The Plague Of Doves By Louise Erdrich

Many say that the past is a lesson to learn from. Faulty mistakes and righteous decisions define the future and ones success in life. The novel The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich is a combination of stories from the past merged into one narrative. The five narrators recount the testimonies of their ancestors to discover the history of Pluto and the Ojibwe reservation. These narrators include Evelina Harp, John Wildstrand, Judge Antonne Coutts, Marne Peace, and Cordelia Lochern. Although not related by blood, they are connected by the murder of the Lochern family, which resulted in the lynching of four Native Americans. Many of the ancestors took part in the hanging, while others were the ones who were lynched. This novel reveals the tales …show more content…
A prime example of that influence is Evelina’s grandfather, Mooshum. Mooshum is the first to communicate his knowledge of the murder. He explains that he and three friends discovered a crying baby at the bloody crime scene. The natives fled the scene to avert prosecution, but were subject to accusation. mooshum fails to mention that he notified the police and got his friends killed as a result. Evelina is devastated by this revelation and states “I still love Mooshum, of course, but this tale was something in my regard of him was disturbed, as if I’d stepped into a clear stream and slit had billowed up around my feet.” This comment proves that Mooshum’s act had been deceiving the ones he loved. The author makes it seem like mooshum is a cheerful man, but he hides his failures in ridicule and drinking. He taunts people for fun, but there is a more intricate side to mooshum. The fact stands that mooshum is mortified and tortured by his previous …show more content…
Warren is first introduced by Marn Wolde. Warren is Marns deranged uncle who has always been neglected. The insane delusions and constant harassment causes the family to place Warren in a Psychiatric hospital. Warren is for the most part overlooked until the final chapter. THe final chapter is narrated by Cordelia Lochern, the rescued baby from the devastating murder. While brushing up on her family’s murder she comes to the discovery that Warren is her family's killer. Over the years, Warren had treated Cordelia with great respect and admiration. Her theory was proved on the day Warren passed. On the day of the murder a certain song was playing, when Warren died that same song was being played by Corwin Peace on the fiddle. This is the climax of the novel as everything comes together to complete the story. Cordelia also received a large sum of money that day from Warren. It is almost like he was giving back what he took away. The reminders of the past sent Warren crashing into the grave. The painful memories of the family he destroyed was too much for him to bear alone. One could say he died of a broken