While reading this story you notice the many descriptions of animals well I looked at this as coming from the cultural back round of the Narrator and also the characters. Many Native American cultures believe in "shape shifting" and also that each person has its own "totem" or spiritual guide which is a animal. I believe many of the animal type descriptions are just going off of these cultural beliefs. Having studied allot about Native American culture as a child I have a great appreciation for it and some understanding I believe. When it came to the men being so upset at Fleur for poker game I think we need to understand the role the man and woman play in this culture. Woman don't compete with men so for a woman to compete and actually win and would be a huge blow to the a mans pride. I'm not justifying just an observation. The other thing that also Caught my attention with this piece was what role the narrator played. Was she a stranger, a friend, a sibling? I don't quite know but being an older brother to me it came off as a younger sister wanting to be like her big sis but not wanting people to know that. The way she hid in her shadow and followed her just seemed like things I've seen my brothers do with me.
Having said I believe that Pauline was her little sister I pose these questions; If she was her sister how do you think seeing her big sister being hurt or worse by these men truly affected her? Was locking the door during the tornado Pauline's way of sticking up for her sister? Do we now look at Pauline as being evil like they did with Fleur she pretty much killed these men? She says "I am no longer the watcher" was this her way of being like her sister? I believe she was Fleurs little sister I think she became stronger from seeing what was happening to Fleur and I don't think she was evil but I believe she took a step that she thought would put her on the same level as her sister in every ones eyes if not higher.
Thomas Moss post 1
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The story of "The Red Convertible" was a story about the strong relationship between two brothers. I found it interesting that something as simple as a car had brought Stephan and Marty together, but the war in Vietnam had altered their relationship. The change in Stephan's attitude is not unlike many soldiers who return home after serving active duty. Their perception of the world around them has changed. Stephan had essentially become a shell of his former self, therefore suggesting that the childhood he once knew with his brother had been torn apart through war. However, Marty tried to change his brother by breaking the car and having Stephan rebuild it. This was similar to the way Stephan had in a sense become broken. As he fixed the car, his image had slowly pulled together as well. The car and him were as one, and in the end, both had perished. The car had belonged to Stephan and therefore, would go away with him.
The red convertible was more than just a car, it was the bond that held the brothers relationship together. It was a representation of a care-free life, where they were able to travel as they pleased without a single worry. It allowed Marty and Stephan to connect on a better basis, which is until Stephan sets off for Vietnam. This tore apart the bond that they had built much like how Marty destroyed the car. It had been reduced to nothing, almost to the point that it wouldn't work, which is similar to Stephan's personality throughout the story. He had to rebuild the life he once knew. However, once everything seemed alright, Stephan had jumped into the river forgetting about the dangers that were in store for him. This was similar in how he entered the war without any sense of what was in the future. The only difference was that this time he did not return, but was rather swept away in the strong current. This last part of the story actually connects to "Fleur" in that the Chippewa cannot survive death by drowning.
(David Roberts, Post 2)
The red convertible was more than just a car, it was the bond that held the brothers relationship together. It was a representation of a care-free life, where they were able to travel as they pleased without a single worry. It allowed Marty and Stephan to connect on a better basis, which is until Stephan sets off for Vietnam. This tore apart the bond that they had built much like how Marty destroyed the car. It had been reduced to nothing, almost to the point that it wouldn't work, which is similar to Stephan's personality throughout the story. He had to rebuild the life he once knew. However, once everything seemed alright, Stephan had jumped into the river forgetting about the dangers that were in store for him. This was similar in how he entered the war without any sense of what was in the future. The only difference was that this time he did not return, but was rather swept away in the strong current. This last part of the story actually connects to "Fleur" in that the Chippewa cannot survive death by drowning.
(David Roberts, Post 2)
The story "Fleur", by Louise Erdrich was rather confusing upon first glance. Fleur Pillager was a Chippewa woman believed to possess magical powers, and was the main topic of controversy among the villagers. She was thought to be cursed after the men who had saved her from drowning went missing, as well as George Many Women who later drowned in his bathtub. So naturally, I was convinced that this story was about a girl with "supernatural" powers who would curse the likes of men. However, after finishing the story, I believe that she was actually a normal girl that was given a false attire. Since a Chippewa cannot survive death by drowning and because she had cheated death twice, the villagers began to believe that she was different from everyone else. This would be where the story of the water monster Misshepeshu comes into play. The people from her reservation back in Lake Turcot were convinced that she was connected in some way to Misshepeshu that they in turn thought she was evil. They had demonstrated the term "scotoma", which means that the mind sees what it chooses to see. The villagers had been blinded by this myth that they envisioned Fleur as some sort of an "animal."
