She was all smiles and so obviously glad to see Grandpa…’ which was the exact opposite of how Martin felt. She even invited her friends over almost right away. Maybe at first Cheryl was ashamed for stretching the truth at first but she quickly got over it. Mutliple uses of figurative language were used in this story. One of which is the simile ‘His rumpled black suit hung like a sack over his stooped frame,’ which gives you a picture of a ragged and tired old man. It shows you that this man just traveled a long way to be ther . ‘All I could was stand there with the whole neighborhood watching…’ is, in this story, a hyperbole. I highly doubt that that the entire neighborhood was watching the exchange between Martin and his grandpa. Maybe part of it was but definitely not all of it. I think this hyperbole kind of shows hor embarassed and ashamed Martin was of his grandpa. Which was completely uncalled for. As the story is ending and Martin forgets about his friend’s views on his grandpa, he takes full responsibility of the medicine bag. As you red this tory you may think that the theme is something different. Like ‘Don’t be ashamed.’ but I still believe that the theme is still don’t let what others or might think change your views on something you love. If Martin would’ve stopped worrying about everyone else’s viers, he could’ve spent more time with his grandpa before he had died. Now Martin can learn from his experiences.

Part One “The Medicine Bag” by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve is a short story that follows a boy named Martin. Martin has a Native American great grandfather, Joe IronShell. Martin often tells stories about his great grandfather to his friends, making him sound like a Native American from movies. However, his grandpa is really just a regular old guy. When his grandpa finally comes to visit him Martin is embarrassed to be seen with him. Through this the author shows us the lesson, becoming disconnected from your family can make you lose some of your culture and even be embarrassed of it. When Martin's Grandpa comes to this house Martin doesn't feel how you would expect someone to feel when they get to see their relatives. Instead, Martin is downright embarrassed when he sees his grandpa coming down the street. The author voices Martin's thoughts as his grandpa is coming down the street; ”So when Grandpa came to visit us I was so ashamed and embarrassed I could’ve died.” Clearly, Martin is so embarrassed about his Grandpa's culture that he doesn't even want to be seen with him. While it could be argued that the lesson is you should respect your elders, however how Martin acts at the beginning of the story clearly shows that it is more about being disconnected from your culture. At the beginning although Martin is rude to his grandpa, he is also very ashamed and embarrassed, and he doesn't seem to purposely be mean to his grandpa. Further on in the story, Martin again demonstrates his extreme embarrassment about his Grandpa's culture and looks. His grandpa is 86 years old, after finding out he has heat stroke from traveling so far he announces he is giving “the medicine bag” an important family heirloom to Martin. It is passed down through the family to the owners oldest son before he dies. even in this situation Martin continues to shun his culture. While his grandpa is saying all this and explaining the medicine bag Martin feels “The same hot and cold feeling that I had when I first saw grandpa in the street.”, and “ I knew I would have to take it” In this part of the story Martin shows that he is so disconnected from his culture that he isn't even willing to take an important family item from his grandpa. Finally, near the middle of the story all of Martin’s friends want to come over and see his grandpa because of all the stories Martin has told them about him. Martin doesn't want them to see his grandpa because he is afraid they will make fun of him. However, they come over anyway. When they get to Martin’s house they find that his grandpa has dressed in formal Native American clothing. His friends are amazed when his grandpa tells stories about Native American life and legends. Throughout this part of the story Martin is wrongly embarrassed about his grandpa and culture. Obviously, while living away from his family's culture he has gotten friends that don't have the same culture as him, so he doesn't feel comfortable showing it to them. Furthermore, Martin’s younger sister Cheryl has a very different reaction to their grandpa coming to see them. For example, when their grandpa has just arrived the story includes Cheryl’s reaction “...Cheryl came bursting out of the house. She was all smiles and was so obviously glad to see Grandpa that I was ashamed of how I “(Martin)” felt.” Also, according to the story “Nothing bothered Cheryl about bringing her friends to see Grandpa.” This also proves how ashamed and embarrassed Martin was in comparison. Cheryl clearly has not become scared to show her culture, and sensitive to what other people think.

