Love Medicine Love Medicine
Love Medicine is a compelling story of love, power, and pride. Its collection of characters all tell there own story offering different opinions and views. This variety makes the story very interesting. The reader gets to know each character very personally because of all the different views. Many of the same events are described differently by each character, as expected. But this variance allows the reader to draw his own conclusions and affords the opportunity to know the personality of everyone. The story is quite confusing, however, with the tremendously large and connected families. It seems, to the reader, that everyone is somehow related. This complexity can be extremely confusing and leaves the reader without a solid frame of reference when reading of other characters. The main character of the novel is difficult to identify. It appears to be June, but she is dead and, in fact, does not even come up very frequently in other conversation. One could argue that there are multiple main characters. They seem to be LuLu, Lipsha, and possibly Nector. All of theses characters come up very frequently and seem to be the most dynamic characters. LuLu is portrayed trying to gain power in every aspect of her life; at home, politically, and among her peers. And as it turns out, she does attain the level of power she aspires to. Lipsha seems secondary and passive until LuLu raises question of his ancestry. This uncertainty sends Lipsha on a journey to find the truth. And ultimately, he comes upon a satisfactory conclusion. Nector also stands out quite a bit, mostly because he is involved with so many people. Nector's transition occurs when he decides to quit Marie and dedicate himself to LuLu. Although, his plan fails when he finds that he does not have the opportunity. Contrary to what the name implies, the main theme of the story seems to be power; power to women. The men in the story are controlled, manipulated, and at times degraded. The most powerful characters in the novel seem to be the elders and the women. They are respected and even feared. This topic is not hidden in any way. Many of the women attest to the fact that they want the men to be subservient to themselves. There is much allegory in the story. For instance, in the beginning, the egg is to symbolize June; hard on the outside, soft and smooth on the inside. June even says that her skin is dry and crackled and calls her coat her "shell". The narration of the stories seems to shift between peripheral first person and central first person. At times the focus of the story is the person telling it. Other times someone else is the focus. Erdrich does a splendid job creating diverse characters. Their actions and unique voices create a strong image of the individual. This, along with very specific descriptions of appearance, builds very strong characters. There is a superfluous amount of drinking in the story and an uncanny frequency of ghosts. The reader must justify the recurring events as part of Indian culture and hopes to find some meaning in these actions. After careful consideration, the reader will often find what he is looking for. The novel is, in this respect, very satisfying. The reader is left fulfilled with the right amount of the desired emotions. Erdrich offers comedy, tragedy, and encouragement. This blend makes the story very moving and evokes deep feelings. Not all of the conflicts in the novel are resolved. Some are left untouched, others show small improvement, and still, others provide the expected happy ending. Such a conclusion invites further speculation when the book is over and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.
