Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich - Book Report/Review Example

Kevinn Harris Prof Avery English 1130 June 28, 2009 “Love Medicine” Louise Erdrich’s “Love Medicine,” is a first person narrative that provides us with impression about the life of Lipsha Morrissey, the protagonist and his search for identity that he attempts to explore through the ways of love and integrity among those relations that play a very crucial role in his quest for finding serenity in life. In the end though we see a tragic end to the story but the story incorporates within its scope abundant element of optimism. It is the element of mutual love between all the three characters and desperate effort from the protagonist and Grandma Kashpaw to make the situation fine between them is thought compelling. At the same time it assures a reader about the fact that love is the most important aspect of life to identify and relish the felling of fulfillment as human beings. The element of hope is prevalent in the story and the optimism that has been reflected in the story has been churned from interaction between the characters as well as through their actions. Lipsha Morrissey’s life, since his birth, was never a fairy tale story and he has been saved from her mother who wanted to kill him. In that way he has never been lucky enough to feel the charm of parental love. However under the guardianship of Grandma and Grandpa Kashpaw he realized that love and that love is one of the main sources for him to make him feel that he is complete as a human being. As Grandpa Kashpaw achieved several things within his span of life always had a strong influence over Lipsha. However, since Grandpa’s mind was gradually failing it stated all the problems and conflicts but he never seemed to have any worry about that thing and it seems as if welcomed it, “I’m getting into my second childhood.” “I been chosen for it. I couldn’t say no.” (Erdrich, 109) Though both Grandma and Grandpa never escaped from the bond of their mutual love but during his momentary fit of lunacy his elopement with Lulu Lamartine has never been appreciated by Grandma. Consequently, Lipsha was assigned with the responsibility to prepare a love medicine. (Erdrich, 116) In the context of preparing love medicine for both of them we not only see dominance of hope in Lipsha’s quest but at the same time conspicuous elements of Native American rituals have also been explicitly presented by the narrator. Presentation of such ritualistic elements has intentionally been introduced by the author to heighten the element of optimism in the story. Lipsha have always felt that without the mutual love both from Grandpa and Grandma his life would have been futile and unfulfilled. Thus, initially though he was a bit skeptic but with the growing course of time he has also been affected by the belief of his Grandma and his patient waiting for Canada geese is clear evidence of the fact. However, he finally finds the pair of Canada geese while waiting under a tree. (Erdrich, 117) As those birds were mate for life, according to the Native Indian ritual eating hearts of those birds would also bring love back among people. Though his shots have missed to kill them but depending over his faith he finally decided to get back home with hearts of turnkeys. Here also we see the same element of hope. He was quite sure that Grandma will not be able to distinguish and it would retain her hope as well so that she will be able to try her level best to get back her love of life. However, he always was skeptic inside whether Grandpa would agree to eat those or not and when he expressed that doubt to Grandma she assured him that she would find certain ways to persuade Grandpa to eat. Such desperate effort from Grandma shows that she was also equally doubtful if his husband would agree or not but completely depending over hope she assured Lipsha that she would find some way or the other. It is no doubt unfortunate that while eating the heart raw Grandpa Kashpa choked but it is the optimism of his close associates that he could not finally refuse. Throughout the story it has been one of the major intentions of the author that he has tried provide hope to readers and at the same time he wanted to assure them that love and optimism are two very important aspects that can change many situations that apparently seem to be impossible to overcome. Together, Lipsha Morrissey and Grandma Kashpa have exhibited extraordinary tenacity that led them to the path of hope. Righteousness, persistence, and optimism these three greatest human virtues have reflected from their behaviorist approach. Though they never hoped that something so tragic would happen with them but at the same time they have learned a great lesson that love may stop disparity but there is no escape from experiencing despair. Judging from apparent perspective it may seem that the death of Grandpa Kashpa is an essentially tragic incident that drives away all the rays of optimism and hope but the incidents that followed to the occurrence of the tragic incident compel a reader to look at the whole thing from an optimist perspective. Lipsha