Part 2 Finally, the figurative language also was used to improve the theme. First, imagery, in the story there is a very descriptive sentence about his grandpa,”His rumpled black suit hung like a sack over his stooped frame.” This sentence also elaborates on how his grandpa is not like the stories Martin tells, he is old, not a “T.V.” indian. Thus, Martin is trying to cover up his real culture with stories to impress his friends. Next, as mentioned earlier, the author tells Martin’s thoughts when his grandpa is coming,”So when grandpa came to visit us I was so ashamed and embarrassed I could’ve died.” This is hyperbole and it shows just how much Martin wants to separate himself from his family's culture. Also, it shows how disconnected he is from his family’s culture by saying such an exaggerated sentence. At the end of the story Martin’s grandpa gives him the medicine bag. Martin takes it, but is reluctant and doesn't want to be seen with it. Finally, at the very end, his grandpa goes to the hospital and presumably dies. The reader is then left to wonder if Martin will begin to accept his culture, or continue to resent it.

The Medicine Bag “The Medicine Bag” is a short story by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve. Martin and his sister, Cheryl, lived in the city and had their whole lives. Their grandpa, however, was Native American and lived on a reservation. Every summer, they went to visit their grandpa. But one day, Martin saw him walking down their street. He was terrified of what his friends would think. In fact, he let his fear get in the way of enjoying the time with his grandpa. This story teaches us to not let what other people think affect what you really care about. Before Martin’s Grandpa comes, he and Cheryl bragged to their friends about their grandpa. They told exaggerated stories from the reservation. This made Martin even more scared, because his friends already had such a glorified idea of him. “So when Grandpa came to visit, I was so ashamed and embarrassed, I could have died.” Martin’s initial reaction when he saw his grandpa was fear of what his friends would think. This shows that he cares about what his friends think more than he cares about his own grandpa. He should have been excited. This was the first time his Grandpa had ever come, and it was a very long trip, but all Martin could think about was what other people would think. While Grandpa was staying with them, Martin wouldn’t let his friends come over, even though they really wanted to meet “the great Indian of Bellview Drive.” Martin was scared that the would laugh at him. “I told myself that I didn’t want them laughing at Grandpa. But even as I made excuses, I knew it wasn’t Grandpa I was afraid they’d laugh at.” The author also used figurative language. For example, Sneve uses imagery when Martin first saw Grandpa walking down the street. “I felt hot and cold at the same time as I recognized the man. ‘Oh, no!’ I whispered, ‘It's Grandpa.’” The author shows that he was shocked, scared, and ashamed with the imagery “hot and cold.” This connects to the theme because instead of being happy about his grandpa visiting, he was afraid. He also shows the theme with dialogue. His first thoughts were, “Oh, no! It's Grandpa.” This also shows how he immediately thought about what others would think. In addition, the author also uses a hyperbole to show the theme. “All I could do was stand there with the whole neighborhood watching.” He felt like everyone was watching and judging him, even though that wasn't the case. Instead of focusing on talking to his grandpa he was self-conscious and thinking about other things. Although the theme could be interpreted as not accepting your culture, the text is actually less about what or who you choose and more about not being afraid of your choice. It's not that he dislikes his grandpa; it's that he's afraid that his friends won’t accept his Grandpa. Eventually, Martin's friends came over against his will. They ended up really liking his Grandpa, proving that all the worry was for nothing. Also, Grandpa gave him his medicine bag but understood that he wouldn't wear it in the city. In the end, all of Martin fears turned out to be unfounded.

‘The Medicine Bag’ is a story about a boy who is ashamed of his grandfather and heritage however, he doesn’t fully appreciate his Native American family’s past until his grandfather, Joe Iron Shell, comes to visit and pass on the medicine bag. This story, by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, is a good reminder that you should always respect your heritage. Some of the reasons why Martin is ashamed of his grandpa may be that he is unaware of his family’s full past. Another contributing factor is probably that Martin and his family only visit with him one week out of the entire year. Until their talk together, Martin only sees his grandfather as an old man with gray hair, who lives alone in a shack on the Rosebud Reservation. Though all of these characteristics are true, there’s much more to him tham Martin realises. Aside from the outward appearance of Joe Iron Shell, he seems to be a very interesting man. Martin even says at the end of the first paragraph, “when we’d return home to Iowa….we always had some exciting tale to tell.” This is proof that Martin wasn’t always embarrassed to tell his friends about his grandpa. When Martin brought his friends to meet his grandpa he writes that, “I could tell that he had known all along I was afraid he’s embarrass me in front of my friends.” This shows that his grandfather was a wise and patient man. I also think that the fact that his grandfather came to pass on the medicine bag all the way from the plantation shows how caring he is about his family and his family’s legacy. Figurative language can be found in many places in Medicine Bag. A few examples of figurative language are hyperboles, imagery, and repetition. One of the hyperboles can be found when Martin’s friends are talking about going to visit Martin’s grandpa and exclaim, “We’re going to see the great indian of Bell View Drive.” This can be considered a hyperbole because his friends have never met him before and they don't really know anything about him, other than what Martin has told them. Imagery is found primarily when Martin’s grandfather is telling him about the history of the medicine bag and when all of its items were collected by their ancestor. Other quotes with imagery are, “...when his eyes met mine, they twinkled as if he were laughing inside.” Repetition also plays a role in Medicine Bag. Martin mentions numerous times, especially in the first half of the story, that he is “ashamed” and “embarrassed” by his grandfather. This element in the story helps to show the theme by solidifying how Martin felt about his grandfather before their final talk together. At the end of the story, the time comes for Martin’s grandfather to continue the family ritual and pass on the medicine bag. His grandpa shares with him the history of the medicine bag and its importance. At the end of their talk together, Martin is able to understand more about his family’s past and he’s no longer embarrassed by his ancestry. His grandfather then passes away but he leaves his legacy with his great-grandson, Martin, who is proud to be Native American like his great-grandpa. This proves that the theme of Medicine Bag is to respect your heritage.

