Larose By Louise Erdrich Character Analysis

LaRose, a novel written by Louise Erdrich, holds the story of two families brought together by a tragic loss. In the novel, LaRose is a young boy shared between the Ravich family and the Iron family after his father, Landreaux Iron, mistakenly shot and killed the Ravich’s youngest son. Since this moment, LaRose puts his life on hold to shelter and comfort his many family members plagued with grief. As the story develops and LaRose ages, he must figure out where he stands in life after spending so long putting others before himself. The novel plays with the ideas of family, righteousness, and loss while showing each character in their weakest and most vulnerable state, due to the heavy situation everyone is exposed to.
Although LaRose is the youngest character in the book, at five …show more content…
Romeo Puyat, Landreaux’ childhood friend, demonstrates this perfectly. When Landreaux and Romeo ran away together in an attempt to escape their harsh boarding school, Romeo sacrificed his entire childhood to protect Landreaux. Since this moment, he has been vengeful towards the Iron family. Throughout the novel, he chooses to let this side of him dictate his life. It is not until the last chapter that Romeo decides to let go of the past. It is not until after this decision that all is peaceful. Nola Ravich also exemplifies this theme in the novel. With the death of her youngest son, Nola becomes severely depressed, and eventually has thoughts of suicide. When Nola’s daughter walks in on her attempt to hang herself, she finds the power to seek help. As the mother of two kids, she realizes that she must put her family first. While Nola starts meeting with the local pastor, the Ravich family finds stability. Everyone has the capability to be good or evil, and by the end of the novel each character learns which choice holds the greatest