Conflict and Symbolism in "The Medicine Bag" Answers

Which statement most accurately describes what the medicine bag symbolizes to Martin’s grandpa?

Read the passage.During the spelling test, Adrian sees his friend Malcolm cheating. Adrian knows this is wrong. His first thought is to say something to the teacher, but Malcolm is one of Adrian’s few friends. If he tells the teacher, it could end their friendship. He decides to think about the situation before saying anything.

Read this excerpt from “The Medicine Bag.” I reluctantly moved to the bed. I knew Grandpa wouldn’t want to have Mom undress him, but I didn’t want to, either. He was so skinny and frail that his coat slipped off easily. When I loosened his tie and opened his shirt collar, I felt a small leather pouch that hung from a thong around his neck. I left it alone and moved to remove his boots. The scuffed old cowboy boots were tight, and he moaned as I put pressure on his legs to jerk them off. I put the boots on the floor and saw why they fit so tight. Each one was stuffed with money. I looked at the bills that lined the boots and started to ask about them, but Grandpa’s eyes were closed again.

Read this excerpt from “The Medicine Bag.” My buddies passed in a single file and shook his hand as I introduced them. They were so polite I almost laughed. “How, there, Grandpa,” and even a “How-do-you-do, sir.” “You look fine, Grandpa,” I said as the guys sat on the lawn chairs or on the patio floor. “Hanh, yes,” he agreed. “When I woke up this morning, it seemed the right time to dress in the good clothes. I knew that my grandson would be bringing his friends.”

Read this excerpt from “The Medicine Bag.” “My father in his early manhood,” Grandpa began, “made a vision quest to find a spirit guide for his life. You cannot understand how it was in that time, when the great Teton Sioux were first made to stay on the reservation. There was a strong need for guidance from Wakantanka, the Great Spirit. But too many of the young men were filled with despair and hatred. They thought it was hopeless to search for a vision when the glorious life was gone and only the hated confines of a reservation lay ahead. But my father held to the old ways.”

Read this excerpt from “The Medicine Bag.” “I sent your mother and sister away. What you will hear today is only for a man’s ears. What you will receive is only for a man’s hands.” He fell silent and I felt shivers down my back.

Read this excerpt from “The Medicine Bag.” “Even though the boy,” he said still looking at me, “bears a white man’s name, the medicine bag will be his.” I didn’t know what to say. I had the same hot and cold feeling that I had when I first saw Grandpa in the street. The medicine bag was the dirty leather pouch I had found around his neck. “I could never wear such a thing,” I almost said aloud. I thought of having my friends see it in gym class or at the swimming pool and could imagine the smart things they would say. But I just swallowed hard and took a step toward the bed. I knew I would have to take it.

Read this excerpt from “The Medicine Bag.” “Even though the boy,” he said still looking at me, “bears a white man’s name, the medicine bag will be his.”

Read this excerpt from "The Medicine Bag.” "I kept the bag until my son, your mother’s father, was a man and had to leave us to fight in the war across the ocean. I gave him the bag, for I believed it would protect him in battle, but he did not take it with him. He was afraid that he would lose it. He died in a faraway place.”

Read this excerpt from “The Medicine Bag.” “You found the money in my boots?” he asked Mom.“Martin did,” she answered, and roused herself to scold. “Grandpa, you shouldn’t have carried so much money. What if someone had stolen it from you?” Grandpa laughed. “I would’ve known if anyone tried to take the boots off my feet. The money is what I’ve saved for a long time—a hundred dollars—for my funeral. But you take it now to buy groceries so that I won’t be a burden to you while I am here.”