The Sentence

A secondary character who provides tension, mystery, and symbolism throughout the novel, Flora’s ghost represents the ceaseless cultural appropriation that white Americans have committed against Indigenous Americans. Flora’s ghost seems harmless at first but then increases tension in the novel when she’s clearly trying to reach out to Tookie. Flora’s journey when alive was marked by insecurities about her past. As a ghost, Flora is free of that stress but has unfinished business: making amends with Tookie. Ghosts are common in stories about Indigenous Americans, but Erdrich subverts this trope by making the ghost a white woman—instead of an Indigenous woman. Flora’s ghost builds tension in the novel but also supplies the resolution to the central conflict haunting Tookie: her blurry past and uncertain future.

Tookie’s husband, Pollux, is an important secondary character. Through his celebration of Indigenous American history and customs, Erdrich reveals the culture that keeps the Indigenous community intact. Pollux is a complex character because his past as a police officer complicates his self-identity. As a police officer, Pollux was proud about representing his community and protecting his neighbors. However, he reckons with the institution of the police department, the history of which is rife with xenophobia, racism, and oppression of the Indigenous American community. Pollux provides love that is foundational to Tookie’s rehabilitation after incarceration. He helps secure a home for her, proving that life can be unpredictable in beautiful ways. In addition, he provides a safe haven for his niece Hetta and her newborn son, Jarvis. Pollux’s generosity helps relieve the tension that builds throughout the novel. The narrative depicts him mostly through Tookie’s eyes, as Erdrich portrays him through the ways that Tookie loves him.