Love Medicine

Louise Erdrich’s writing gives readers a glimpse into the Native American world. Erdrich utilizes the traditions and history of her people to portray Native American life on a reservation. Her insider perspective adds authenticity, but it is her unique writing style that illustrates more detail to the reader. Her writing style is influenced by her heritage, and in this way sets her apart from other writers both in subject and in her entire approach to conveying her stories.

In the article “Introduction to American Indian Literatures,” A. Lavonne Brown Ruoff discusses the difference between Native American and typical Western style writing and story telling. Ruoff explains, “breath, speech and verbal art are so closely linked to each other that in many oral cultures they are often signified by the same word (185).” Erdrich writes her stories as if they are being spoken out loud to the reader, in a dialect that seems familiar. When the reader is introduced to Lipsha Morrissey, we learn of his special talents. “I know the tricks of mind and body inside out without ever having trained for it, because I got the touch. It’s a thing you got to be born with. I got secrets in my hands that nobody ever knew to ask. (231)” The grammar she uses here is incorrect, yet she uses it as a tool to make Lipsha seem more authentic. Lipsha is a character that never to school outside the reservation, therefore his language skills are evident of his lack of formal education. His tone also seems as if he is talking right to the reader, almost whispering a story in their ear, rather than having a story written about a fictional character.

Erdrich uses the art of the written word as a canvas to share her culture. Whereas in Native American culture, oral tradition is a big part of their history; modern America has devalued oral tradition and placed more emphasis on the written word. In order to transition over, Erdrich writes in the same cryptic style, as an elder Native American would tell a story to younger generations. She uses metaphors, and conflicting points of view to influence writing with her background. When the character Lyman Lamartine begins to tell his story, she utilizes her unique style to introduce him. He tells, “We owned it together until his boots filled with water on a windy night and he bought out my share. Now Henry owns the whole car, and his younger brother Lyman (that’s myself), Lyman walks everywhere he goes. (181)” Erdrich’s story telling ability is enhanced by her ability to become a character, instead of just writing about one.

Another Native American author, Simon Ortiz Acoma elaborates on the Native American oral tradition. He explains, “The oral tradition is not just speaking and listening, because what it means to me and other people who have grown up in that tradition is that whole process…of that society in terms of its history, its culture, its language, its values, and subsequently its literature. (184)” Louise Erdrich is a skilled author, who delivers beautiful prose to readers, illustrating the unfamiliar world of Native Americans.

Word count: 524

Works cited:
Ruoff, A. Lavonne Brown. “Introduction to American Indian Literatures.”
Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. New York: Harper Collins. 1984.