I believe the story "Fleur" shows an example of how women's rights had evolved over time. The character Pauline is introduced when Fleur moves to the new town, at first she isn't even really noticed by any of the men while they are playing cards. Then when Fleur begins playing cards with the guys Pauline begins to follow in her shadow. As the story progresses and gets towards the end Pauline gets out of the shadow of Fleur and makes herself known to all of the men.
I feel like this is Louise Erdrich's way of showing the evolution of women's rights over time. To me it seems like the character Pauline is like your average woman in society and Fleur represents the one stand out woman who inspired everyone else to stand up for women's rights. It seems like Fleur really inspired Pauline to come out of the shadows and make herself known whereas before she wasn't even really known in the shop. This is one of the messages that i got out of the story "Fleur."
Anthony DiChristopher
blog 2
Interesting observations on gender in the story. Could it also be that the reason Fleur was the subject of much gossip and ridicule was due to the fact that she did not behave as a "traditional" woman should?
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