Love Medicine - A study of Marie

A detailed Summary of Love Medicine - A study of Marie

Marie Lazzarre-Kashpaw is an extremely central character in Loise Erdrich's

novel, Love Medicine. The collection of short stories chronicles Marie's life from her

battles with an abusive nun at age fourteen, to conflicts with her children and

grandchildren at the age of sixty-four. Throughout the novel she takes on many roles and

can be associated to a great many themes, images, objects and details. In the text of this

paper, I will present a few of these roles and associations in an attempt to better

understand the Marie Lazzarre-Kashpaw character, and determine what her presence

accomplishes in the larger narrative of Love Medicine.

One recurring theme throughout the novel is Marie's reluctance to be associated

with her Lazzarre roots. The Lazzarre clan is thought of as the "trash" of the community,

as most of them live in extreme poverty and have serious drinking problems. Marie is

embarrassed by her roots and is thoroughly disgusted by her family, barring her sister

Lucille. This is most evident in the part of the novel when Marie's mother gives her

Lucille's daughter, June, after the child is found orphaned in the woods. . .

"We don't know how the girl done it," said the old

her with all my might. She flew in. But the outstretched

disappointment, as when a fish slips off the line. Only I

real devotion to God), and some due to Leopolda's obsession with "beating the Hell out

mechanism is seen when Gordie appears at Marie's home extremely drunk and near

Bear was a hot fire that I wanted to crush. After that,

stigmata. Marie had finally become a saint. Later, when all of the nuns are fawning over

life, she put the shape of it back in place. And even though

went beyond the frailer connections. More than saving my

of" Marie. The most brutal of these occasions is chronicled below when Marie kicks

and help him attain the position of chairman for the tribe. She makes and mothers

These relationships touch on an important theme in Love Medicine and the

"The Beads" when Marie takes in June, although she knows it will make her life more

family is a recurring them throughout the novel, and it motivates Marie to be a strong

Approximate Word count = 1685
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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