Fleur later gives birth to a child at the end of the story. The child was described as having green eyes and copper skin, which was the same as the water monster Misshepeshu. Again, this I believe is a coincidence in contributing to her "animal" appearance. The people had seen her as a monster so therefore, they will continue to see her as a monster until proven otherwise. Still, the father of the child is unknown making my assumption less valid. However, it is possible that the father was one of the Native Americans from Lake Turcot, and she could have traveled to Argus in order to get away because perhaps the father was a bad man.
(David Roberts, Post 1)
Fleur later gives birth to a child at the end of the story. The child was described as having green eyes and copper skin, which was the same as the water monster Misshepeshu. Again, this I believe is a coincidence in contributing to her "animal" appearance. The people had seen her as a monster so therefore, they will continue to see her as a monster until proven otherwise. Still, the father of the child is unknown making my assumption less valid. However, it is possible that the father was one of the Native Americans from Lake Turcot, and she could have traveled to Argus in order to get away because perhaps the father was a bad man.
(David Roberts, Post 1)
Shawn
After reading the short story "Fleur," by Louise Erdrich my assumptions of Native American culture were reconfirmed. I always believed that Native Americans believed in rather crazy or insane stories of people that were part human, part creature, possessed supernatural powers or even that certain things in nature displayed a certain message. In the story Erdrich showcases the young woman Fleur as possibly having supernatural powers, which is why she is able to escape the inevitable death from drowning not only once, but twice in her life. Not only does Fleur display the ability to escape the lake twice, but she has a remarkable ability to play cards against men and win consistently every night. The story also refers to a time when villagers followed her footprints at night in the snow and watched where they saw the prints turn from human to those with claws referring to either a bear or a wolf. It is my personal belief that Fleur doesn't actually possess any supernatural powers or hold the ability to transform into an animal. I feel that the statements are more of a metaphor or connection to try and explain Fleur's behavior.
I believe that the story is actually displaying more of a rebellious young woman than a monster. Fleur is avoiding Native American traditional culture and trying to break the rules. Personally I think that the others on the reservation are more in touch with traditional beliefs and are making Fleur out to be more of a wild monster because of her actions and behavior. They refer to her as being a creature or an animal yet I think that is just a way of explaining her "wild" behavior, such as, playing poker with the men and going back to the lake for a second time after almost dying the first time. Another reference is when the people on the reservation talk about her killing the men around her, I think this could be related to the fact that Fleur may be killing the men more with her beauty, actions, and rebellious attitude from traditions. Although this is a very different story from the first two that we have read I feel that there are similarities or connections between them, one being the main character is sort of an outsider from traditional norms. (Shawn Parkhurst, 1)
I believe that the story is actually displaying more of a rebellious young woman than a monster. Fleur is avoiding Native American traditional culture and trying to break the rules. Personally I think that the others on the reservation are more in touch with traditional beliefs and are making Fleur out to be more of a wild monster because of her actions and behavior. They refer to her as being a creature or an animal yet I think that is just a way of explaining her "wild" behavior, such as, playing poker with the men and going back to the lake for a second time after almost dying the first time. Another reference is when the people on the reservation talk about her killing the men around her, I think this could be related to the fact that Fleur may be killing the men more with her beauty, actions, and rebellious attitude from traditions. Although this is a very different story from the first two that we have read I feel that there are similarities or connections between them, one being the main character is sort of an outsider from traditional norms. (Shawn Parkhurst, 1)
Mason
When I was reading this story, it almost seemed like Fleur was an animal to begin with. The author was describing different characteristics of Fleur that made it seem like she was a creature such as her having sharp hooves and a tail. Then reading more into the story I believed that the people that she was playing cards with were also creatures. I came up with the conclusion that she did have some supernatural powers because in some parts of the story it seemed like she was a real woman like the green dress she was wearing and in other parts of the story she was being decribed as an animal such as her having broad shoulders and her legs being bare, having wide and flat cheeks, and also her braids being thick like animals. This could be the fact that she was an animal. I also think that during the day they are all humans such as Lily and Dutch because of them playing cards, but as soon as nightfall hits, I think that they turn into creatures. When the author said that Lily took her foot long face and scraped her snout, it just seems like at that point that they were two animals that were getting into a fight. (Mason Roessler Post 1)
The way that Fleur plays cards bothers the men in a few ways. Since women didn't usually play cards with men in the first place, it was a bit of a surprise. The men soon found out that Fleur couldn't bluff but that was okay because she still drew in a decent load of money. When they played poker, she would always end up winning exactly a dollar each time. That wasn't what really bothered the men so much. It was the fact that she never had a really good hand like a straight or anything, but somehow she would find a way to win. She never bluffed and won with pairs and would end the game with exactly one dollar. Lily became angry with her and was mostly concerned with her winning anything but a dollar. She didn't want to raise the stakes because she knew it would disrupt her game and that was another reason why playing cards bothered the men. (Mason Roessler Post 1)
The way that Fleur plays cards bothers the men in a few ways. Since women didn't usually play cards with men in the first place, it was a bit of a surprise. The men soon found out that Fleur couldn't bluff but that was okay because she still drew in a decent load of money. When they played poker, she would always end up winning exactly a dollar each time. That wasn't what really bothered the men so much. It was the fact that she never had a really good hand like a straight or anything, but somehow she would find a way to win. She never bluffed and won with pairs and would end the game with exactly one dollar. Lily became angry with her and was mostly concerned with her winning anything but a dollar. She didn't want to raise the stakes because she knew it would disrupt her game and that was another reason why playing cards bothered the men. (Mason Roessler Post 1)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Kelcey says,
My response is to the question about if Fleur has super powers and how the villages attribute to her abilities. I believe that Fleur really didn't have "super powers." I believe that the villages definitely have different beliefs and gossip really gets around in a smaller village when something happens that is different to their beliefs. I believe the phrase "being in the wrong place and the wrong time," would work with this story. Since she escaped drowning twice it looks suspicious to the other villagers. She became the talk of the town since it is impossible to survive drowning.
