The Representation of Female Characters and Gender in "Fleur" by Louise Erdrich

by kourtneydowney82gmailcom (student)

University Degree Linguistics, Classics and related subjects

Downey

Student: Kourtney Downey

Professor: Surekha Acharya

Course: English 1B

Date: 10 July 2022

The Representation of Female Characters and Gender in "Fleur"

Introduction

The narration "Fleur," composed by Louise Erdrich, accounts for Fleur, a woman believed to have a supernatural power controlling the events that transpire in her life. The story is narrated by Pauline, a lady who hears of the things that occurred in the initial life of Fleur through her grandmother. Later on, Pauline can witness the things that later happen to Fleur after she moves to Argus. Fleur is followed by a series of ill fates from her youth to the moment she moves to the new town. As a young girl, Fleur almost drowns in the lake twice. In the first instance, Fleur is saved by two men who later have ill fates. The second instance is followed by the man who died, who attempts to save her. The narration has an extraordinary demonstration of the perception of female characters and also portrays the fact that gender has a way of demonstrating the choices that the women in the text make.

The Demonstration of Female Characters

Women as Unfortunate Beings

One of the demonstrations in the narration lies in the fact that women are perceived as bad luck by the men. When Fleur is fifteen, she accidentally drowns in a lake and is rescued by two men who are in site (Erdrich 728). After the rescue, the men both find themselves as ill-fated as one of them wanders, never to be found, while a cart hits the other man, and he dies. Such a representation of fleur in the lives of men portrays the fact that she is thought to pass on ill fate to the men that rescued her. The two men were fine, but immediately after rescuing the young lady, they find themselves in predicaments that lead to their deaths.

In addition, the same event recurs itself as she drowns a second time. This time, people fear that the fate that befell the other two men might befall them; therefore, no one attempts to rescue her. However, as the waters wash her ashore, she opens her eyes and finds the character George Many Women standing close to her; she states that he will die of drowning as he has prevented her from drowning (Erdrich 728). The author has portrayed Fleur as bad luck once again as George later dies in his bathtub even after he stays away from the lake ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

In another instance, Fleur causes the death of the men responsible for raping her, another example of bad luck for the men. On one occasion, after Fleur moves to Argus, she finds herself in the ruthless hands of men who take turns raping her. It was a belief that Fleur had a special force protecting her. Most of the people from her native land believed she was protected by a water god who killed the men close to her (Erdrich 728; Değirmenci 347). Therefore, after the men from the butchery had caused harm to Fleur, a hurricane-affected Argus and Pauline locked the men in a cold store, only for them to all die. Once again, the author portrays that Fleur had a dark force responsible for causing havoc for the men who did her wrong.

Women as Strong Beings

Besides, the narration also displays Fleur as a strong woman. As the author describes the young lady's physical attributes, she is characterized as a woman of great strength. Also, on one occasion, the author offers that she was able to transform from a woman to a bear. Pauline was able to track her footsteps, where at one point, the human footprints would vanish and become a bear's footprints (Plath et al. 173). A bear is among the strongest animals in the jungle; thus, giving her the strength of a bear means that the author represents her as a strong woman. Also, when she moves to Argus, the butchery owner is astonished that she can carry huge loads, considering that she is a woman.

Women as Sexual Objects

Nevertheless, the text also represents women as sexual objects. Through the character Fleur, the author portrays how the men around her visualize her beauty and view her as a sex object. They viewed Pauline as an invisible woman and only remembered her when they needed her (Erdrich 730). However, the case was different for Fleur as the men found her beautiful. When they think of a way to hurt her after she wins a bet and refuses to replay the game, they choose to abuse her sexually. Their actions are a demonstration that women are viewed as sexual objects.

Women as an Inferior Gender

As a result, the narration also reflects women as inferior to men. There are things that men are allowed to do while they are taboo to women. For example, the narration offers that it was forbidden for women to play card games (Erdrich 732). Fleur was excellent at playing cards, an aspect that amazes the men as they are not used to such a concept. When Lily loses to Fleur, he is in disbelief, and when she refuses to replay the game, he plays with the other three men about how they will attack and sexually molest her. Therefore, the narrative portrays women as inferior beings who are not qualified to participate in certain activities.

How Gender Influences the Choices Made by The Female Characters

Fleur

In the context of the narrative, it is evident that gender has a significant influence on the mode of making choices for the characters. Fleur believes in her strengths and goes beyond the expectations of others to attain what she believes is beyond her power. Without viewing the fact that she has a supernatural power fighting against the forces capable of causing her harm, she is a strong woman who decides to go beyond what others expect of her. Fleur represents a sturdy figure with copiousness of authority and capabilities (Kumari 84). Her gender does not limit the choices she makes, as she goes over the expectations of others to show that gender does not limit an individual's capabilities.

Pauline

Another character that portrays the limitations that women have in terms of making the correct decision is Pauline. As she narrates the story, she gives an account of what she saw the men in the butchery in Argus do to Fleur. The Argus society portrays a patriarchal society where women are degraded and looked down on (Ahmad et al. 941). Most women who show their power are often taken advantage of by the men in society. Pauline is limited by her gender, and she chooses to live in the shadows of the men in the butchery. When Fleur is raped, Pauline is afraid to help her as she feels the same fate might befall her. She stays back and watches what the men do to Fleur instead of seeking help. At the same time, her nature of living behind the shadows makes her lock the men in the cold room. She does so in an invisible manner; her decision is responsible for the deaths of the four men.

Conclusion

In summary, the narration represents female characters as unlucky beings as Fleur claims the lives of every man that helps save her life. In the author's claim, Fleur has a god protecting her, and it is through the god that the men who attempt to rescue her while she is drowning die. The narration also represents women as strong individuals, regardless of the perception of the men surrounding them. Also, women are displayed as sex objects and as inferior to men. Through the text, it is explicit that gender becomes a significant determinant of the female characters' choices. Pauline cannot help Fleur when the men rape her as she fears what might happen to her. On the other hand, Fleur does not let her gender limit her capabilities; she goes beyond the men's expectations by choosing to work in a butchery and carrying heavy loads. Therefore, through the narrative, people can view the extent of gender and the perception of people of the females living in that error.

Works Cited

Ahmad, Mumtaz, and GhulamMurtaza2 Qasim Shafiq. "Environment and Women in Erdrich's Tracks and Morrison's Paradise: A Comparative Ecofeminist Study." (2020).

Değirmenci, Aslı. "The Land, Community, and Storytelling: Collective Memory and Social Identity in Louise Erdrich's Tracks." Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 16.01 (2018): 345-366.

Erdrich, Louise. "Tracks: A novel." Henry Holt, 1988.

Filáková, Karolína. "Religious Traditions in Louise Erdrich´ s fiction." (2020).

Pillager, Fleur, and Chippewa Woman Of Power In Louise. "Erdrich's Tracks." (n.d).

Plath, James, Gail, Sinclair, and Kirk, Curnutt. "The 100 Greatest Literary Characters." Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.