Tracks: Analysis of Major Characters
"Tracks: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate lives of various characters within a Native American context, particularly focusing on the Chippewa tribe. The narrative is framed through two first-person perspectives, primarily that of Nanapush, an elderly and influential figure who acts as a protector and guide to his adoptive daughter, Lulu. He embodies resilience, having survived historical tragedies such as the consumption epidemic of 1912. Another key character is Pauline Puyat, a mixed-blood woman whose complex and often unreliable narration reveals her tumultuous journey, including her obsession with Fleur Pillager, a powerful and enigmatic woman whose experiences highlight themes of survival and resistance against colonial forces. Fleur, marked by her connection to spiritual elements and tragic encounters with violence, remains a pivotal figure in the story. The dynamics among characters such as Eli Kashpaw, Margaret Kashpaw, and Lulu Pillager illustrate a blend of familial loyalty, betrayal, and the struggle for identity amidst cultural upheaval. Overall, the work delves into the intersection of personal and collective histories, revealing the layered relationships and challenges faced by Indigenous individuals in a rapidly changing world.
Tracks: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Louise Erdrich
First published: 1988
Genre: Novel
Locale: a Chippewa reservation, a convent, and the town of Argus, all in North Dakota
Plot: Domestic realism
Time: 1912–1924
Nanapush, one of two first-person narrators. He is an old and authoritative Chippewa speaking to his “adoptive” daughter, Lulu, as he tries to dissuade her from marrying one of the Morrisseys. Named for his tribal trickster figure, he is a survivor along with Fleur (whom he has saved) of the consumption epidemic of 1912 and a mythic figure in his own right. He claims to have guided the last buffalo hunt, seen the last bear shot, and trapped the last beaver with a pelt of more than two years' growth.
Pauline Puyat, a young mixed-blood woman whose unreliable narration moves from prevarication to madness in the course of the book. She is from a family of despised “skinners” of fur with no clan name. She is obsessed with Fleur Pillager, whose brief and tragic career in Argus and later troubles on the reservation (some of Pauline's making) she chronicles with increasingly vicious relish, to an indeterminate audience. Torn between fleshly desire (she bears a baby, Marie, whom she then abandons) and bizarre imagings mixing Native American and Catholic beliefs, she passes herself off as white and becomes a nun.
Fleur Pillager, rescued by Nanapush from her familial cabin on Lake Matchimanito during an epidemic. Tall, strong, and attractive, she is said to be the lover of Misshepeshu, the lake's spirit, who protects her from drowning and gives her power over her enemies. During a summer working in Argus at Kozkas' butcher shop, she angers three male employees by winning repeatedly at cards. They rape her in revenge, and she (perhaps) calls forth the tornado that destroys them. Because these events are related only by Pauline, Fleur's character remains enigmatic, as does the parentage of her child, Lulu. With the encroachment of whites, her magic is no longer dependable.
Eli Kashpaw, the son of Margaret (Rushes Bear) and lover of Fleur. He is the father of their dead child. He is caught between the woods where, like Fleur, he feels most at home, and the assimilative instincts of his mother and his brother, Nector.
Margaret Kashpaw, the fourth wife of Nanapush, mother to eighteen children, and betrayer (along with her practical son, Nector) of both Nanapush and Fleur. She uses their combined and hard-earned money to pay late fees on Kashpaw property only, so Nanapush's property is forfeited to the encroaching lumber company.
Lulu Pillager, the daughter of Fleur, a beautiful, wild, somewhat spoiled child. Sent to government school by her desperate mother, then retrieved by Nanapush and Margaret, she listens restlessly to Nanapush's part of the tale.