Since she was the talk of the town they had to come up with a good enough story to explain the unexplainable. There is no way one girl can cause the deaths of many men and be "evil." The villagers definitely attribute to her special "evil superpowers." But then again, she did travel to a whole new town where no one knew her story and men that she became close to did happen to die. The ending definitely started to change the way I looked at the story and her abilities. I still believe that it is just the way it happened and that no one can be possessed with certain powers to kill the men around her. This story was very interesting and definitely shows the small village kind of rumors and gossip that go around and the ideas people can get you to believe. (Kelcey Summers, 1)
Blog Prompts for Louise Erdrich
Dear Students,
Don't forget that blogging begins this week! Remember that you are responsible for two blog posts every week that are a minimum of two paragraphs long (about 8-10 sentences). Each post must be on a different reading that we have covered in class that week. You should not blog about the same reading twice unless you discuss it in conjunction with a new reading.
With that said, below are some prompts to get you thinking about the Louise Erdrich short stories should you need a boost of inspiration. Do not feel obligated to respond to one of these prompts. You are welcome to blog about any aspect of the reading that you wish, as your posts should represent your personal interpretations and opinions.
Louise Erdrich Prompts:
*In the story "Fleur" does the character Fleur Pillager really have magical or supernatural powers, or are her abilities the product of reservation gossip? Why might the members of the reservation attribute such abilities to Fleur?
*If a Chippewa cannot survive death by drowning, then how is Fleur able to escape death twice?
*Fleur is compared to an animal at multiple points throughout the story. Meditate on the significance of these descriptions.
*Compare and contrast the narrator of the story (Pauline) with Fleur.
*Why does the way that Fleur plays cards bother the men?
*Who is the father of Fleur's baby? Why are the members of the reservation so invested in discovering this information? Does it ultimately matter?
*Why is the reservation so invested in telling stories about Fleur? Why do the stories come up different every time?
*Discuss the multiple ways in which the characters in "Fleur" can be viewed as "outcasts."
*"Fleur" and "The Red Convertible" are both by Native American author Louise Erdrich. Compare these two stories. Do you notice any similar themes or issues that both share?
Happy blogging!
--JI
Don't forget that blogging begins this week! Remember that you are responsible for two blog posts every week that are a minimum of two paragraphs long (about 8-10 sentences). Each post must be on a different reading that we have covered in class that week. You should not blog about the same reading twice unless you discuss it in conjunction with a new reading.
With that said, below are some prompts to get you thinking about the Louise Erdrich short stories should you need a boost of inspiration. Do not feel obligated to respond to one of these prompts. You are welcome to blog about any aspect of the reading that you wish, as your posts should represent your personal interpretations and opinions.
Louise Erdrich Prompts:
*In the story "Fleur" does the character Fleur Pillager really have magical or supernatural powers, or are her abilities the product of reservation gossip? Why might the members of the reservation attribute such abilities to Fleur?
*If a Chippewa cannot survive death by drowning, then how is Fleur able to escape death twice?
*Fleur is compared to an animal at multiple points throughout the story. Meditate on the significance of these descriptions.
*Compare and contrast the narrator of the story (Pauline) with Fleur.
*Why does the way that Fleur plays cards bother the men?
*Who is the father of Fleur's baby? Why are the members of the reservation so invested in discovering this information? Does it ultimately matter?
*Why is the reservation so invested in telling stories about Fleur? Why do the stories come up different every time?
*Discuss the multiple ways in which the characters in "Fleur" can be viewed as "outcasts."
*"Fleur" and "The Red Convertible" are both by Native American author Louise Erdrich. Compare these two stories. Do you notice any similar themes or issues that both share?
Happy blogging!
--JI
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