Morrissey, being their grandson, has always shared a very affectionate relationship with them and at the same time he always has tried desperately to bring back the same old easy feeling between them. On one hand he missed the feeling of fulfillment since the day both of them separated and on the other hand Grandma Kashpa was also deprived and isolated inside. All the methods that Lipsha Morrissey followed to bring them the “Love Medicine” have entirely been supported by Grandma Kashpa. Three of them together used to be an entity and it is clear from the story that none of them were happy for this type of separation. It was their mutual as well as respective effort of retention that they came together again and at the same time it was due to that hope of reunification that Grandma Kashpa insisted Grandpa to eat the heart of the bird raw. Even Lipsha Morrissey himself observed, “I couldn’t hardly watch when she munched hers. Now that’s true love. I was worried about how she would get Grandpa to eat his, but she told me she’d think of something and don’t worry.” (Erdrich, 122) What was the reason that Grandma Kashpa was so sure that she would be able to persuade her husband to ear the heart of the bird raw? It was because of her hope, love and expectation from her husband that he told Lipsha Morrissey not to worry. It is her hope and optimism to get back her husband that she developed such feeling in her and while attempting to persuade her husband she also took the same old kind of authoritative approach that never shows that she has been staying away from her husband, “ “Swallow it down,” she said. “You’ll hardly notice it.” He just looked at her straight on. The way he looked at her made me think I was going to see the smokescreen drop a second time, and sure enough it happened.” (Erdrich, 123) Though Grandpa Kashpa was never sure about the reason of such authoritative command but tried to refuse enough but finally he agreed to her and attempted to consume it desperately. Such desperate attempt from Grandpa Kashpa clearly shows that despite he has been staying away from her for quite a long time but he has not been able to ignore completely the kind of relationship and affection that he used to share with her and it is, perhaps, one of the major reasons that he finally attempted to eat that thing despite no matter how much he felt bad about consuming it. E. Shelley Reid has observed that, “Erdrichs novels are clearly identity narratives despite their obvious departures from, and mediations of, Western autobiographical conventions of self representation.” (Reid, 76) In the “Love Medicine” we also see though Lipsha Morrissey has spoken to a great extent about himself but at the same time, it has been clear though his presentation that his identity cannot be completely explored unless it receives support from the other people like Grandma and Grandpa Kashpa. It is due to their presence in his life that he has been able to identify himself as a part of the whole system and this sense of unity gives hope to his existence, encourages him to announce proudly, “I never really done much with my life, I suppose.” (Erdrich, 108) and he does not have any regret foe that, because he finds happiness when he sees that people, who are close to him are happy. Though “both Native American and Roman Catholic religious beliefs” have played important part in his maturity but it is quite optimistic to see that Lipsha Morrissey has never entirely lost amidst such “contradictory system of belief” (Rainwater, 405) and in this manner he differs from the Western protagonists, who have remained trapped and lost always amidst the dichotomy of identity crisis. Like other works of Louise Erdrich the “Love Medicine” also “In addition to formal features … draws on characters, plot patterns and relationships from traditional Anishinabe culture and mythology.” (Stokes, 90) It is the theme of unity and mutual collaboration that gives hope to the people despite all the despairs that hinder their way. This is the way the theme of hope and optimism has been reinforced in the “Love Medicine” and the author has masterfully shown reflection of all these human positivism through the kind of relationship shared by Grandma, Grandpa Kashpa and Lipsha Morrissey. Works Cited 1. Erdrich, Louise, “Love Medicine” in Velie, Alan R., The Lightning Within: An Anthology of Contemporary American Indian Fiction, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1993 2. Reid, E. Shelley, “The Stories We Tell: Louise Erdrichs Identity Narratives”, MELUS, Vol. 25, No. 3/4, Revising Traditions Double Issue (Autumn - Winter, 2000), pp. 65-86 3. Stokes, Karath, “What about the sweetheart?: The "Different Shape" of Anishinabe Two Sisters Stories in Louise Erdrichs Love Medicine and Tales of Burning Love”, MELUS, Vol. 24, No. 2, Religion, Myth and Ritual (Summer, 1999), pp. 89-105 4. Rainwater, Catherine, Reading between Worlds: Narrativity in the Fiction of Louise Erdrich, American Literature, Vol. 62, No. 3 (Sep., 1990) , pp. 405-422 Works Cited Erdrich, Louise. "Love Medicine." Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006. 269-286. Read More