Part 1 “The Medicine Bag” is a short story by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve about Martin, a teenage boy, and his grandfather, a Sioux native. His grandfather travels from his Sioux reserve to visit Martin and his family. His grandfather comes to pass a very special family tradition onto Martin. At first, Martin isn’t so sure about Grandpa visiting in front of all of his friends, and keeps his friends away from Grandpa. But as the story progresses, he realizes that he should take pride in his grandfather and heritage. One lesson that can be taken away from this story is to not let what others think affect what is important to you. Sneve displays and suggests this lesson in a variety of ways, including using Martin’s thoughts, the actions of other characters, and figurative language. Martin’s actions, reactions, and thoughts in the story contribute the most to the development of theme. Martin’s first reaction when he saw Grandpa walking down the street towards their house that showed his initial reaction was “Oh no… it’s Grandpa.” Throughout the story, Martin works to keep his peers far from Grandpa because he is afraid of being embarrassed by him. Later, his peers finally meet Grandpa, and they are amazed by him. Afterwards, his feelings about having Grandpa in town goes from his initial reaction of seeing Grandpa, to taking pride in his ancestor. Martin even admits being afraid of his friends’ reactions when he introduces Grandpa to his friends and thinks “I could tell that he had known all along I was afraid he’d embarrass me in front of my friends.” This reveals the beginning of a transition between the two mindsets, using the mistake to show theme. Also, as Martin watches his friends, astounded by Grandpa, he thinks, “I was so proud of him.” This exhibits the ending mindset had changed from the one he had at the beginning of the story. All in all, the author uses Martin’s mistake of hiding what he really cares about and his thoughts to show the theme of not letting what others think affect what you love.

This theme is also revealed through the actions and reactions of others throughout the story. Cheryl, Martin’s younger sister, acts the exact opposite from him. She allows her friends to come and visit Grandpa all of the time. Cheryl’s actions almost act as an example to show that there is nothing to be afraid or embarrassed about. Although it could be argued that the theme is that young children aren’t as worried about being judged as young adults, the text actually shows that it is not letting what others care about affect what you love. The text focuses more on Martin’s change in point of view, rather than Cheryl’s actions. Another example of others’ actions revealing this theme is one of Martin’s friend’s comments on Grandpa to Martin. After meeting him, his friend comments, “Don’t blame you for keeping him to yourself.” This comment again implies the lesson that there is nothing to be ashamed of about what or who you love. All in all, shown by Finally, the author also shows the theme by using forms of figurative language to depict what Martin sees about Grandpa that makes him worried and how he feels about the situation. At the beginning when Grandpa arrives, Martin describes his feelings of embarrassment by saying that he wants to “sink through the pavement.” Although he can’t really sink through the pavement, it conveys how embarrassed Martin fely.The author most likely used this to better show the change in Martin’s mindset from the beginning of the story to the end. Martin also describes Grandpa with vivid imagery and similes. This shows how Martin sees Grandpa, what really sticks out to him, and what he fears people will make fun of him for. To describe Grandpa, Martin says, “His rumpled black suit hung like a sack over his stooped frame… his get-up wasn’t out of place on the reservation, but it sure was here.” The words used show the weakness Martin sees and what he fears will be made fun of. All in all, Sneve uses figurative language in the story in a way that conveys the theme. In conclusion, the theme of “The Medicine Bag” is obviously to not let what others think affect what you love. This is displayed through the thoughts and actions of Martin and others, and some figurative language as well.