Catholicism And Ojibwe Culture In Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine

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Louise Erdrich’s novel, Love Medicine is a fusion of Catholicism and Ojibwe beliefs. Both played a central role in the life of the author. The status of Catholicism is apparent, nevertheless, she possesses first-hand knowledge of Ojibwe culture as a recognized member of the tribe. As a product of an interracial partnership, Erdrich embraces and respects both cultures, accordingly, this can also be said about many of the main characters. Having done some research on the author’s background, I stumbled upon a perfect example of this fact in her life. When Erdrich is not writing, she runs an independent bookstore in Minnesota with her daughters, named “Birchbark Books”, which specializes in Native American books, jewelry, and arts. Moreover, an interesting fact is that it houses a confessional. Ordinarily, the average person does go to the bookstore to make Penance. She does not shy away from her background, rather it seems to be the muse, she uses as the base for her artistic expression. Native American literature does not get the attention it deserves. The Ojibwe like other tribes, struggle to keep their traditions and culture alive. Mainstream media have suppressed or …show more content…
Chapter one is titled, “The World’s Greatest Fishermen”. According to the book of Matthew, verse 19, Jesus said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Following this, the chapter opens with, “The morning before Easter Sunday, June Kashpaw was walking down the clogged main street of oil boomtown Williston, North Dakota, killing time before the noon bus arrived that would take her home” (1). The opening sentence is an example of foreshadowing. A skilled storyteller, Erdrich interweaves present and future events, with through stories that are not necessarily told in chronological order, however there truths are revealed to the reader at the end of the

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