Magical Realism in Louise Erdrich’s “Fleur”

Abstract

Louise Erdrich, one of the most famous and industrious women writers of contemporary American Indian literature, is popular among readers and critics for her North Dakota Indian novels. Love Medicine, The Beet Queen, Tracks, and The Bingo Palace constitute her tetralogy of Indian novels, reflecting the conflict and integration between the historical traditions of Indians and contemporary American society and culture. The short story "Fleur", included in her novel Tracks, depicts a mysterious Chippewa woman and her sufferings in the town of Argus. The purpose of this article is to analyze the use of magical realism in this short story, shedding new light on Erdrich's intention to intertwine magic and reality in her writing. This article argues that by incorporating supernatural elements in a realistic context, Erdrich reveals the cultural identity and sufferings of the Ojibwe people, depicts the conflict between the marginalized indigenous women and the white men, and presents her resistance against the dominant culture's authority.