24 pages • 48 minutes read
Fleur
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Literary Devices
Parallelism
Parallelism is the repetition of different grammatical elements to convey something significant. Parallelism can involve repeating different figures of speech or grammatical structures, and authors often use it to emphasize contrast or similarity.
Erdrich uses parallelism very early on in “Fleur,” when she describes Misshepeshu with two parallel lists. Erdrich writes that “it was clear that Misshepeshu, the water man, the monster” wanted Fleur and that, “He’s a thing of dry foam, a thing of death by drowning, the death a Chippewa cannot survive” (177). This rhythmic, repetitive phrasing is broken up by the following sentence, “Unless you are Fleur Pillager” (177). The use of parallelism in the preceding sentences conveys the mythic nature of Misshepeshu; the fact that only Fleur can break this pattern emphasizes her own power.
Parallelism also conveys the intensity of Pauline’s interest in Fleur, as Pauline describes how she “followed her close, stayed with her, became her moving shadow that the men never noticed, the shadow that could have saved her” (183). This multi-verb parallel structure is employed to describe the storm as well, which “[becomes] a fat snout that nosed along the earth and sniffed, jabbed, picked at things, sucked them up, blew them apart, rooted them around” (187). Since Pauline has established through repetition the effects Fleur has on her, the use of repetition to describe the actions of the storm clarifies that, at least in Pauline’s eyes, the storm is an embodiment of Fleur herself.
Symbolic Names
Symbolism is the use of an object to stand for or suggest something else. Authors often name their characters and settings in ways that use symbolism to convey certain traits or ideas about the story to the reader.
In “Fleur,” Louise Erdrich uses symbolic names in a variety of ways. “Fleur Pillager” is a doubly symbolic name with both the forename and surname conveying separate traits of Fleur’s personality and role in the story. “Fleur” is French for “flower,” invoking both the natural beauty of Fleur as well as her delicacy. “Pillage” refers to the act of stealing something through violence. In a way, Fleur steals the money from the men at Kozka’s through cards, and the violent storm she conjures is destructive.
The name “Lily Veddar” is also evocative. A lily is a type of white flower, and “Veddar” is a last name deriving from the Dutch and German words for father. Thus, Lily’s name connotes the “white father.” The story of “Fleur” could be interpreted as the story of a Chippewa woman seeking vengeance on the white father who raped her.
The town name of Argus is also symbolic. In Greek myth, Argos is a guard with a thousand eyes. After he was killed, Hera placed his eyes on the peacock’s tail. Pauline is the figure with a thousand eyes in this story, and it is in Argus that she is able to witness Fleur’s story.
Zoomorphism
Zoomorphism is similar to personification, except that, where personification means to ascribe human traits to nonhuman things, zoomorphism means to ascribe animal features to human things. The term is derived from the Greek words “zoon” and “morphe” which mean “animal” and “form,” respectively. Through zoomorphism, an author can convey certain characteristics about a person or idea.
“Fleur” makes prominent use of zoomorphism. Lily and Fleur are described in animalistic ways. Pauline refers to Lily having “a snake’s cold pale eyes,” for instance (180). She similarly describes Fleur’s hair as resembling “the tails of animals” and her hips as being “fishlike” (180). These zoomorphic traits highlight aspects of Lily and Fleur’s characters. Lily behaves like a snake in the story, first trying to draw Fleur into a trap he sets and then later attacking her, engaging connotations of snakes as devious. Fleur, on the other hand, is strong like a bear but also associated with the world of the fish. She slips away from Argus and returns to her natural home on Lake Turcot.
Finally, Pauline describes the tornado that destroys Kozka’s in terms that convey a pig like the one Fleur attempts to lead to the slaughter the night she is attacked, the same pig that ends up biting Lily. The storm becomes “a fat snout” and sniffs out the meat shop (187). This gives a strong visual description of the storm while also conveying the message that the tornado is not a freak occurrence but, rather, something planned and controlled by Fleur.
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By Louise Erdrich
