Dual Characters In Louise Erdrich's Tracks

“Tracks” is an amazing novel written by Louise Erdrich. It is a powerful and dark story that is about a native American tribe called the Chippewas who are struggling to protect their land and traditional heritage. The story takes place in the early 1900s where it appears as though the migration of the white settlers and native American Indians have a feud over sacred land. In the story Nanapush and Pauline take turns narrating each chapter in the story. Both have different views and relationships with the main character Fleur. In each chapter, it demonstrates how Fleur is seen through the eyes of Nanapush and Pauline and they are helping prove Fleurs behaviors and actions impact the people around her. Erdrich uses Characterization, …show more content…
“Each figure contributes to the novel by "telling stories," in the double sense of narrating and lying, so that the text emerges as something of a dialogue” (Hughes). A tribal leader, Nanapush comes from a place of guidance and wants what is best not only for the people around him but the land of the Native American. Pauline was a mixed blood Indian who was involved in her Christian ways forgetting about the Indian ways, because the native folks around her would treat her with no respect. Pauline's story is coming from a place of confession and validation within her actions, looking for forgiveness. Story telling is based on painting an image for the readers to understand the characters. “The storyteller relies on memory (his or hers and his or her listener's) and creates a chain of tradition that passes on a happening from generation to generation” (Sergi, 1). Both narrators talk about the main character Fleur. Nanapush seems to symbolize a father figure, because Nanapush helped nurse fleur back to health after nearly dying from an epidemic in the beginning of the story. He has a better connection with Fleur in the story. Pauline talks about Fleur with jealousy and hatred against her. She may be against her, because she probably thinks Fleur is better at everything than Pauline. The differences between the two story-tellers is really what drives the story and is very telling, not only about the story itself, but …show more content…
Many had to adapt to a new way of living and others didn’t want to change at all. The natives mostly wanted their sacred land. Fleur and Nanapush, both share to strive to preserve the old traditional ways on their culture. They want their old traditional tracks exactly where they are. “Land is the only thing that lasts life to life’’ (Erdrich, 33). Land will be passed on to their families from generation to generation. Land lasts forever material items and money seems to diminish over time. Land is very sacred and free until white men started taking over and claiming it. The white settlers would take advantage of these natives by having them sign off their land on documents. “Some signed their land away with thumbs and crosses” (Erdrich, 99). Very few natives were uneducated so they would sign papers letting white settlers take over their possessions. It was hard to make some money when there was only a minimum of resources to come by. Tribal members made their money off game animals and hides. White settlers believe that natives needed to pay for the land they lived on. An agent that works for the government was selling the land Fleur and her family lived on to the Turcot Lumber Company. The reason their land was being sold was, because Eli’s younger brother was entrusted with the money Eli gave him to pay off the land he lived on. Instead he used the money to