Love Medicine Group

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lucky777
lucky777

Louis Edrich keeps refering to water in Love Medicine. What does water have to do with anything?

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Posted by lucky777 on Monday November 19, 2007 at 8:00 PM and tagged with love medicine, symbolism, water.

Answers:


  1. sullymonster Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    eNotes Editor

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    Water's characteristics are that it is fluid, ever changing its shape to fit the path it is given, and it is a source of life.  As carbon based organisms, we must have water to live.  This story is a story of family and, as such, water is a suitable symbolic image for that theme.  Family is our source of life, and it remains with us and as a part of us throughout our life.  Family is also fluid, changing because of births and deaths, and conforming to the relationships of its members.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/love-medicine/

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    Posted by sullymonster on Sunday November 25, 2007 at 8:14 PM

  2. mayblueotter
    mayblueotter Student
    College - Sophomore

    The previous answer is correct in a basic literary sense, however Erdrich utilizes water in other ways as well.  Water is the element of East, sunrise, yellow, spring, and begining in Native American society.  Water in dreams can represent one's knowledge of the opposite sex.  If one looks through Erdirch's stories with this basic knowledge of this element the even deeper meanings will be revealed.

    The source below will explain these elements better, but the information stated is from a lifetime of tribal reservation education.

    Sources:
    http://www.aaanativearts.com/article925.html

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    Posted by mayblueotter on Friday December 4, 2009 at 9:25 AM