Question: What are some legends that surround the character Fleur in Louise Erdrich's "Tracks"? 

Answer: On the average, people prefer to have things explained to them as they happened rather than in order of importance or in chance sequence.  For example, if your 3rd grade son were assigned a "What did you do on your summer vacation?" paper, you would probably direct him to start his paper describing what he did on the first day of vacation leading up to the last.  But, maybe he went to Disneyland in June and stayed home with the flu in August.  The climax of his paper would occur at the very beginning and it would end very uneventful, falling quite short of a Pulitzer prize winning essay.  Narratives are often written in this same predictable way which can take the element of surprise and mystery out of the novel.  In her Love Medicine series, Louise Erdrich takes her readers out of that chronological comfort zone and forces them to meet and learn about her characters in a random, almost senseless, order which results in magically creating an experience for her non-Native American readers that is somewhat akin to Native American spirituality.  \n\n  \nEach chapter in each of Erdrich's books is narrated by a different character who tells the reader about themselves or an experience that he or she has encountered.  Not only are the characters introduced randomly, but their experiences are also arranged in no particular order within these novels.  If this isn't confusing enough, the order in which Erdrich wrote the books is in the same erratic sequence: Love Medicine, The Beet Queen, Tracks, and finally The Bingo Palace.  If one were to read the books in chronological order, they would read them in the following order: Tracks, The Beet Queen, Love Medicine, and The Bingo Palace.  \n\n  \nAlthough I grew up in central North Dakota, seventy miles from an Indian Reservation, I have had little experience with Native American culture and beliefs. The few Native Americans in my hometown had been "Americanized," knowing little, if anything at all, about their native ancestry.  The mystery and magic of Native American spirituality has been something that I have never understood or even attempted to understand.  Despite my ignorance and total absorption in my own little, conformist WASP world, Erdrich was able to draw me in and make me a part of the untamed, passionate, and regrettably almost extinct lives and culture of North Dakota's Chippewa.  At least for the length of time it took me to complete Erdrich's series, I felt a part of and truly believed in the magic and spirituality that these people have.  \n\n  \nAs I mentioned earlier, the order in which Erdrich wrote each of these books and even the order of each chapter in each book is sporadic and unpredictable.  I read them in the order that Erdrich wrote them; and not unlike the average reader would, I resisted it at first.  It didn't take long before I surrendered and willingly let Erdrich transport me into the wild and spiritual world of the North Dakota Native American. I strongly believe that the order in which I read her books intensified the effect.   \n\n  \nThe character that is most enhanced through reading Erdrich's books in this order is Fleur Pillager.  Erdrich first introduced this enigmatic character to the world as an old woman in Love Medicine.  In a chronological timeline, this book would be third in line. However, it was the first book of this series that Erdrich wrote.  In this novel Fleur is portrayed as a legend whose name most of the other characters are afraid to even breath without consequence because she "was known for putting the twisted mouth on people, seizing up their hearts" and casting other dreadful spells on those who wronged her (Love Medicine 241).   \n\n  \nYoung Lipsha's Grandmother wants Lipsha to procure a love potion for her to use on her cheating, half senile husband.  However, the only woman who knows the secret to "love medicines" is Fleur.  Fleur is a descendent of the mo
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