Love Medicine

In what ways is it unavoidable for the Ojibwe characters to engage with the white-dominated world? Write an analysis identifying these conflicts and how Erdrich proposes that characters can navigate them.

Louise Erdrich structures her novel through time lapses, flashbacks, and a select genealogy of the Lamartine and Kashpaw families. What is the effect of this structure on the development of theme and character?

Each chapter in this novel plays a significant role in the development of the narrative. Why is the novel titled Love Medicine, after Chapter 13?

What signs do you see of oral storytelling traditions within the novel? Both thematically and aesthetically, how does Erdrich honor and challenge the power of oral storytelling?

Write an analysis comparing and contrasting Marie Kashpaw and Lulu Lamartine. In what ways do both characters drive the novel and embody important themes?

In what ways do Lipsha, Howard, and Albertine symbolize a new era of Ojibwe identity? How does this identity contrast with their history, and how is this identity influenced by this history?

Nector Kashpaw can be analyzed as a tragic hero, in which his gifts become his flaws. How does Nector’s hamartia, or fatal flaw, influence the novel?

Analyze Gerry’s role in the novel. What widely held beliefs does he challenge? How does he both elevate and complicate certain characters and/or narrative threads?