Fleur, in which the central character is Fleur Pillager, Erdrich captures the reader's attention immediately and forces her character upon the reader with the first line of the story.The first time she drowned in the cold and glassy water of lake Turcot, Fleur Pillager was only a girl.? .
Right away the reader knows there is something unusual about this character. Erdrich also ties into her storytelling, tribal mythology. No onecourted? Fleur even though she was very attractive because it was clear to the people on the reservation that Misshepeshu, the green eyed and copper skinned water monster wanted Fleur for himself. .
Fleur's speech in the story is to the point. What she says sticks with you.You will take my place? (Baym 2571) is what she said to George Many Women the first person who touched her after she drowned the second time. Fleur is a strong, daring character that studies ancient ways and half forgotten medicine. The people of the reservation where she lived felt that she changed into animals and practiced evil ways, so they were just about ready to run her out of town when she left. .
She migrated to a small town south of the reservation called Argus where she stayed for a summer. At this time she meets a flat character. Pauline, who narrates the story. Even though Pauline tells the story she is an invisible, forgotten character. She comes to Argus when her mother marriesDutch? James who works at Fritzie and Pete Kozkas? Butcher Shop. Soon there after Pauline's mother dies andDutch,? her step-father, takes her out of school to clean up at the butcher shop. She hears everything that goes on because the other characters forget that she is there. .
After living in Argus for approximately one month, Fleur asks to be dealt into the nightly card game with the stock characters. The stock characters of this story are thegood old boys? Pete,Dutch? and the two other male employees at the butcher shop, Tor Grenewald, andLily? Veddar.
