Analysis Of Fleur By Louise Erdrich

Louise Erdrich tells us much about the interaction of Native American and Anglo-American people and cultures during the early 20th century in the fictional town of Argus; their mixing, mashing, and clashing. Erdrich herself was of a Native American bloodline, for her mother had both French and Chippewa blood, so it seems only natural for her to have written about such topics. In particular, her short story "Fleur", originally released in 1986, portrays the role in society of two young Native American women, first and foremost emphasizing their disparaged position in a world ruled by white men, and showing us how divergent they are in their approaches and personalities, yet how their strengths and weaknesses complement each other perfectly,

She is a young girl whose stepfather, Dutch James, brought her mother and her into the town from the Native American reservation in the north. Pauline's mother soon died, and Pauline was to replace her, as evidenced in the words "Dutch took me out of school to take her place." (Erdrich 462). Pauline herself confirms that she took over all of the housework and even worked with Dutch at Kozka's Meats, but the words are just vague enough to hide any potential trace of abuse Dutch may or may not have inflicted on Pauline, even holding a potential sexual innuendo of her taking "... her place." in bed. (Erdrich 462). Pauline's stance is an old woman's, her body tired from work, and her nature is perfectly shown in the passage where she herself states – "I was a good one to have around because until they needed me, I was invisible. I blended into the stained brown walls, a skinny, big-nosed girl with staring eyes... I knew everything, what the men said when no one was around, and what they did to Fleur." (Erdrich 462). The final words of this sentence are a foreshadowing of what's to come, the event that would spell