The Lady In The Pink Mustang Summary

“The Lady in the Pink Mustang” is a poem written by Louise Erdrich that is about a traveling woman that sells her time for money. She is considered an outsider by the norms of society, because she is a working girl. She is not a traditional sex worker; whereas a regular prostitute has only a little strip of pavement, to sell their wares. Whilst the Lady has the roads of country to sell herself. She runs freely like a wild mustang, but can only stay in the limits of the country. This poem could be speaking about itinerants, how they are on the edge of society, not quite living by the rules, but still not be able to be free.
The Lady sells her body during the darkness. She loses parts of herself, such as her inhibitions, her ties to a normal

relationship, and society. During the day, she is her own woman, but at night she works. She doesn’t absorb her clients’ issues, she does not become concerned with them. The Lady doesn’t take on her client’s restrictions, or their affairs, so that she can have a light conscience. She doesn’t receive passion, or affection, but that’s not what she is looking for. In order for her to continue her line of work she feels she needs to be free of all previous constraints, and inhibitions. She is lighter and freer with each passing day.
Throughout the ages, and societies, there is always a romantic tale of wandering women that fulfills the desires of lonely traveling men. Whereas the reality of the situation is the business of: when, where, and how much. The lady advertises her assets, and her services by traveling semi clad, with the dash board lights on. Driving amongst the monstrous movers. Communication is key when one is a traveling sex worker.
“Her price shrinks in the dark” (9) perhaps means that she is becoming older, and less attractive. That would make her wares less valuable. She then would offer her services for less.
The Lady travels light. She doesn’t carry baggage, no unnecessary totems from previous encounters with customers or her past life, as per; “She can’t keep much trash in a mustang, / and that’s what she likes. Travel light. Don’t keep / what does not have immediate uses. ” (10-12). This could also mean that having a trashed car would mean a trashy woman, and that could turn her clients away from her services. She has no personal items, and only bare minimum of clothing that if were left behind would not be missed. This could indicate that she has freed herself from previous attachments, and limitations.
The Lady as no immediate future plans, and is not bound company schedules, or appointments. She goes where the road, and her clients lead her as in “The road thinks ahead. / It thinks for her, a streamer from Bismarck to Fargo” (12-13). When it states “bending through Minnesota to accommodate the land” (14). This could indicate that the lady is able to be malleable around the state laws and rules, but is still able to move throughout each state.
“There is a point in the distance where the road meets itself, /where coming and going must kiss into one.

/ She is always at that place, seen from behind,” (18-20). The passage may indicate that everyone else is moving on with their lives; growing up, going on to working in more conventional jobs. The Lady is stuck in her own limbo. Never able to move on with her life, and never able to get out of being a highway hooker. The last line seems to say that the Lady is always where everyone knows where she is, but she can never be caught up to. As in, referring to the people that are always in the background of everyone’s life, but are never wanted to be met. The Lady lives in her own world to escape her reality of what she really is. This is her way to deal with what she is and that she never seems to get out of. She is branded, by the people that is everyone else. She is branded as a traveling outsider, as a tramp. She cannot hide this mark of hers, but she maintains her mark on society.
When the sixth stanza states that “She owns them, no one will admit what they cannot/ come close to must own them.” (24-25); it’s talking about the lady being an inexplicable legend. She captures the mind of the average person. She enthralls these people so much that they pursuit her every move, to understand her. She lets them come with her, on her journey. The people she brings with her are there for her body. Not her personality, or for herself. To the people who chase her, it’s just a quick

sexual act and then the deed is done.
“It is what she must face every time, she is touched’ (26-27). She has to apprehend the fact she is nothing more than a doll, for these people to play with in set amount of time. She is just an object to these people, these men. She was their legend and when they finally have her, they see her as nothing more than an object for their amusement.
“The body disposable as cups” (27).

This sound like she is nothing, but just garbage that can be used perhaps once or twice and then she is done, used, trash. That is what it feels like to be a prostitute. The client uses them for as long as they like, and then once they are done. They pay for their time, and gone. Then the Worker is left empty sometime, and after a while once the Worker get older and perhaps worn out, they are thrown out by the Pimp, or the Madame, or perhaps even on their own accord they stop what they are doing, and move on.
The Lady’s value is dwindling. It could be her self-worth, it could be that she is just growing old;
To live, instead of turn, on a dime.
One light point that is so down in value.
Painting her nipples silver for a show, she is thinking,
You out there. What do you know.

(28-31)
As the day slowly slips into dusk. The winding roads that lead to nowhere and everywhere, leading car passengers to their destination. That is where she is. She is on those roads. The lady in the pink mustang doesn’t have a clear destination. The road is her destination. She is the representation of all lost souls that travel but that never have a place to call home. She can also be described as just being a traveling girl selling herself for the right price. She is just living off of what she makes in the night, and that is not enough. Who she is anymore isn’t enough. She has to get creative in her profession, so her clients buy her time. The silver she paints on her nipples might be representation of coins that her client’s might pay her in. They might be dimes, quarters, or even nickels. It might be the symbol of currency. A trade of something. A show exchanged for money. She feels detached from the world. The Lady thinks that the people, the normal people, have no idea what is going on past their toiling at work and going home to their loved ones. They are ignorant of what she is, and what she does.