a paper which is contain an anylisis of lulu nanapush lamatine in the love medicine novel

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Name : Widya Saraswati
Nim : C0311045
HP
: 085725422545
LULU NANAPUSH LAMARTINE
She is one of major character in the novel „love medicine‟. There are
several chapters in the novel that describe about Lulu Nanapush Lamartine, as
follows: Wild Geese, Lulu‟s Boys, The Plunge of the Brave, The good tears, and
Crossing the water. She is described as attractive woman ,as we can see from
Wild Geese‟s chapter Nector Kaspaw still loving Lulu .Nector stated that “ She is
the only one of them I want”(Edrich,page: 58). Furthermore ,Lulu physical
appearance shows how hard her life and how struggle she keep her children ,it
stated by nector that Lulu has a bad looks hand, cut and swollen and it is not
washed(Edrich,page:62).
Lulu also the do all aspects of reservation, with her family-life together
through good and bad times and take the responsibility of many mouths to feed.
At the same time she is a reflection of good housewife Indian, because she always
keeps everything neatly. Moreover,she still can raise her children in a good way.
Beverly‟s thought that Lulu‟s boys had grown into a kind of pack, which is very
complete as warriors for Lulu (Edrich, page: 85). According to Tanrisal statement,
Native American women have played an important role in the continuity of tribal
tradition, both through childbearing and through transmission of cultural values in
stories. Besides, Native American tribes are matrilineal which the duties of
women cannot be underestimated.
She is known as a flirt because she has eight children that have different
physical appearance. It was proved by this paragraph below:

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For instance, besides the fact Lulu Lamartine’s first husband, why did each of the
boys currently shooting milk jugs out front of Henry’s house look so different
?there were eight of them. (Edrich, 1984:76)
Lulu got attention from Beverly Lamartine (Henry‟s brother) during the
Henry‟s funeral, they have affairs and then Lulu has a child named Henry Jr.,
which actually Beverly‟s child. She has many affairs with some men because she
has two motives, first to fulfill her physical needs. In addition, she married also
with some men because her second motive is wanted to make a great pretense to
ignore Nector Kashpaw (Edrich, page: 216).
Lulu is the third piece to the main love triangle in this novel, and has a
lifelong love for Nector Kashpaw. As stated before, Lulu married wirh some men
to ignore or at least to forget Nector temporary. Thus the relations between Nector
and Lulu flourised well again in the chapter The Plunge of the Brave and the
Good tears. Those many example of affairs in the Lulu‟s life represent the
„weakness‟ of marriage system in the Indian tribes. According to Zin ,He
mentioned Indian didn‟t have wtiting traditions ,they only have oral traditions. So
,because there are no legal documents or laws,the indian woman always treated
unfairly.
Altough Lulu and Nector wanted to be together ,their relationship never happy
ending . Lulu stated in Edrich novel that “It is a sad world,though,when you can‟t
get love right even after trying it as many times as I have”(Page 218). Lulu has
unusual behaviour,she doesn‟t like the animal-death smell or anything related to
the death.(Edrich,page:218). The story about Lulu in her childhood that found a
dead man in the woods also become the additional information of how hard is
Indian life ,they were forced by the U.S Goverment to live in the reservation and
being trapped by U.S goverment-laws. So,many indians die because they could
not defend the Whites-domination in the U.S at that time.
The next is about how strong Lulu ,she never let the United States cencus
count her and her‟s family because she doesn‟t belive in numbering God‟s

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creatures( Edrich,page:221). Then,she knew that the measurement always ended
with the losing of indian lands. She told that goverment want to build a modern
factory in her land,it is a factory that made equipment of „false value‟ or
„dreamstuff‟ ,as she tough (Edrich, page:223). She is brave enough to give a
speech in front of the tribal council ,she yelled the tribal councils because they are
being fooled by the dollars(money) from The United States goverment . In the end
Lulu still can have her land ,but her house was burn. The willful characteristic of
Lulu shows in her statement that she didn‟t want to move from his burned down
house, she refuses the offerings of other place to live altough her family lived like
a pack of wild animal (Edrich,page 226-227).
Lulu lost her sight in arround sixty-five years old ,it become the beginning
of Mary and Lulu friendship. After Lulu had a surgery ,Marie volunteered to take
care of her(Edrich,page: 235). Lulu surprised why Mary wanted to help her,
because in the past Lulu has took Nector‟s attention from Marie. Lulu can feel the
sincerity of Mary ,because she gets her eyesight after Mary had put the tears into
her eyes. She realized that Mary is like her, both of them are loving the same man
named Nector Kashpaw. She felt togetherness and deep comfort with Mary. Their
life stories connect with contemporary women's movement findings, which have
focused on the role of women in society. Both Lulu and Marie become
emancipated women in later life, when their children are adults and Nector has
died. Lulu representing the role of minority women, too.
In the end chapter of Love Medicine, Lulu become the one who told King
Kashpaw about June. Lulu tells in a good way ,as stated in the novel “She made
an effort. She told me about June in a simple way that let me know that grown-up
business was meant”(Edrich,page 240). Lulu that she would lose anything because
of her action telling King Kashpaw ,she might have a grandson or just lose a men
that dislikes her . Lulu always be the honest one. In this chapter also represent the
assimilation that did by Lulu. Through the February 1887, emerged Dawes Act
that forced the Native Indian to be assimilated with the whites dominant cultures .

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The native indian children also have educated in the schools like the whites .As
seen as in this paragraf:
So go on with the story ,I was walking in the half of the Senior Citizenship one
day when Lulu openened her door and leaned out beckoning. She had red
lacquer on her hooks,bangle jewwlry all up her arms,and her head wa like a
closet of crows. A ragging wig.( Edrich: 1984:240)
As a conclusion , Lulu is an attractive native indian woman who likes to
flirt .She is also a wonderful mother who can raise all her children ,and keep
everything in her house neatly . She also representing the struggle of Native
Indian Woman as the minority group in the United States.
References :
Edrich ,Louise (1984) .Love Medicine. New York : Holt,Rinehart and Winston
Faragher, John Mack,et all (1999). Out Of Many a History of the American
People. London: Prentice Hall International Inc.
Tanrisal, Meldan. “Mother and Child Relationships in the Novels of Louise
Erdrich.” American Studies International. 35.3 (1997):67-80.
Zin ,Howard (1942) . A People’s history of United States 1942 to Present. New
York :HarperCollins Publiser Inc.
http://www.courtinnovation.org/research/tribal-courts-and-families-three-judgesdiscuss-native-american-sovereignty-and-indian-chil
http://www.academia.edu/People/Love_Medicine

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