Louise Erdrich’s novel Love Medicine encompasses different stories of two families. More specifically, the families involved include the Lamartines and Kashpaws from North Dakota. The presentation of detailed family structures in these families presents the book’s primary themes. Adopting this strategy allows the author to highlight the themes of love and death, which presents the continuity of the book and family traditions. These novel aspects enable the readers to understand the leading foundations of the character’s life. The novel is a relatively unique approach to passing the intended message. In this case, the author allows the characters to tell their stories. A crucial advantage of this strategy is that it allows them several perspectives of crucial events which influence the families in question in a fifty-year period. A detailed review of the book, including how symbolism is used and emphasis on Marie Kashpaw, presents the message and style used by the author.
The author presents a different set of characters that are linked with a common culture and ancestors. It helps the author illustrate how an individual can be caught between culture and the outside world. This concept is presented by two brothers Nector and Eli, who stay with their mother specifically to enable them to benefit from the government’s plan to provide reservation land. The author can demonstrate a crucial aspect highlighting the culture clash using these two characters. Eli demonstrates this in the words “Higher Power makes promises we all know they can’t back up” (Erdrich 31). It is evident when the brothers reach the right age to go to school, Nector is sent to a boarding school, and Eli does not attend school. By Nector and Eli attending two different schools, one headed by a white and the other by the black community the author is able to demonstrate the concept of culture.
A close analysis of the novel points out that the author uses different generations to show societal differences. According to the book, the generations that come after, between 1934 and 1984, show a diversity inherent within individuals with several life options existing in Native America currently (Erdrich 19). The main stories presented in the novel include those of persons staying in reservation lands in a strong family structure offered by Nector’s wife. The author uses the characters, particularly the two families to highlight family structures by pointing out that specific individuals opt to shift from the reservation land specifically to break family ties. The failure to get a reliable foothold in both worlds tends to destroy the lives of others. As a result, the author attempts to emphasize the concept of togetherness and living as a community.
The author adopts different types of symbolism throughout the book to highlight the fundamental intuitions. A significant symbolism utilized by the author is medicine. This symbol is crucial in the novel and is highlighted by its position in the title. The symbol appears severally in the story and in different forms. Most significantly, it is evident when Albertine studies medicine in the U.S. which is the direct opposite of Lipsha’s spiritual practices of healing. Most contemporary healthcare facilities are not trusted; therefore, individuals that offer medicine in communities are respected. This shows that medicine is used in the book as a symbol linked to fraught in most communities. Another notable symbol in the novel is the geese that appear in most stories. It symbolizes Chippewa’s love of medicine and fidelity. Lipsha illustrates how geese mate for life and assumes their fidelity will help the grandparents if a female goose’s heart is necessary to heart Marie.
To present most aspects of the novel, the author uses Marie Kashpaw. She is one of the two central mother figures in the story. The character dramatically changes from a teenager in the early 1930s, “Saint Marie,” to an older adult residing in the reservations of Senior Citizen homes by the mid-1980s. She can be described as a stoic Christian who believes that the church will uplift her. This is evident when she says, “I was that girl who thought the black hem of her garment would help me rise” (Erdrich 10). Marie Kashpaw was necessary because the author uses her to underscore the aspect of religion and how it can affect a person’s general life. According to the book, religion has evil people who can turn good people into villains (Erdrich 26). This concern is highlighted when the character points out that “I ended up under the wing of a sadistic nun called Sister Leopolda” (Erdrich 20). Therefore, the struggles that Marie Kashpaw underwent as a woman in a society dominated by males allows the author to show the challenges women undergo in their respective societies.
As a popular novel, Louise Erdrich’s book, Love Medicine, offers an enjoyable reading to the public. The stories get the reader’s attention and take them into the worlds of Lamartines and Kashpaws and aspects of love and death. The author has explored specific symbols to give the reader a better understanding of the critical intuitions of the novel. Besides this, the characters, including Marie Kashpaw are used effectively. I highly recommend the book due to its entertainment value and explorations of human societies.
Work Cited
Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. Odyssey Editions, 2010.