Point Of View In Love Medicine By Louise Erdrich

Point of view is one of the single greatest assets an author can use. It helps to move the plot along and show what is happening from a character’s perspective. An author can make the plot more complex by introducing several characters that the reader has to view events through. The events can then be seen through different eyes and mindsets forcing the reader to view the character in a different light. From one perspective a character can seem cruel, yet, from another, the same character can seem like a hero. These vastly contrasting views can be influenced based on the point of view, a character’s background, and the emotions towards them. The novel Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich showcases some examples of events seen from different points

They all are vastly different and complex. Marie and Lulu’s viewpoints change on each other with the death of Nector so it can be concluded that Nector was the cause of their dislikes. Nector loved both women yet he viewed Lulu as unattainable and Marie as a burden. The different points of view give the reader different perspectives thus enabling him or her to decide who is good, bad, or neither. Through these three characters the reader can also better see the complexity of the love triangle and the psychological aspects behind each character’s motives and feelings toward one

For example, Lipsha believes he caused his death. The novel states, “... that it wasn’t her fault, but only mine” (250). Lipsha feels that since he did not properly prepare the love medicine that it was all his fault for Grandpa choking. Lipsha cheated by buying, not catching, the hearts, and they were turkey hearts instead of goose hearts like he originally planned on. In addition, Marie also blames herself for his death. The novel states, “She was so mad she hopped up quick as a wink and slugged him between the shoulder blades to make him swallow” (246). Marie thinks because she forced him to swallow that she inadvertently caused him to choke to death. But on the flip side, everyone else believed it was just a crazy accident, and it was his time to leave. The novel states, “If only Zelda knew, I thought, the sad realities would change her. But of course I couldn’t tell the dark truth” (250). Zelda, like the other mismatched children, believed that Nector’s death was an accident with no one to blame. This is a different view from Lipsha and Marie. The difference shows that something simple, but tragic, like choking can cause a person or persons to believe they caused it through the events leading up to the choking. The reader then further understands that blame is a powerful thing that consumes a person and makes them mentally