June's Last Walk

On a cold Easter weekend in Williston, North Dakota, June Kashpaw, a tough, beautiful Chippewa woman, wanders into a bar, meets a stranger, and makes a series of choices that lead her out into a blizzard. Her walk into the storm is both literal and symbolic—a journey away from her troubled past, her failed relationships, and her family. June's death, unremarked by those around her, becomes the catalyst for the novel, setting off ripples of grief, memory, and reckoning among her extended family on the reservation. Her absence is a haunting presence, shaping the lives and stories of those she left behind.

Homecoming and Family Ties

Albertine Johnson, June's niece, learns of her aunt's death while away at school. Alienated from her mother Zelda, Albertine's return to the reservation is fraught with tension, nostalgia, and the weight of unspoken family history. The Kashpaw family gathers, each member carrying their own burdens and secrets. The home is a place of both comfort and conflict, where old wounds are reopened and the bonds of kinship are tested. Through Albertine's eyes, we see the complexity of family—its love, its resentments, and its resilience in the face of loss.

Ghosts and Grudges

The reservation is thick with memory and unresolved grievances. June's spirit lingers, not just as a ghost but as a force that shapes the living. The family's stories are interwoven with tales of survival, betrayal, and endurance. Old rivalries—between siblings, between lovers, between families—flare up, often over seemingly trivial matters like pies or cars, but always rooted in deeper pain. The land itself is a character, holding the history of dispossession and the stubborn persistence of the people who remain.

Saints and Sinners

Marie Lazarre, later Marie Kashpaw, recounts her adolescence at Sacred Heart Convent, where she clashes with the fanatical Sister Leopolda. Their struggle is both physical and spiritual, a contest of wills that leaves Marie with a scar and a sense of her own power. The episode is a darkly comic meditation on faith, suffering, and the search for identity. Marie's journey from would-be saint to matriarch is marked by her refusal to be defined by others—nun, wife, mother, or Indian.

The Wild Geese Pact

Nector Kashpaw, a charismatic but restless man, is torn between two women: the fierce, ambitious Marie and the alluring, independent Lulu Lamartine. His marriage to Marie is born out of a chance encounter and a wild, almost mythic struggle. Their relationship is passionate, contentious, and enduring, shaped by poverty, loss, and the demands of family. Nector's choices reverberate through generations, as his children and grandchildren grapple with the legacies of love and abandonment.

Love, Loss, and Beads

Marie, despite her own hardships, takes in June as a child, and later Lipsha Morrissey, June's illegitimate son. The act of adoption is both an act of love and a survival strategy, as the family expands to include the lost and the unwanted. The beads June wears become a symbol of endurance and connection, passed down and touched in moments of need. The family's strength lies in its ability to absorb pain and transform it into care, even as old hurts linger.

Lulu's Boys and Loyalties

Lulu Lamartine, proud and unapologetic, raises a brood of sons by different fathers, each fiercely loyal to her and to each other. Her home is a center of gravity for the reservation, a place of laughter, rivalry, and occasional violence. Lulu's relationships—with her sons, with her lovers, with the tribal council—are marked by her refusal to be shamed or diminished. Her story is one of survival, wit, and the complicated power of maternal love.

Butter, Betrayal, and Desire

As tribal chairman, Nector is caught between his duties and his desires. His affair with Lulu reignites old passions and old wounds, leading to a series of betrayals—of Marie, of Lulu, of himself. The infamous butter delivery, a comic and erotic interlude, becomes the turning point in his relationship with both women. The eventual burning of Lulu's house, whether by accident or design, is the climax of years of longing, resentment, and unresolved love.

The Plunge and the Fire

Nector's later years are marked by confusion and regret. His mind slips, his body weakens, and he becomes a shadow of the man he once was. Lulu, meanwhile, survives the loss of her home, her lovers, and her sight, emerging as a figure of strength and humor. The fire that destroys her house is both an ending and a beginning, forcing her and her family to adapt, rebuild, and persist. The community's survival is a testament to their ability to endure loss and find meaning in the ashes.

The Crown of Thorns

Gordie Kashpaw, June's ex-husband, is consumed by grief and guilt after her death. His descent into alcoholism is punctuated by hallucinations and supernatural encounters, culminating in a harrowing episode where he believes he has killed June's ghost. The line between the living and the dead blurs, as the family's traumas manifest in visions, confessions, and breakdowns. The reservation is a place where the past is never truly past, and where healing is always incomplete.

The Red Convertible

Lyman and Henry Lamartine, Lulu's sons, share a close bond symbolized by their shared ownership of a red convertible. Their road trip across the country is a brief escape from the constraints of reservation life. But Henry's service in Vietnam leaves him changed, distant, and broken. The car, once a symbol of freedom, becomes a vehicle of loss as Henry's suicide devastates Lyman and the family. The story is a powerful meditation on brotherhood, trauma, and the costs of war.

Love Medicine's Price

Lipsha Morrissey, the family's oddball and self-proclaimed healer, attempts to use "love medicine" to repair the rift between his grandparents, Marie and Nector. His well-intentioned but misguided efforts lead to tragedy, as Nector chokes and dies. The episode is both comic and heartbreaking, exposing the limits of faith, tradition, and the desire to fix what is broken. Lipsha's journey is one of self-discovery, as he learns the truth about his parentage and the meaning of belonging.

The Good Tears

In the aftermath of Nector's death, Lulu and Marie, once rivals, find a measure of peace and solidarity. Their shared grief and mutual respect allow them to see each other not as enemies but as survivors, each with her own wounds and wisdom. The "good tears" are those shed not in defeat but in recognition of the beauty and pain of life. The women's stories, like the novel itself, are a testament to endurance, humor, and the possibility of reconciliation.

Crossing the Water

The novel closes with Lipsha's journey to find his father, Gerry Nanapush, a legendary figure and fugitive. Their brief, charged encounter is both a reunion and a farewell, as Lipsha helps Gerry escape across the border. The act of "crossing the water" is both literal and metaphorical—a passage from confusion to understanding, from isolation to connection. Lipsha's acceptance of his heritage, his family, and himself is the novel's final, hard-won gift.

Characters

June Kashpaw

June is the novel's absent center, her death setting the story in motion. Raised by her uncle Eli after her mother's death, June is both fiercely independent and deeply wounded. Her relationships—with Gordie, with her son King, with her extended family—are marked by longing and disappointment. June's inability to find a place or a purpose leads her to drift, and her final walk into the snow is both an act of despair and a return to the land. Her memory haunts the family, shaping their grief, guilt, and attempts at healing.

Marie Lazarre Kashpaw

Marie is a force of nature—proud, stubborn, and fiercely protective of her family. Her early battle with Sister Leopolda shapes her sense of self and her skepticism toward authority. As Nector's wife, she endures poverty, infidelity, and loss, but never loses her sense of humor or her will to survive. Marie's adoption of June and Lipsha is both an act of love and a means of asserting control over chaos. Her rivalry with Lulu is intense but ultimately gives way to mutual respect.

Nector Kashpaw

Nector is a man of appetites—charming, intelligent, but often weak-willed. His love triangle with Marie and Lulu defines much of the family's history, as does his role as tribal chairman. Nector's decline into dementia is both tragic and darkly comic, exposing the fragility of power and the inevitability of loss. His choices reverberate through generations, shaping the destinies of his children and grandchildren.

Lulu Lamartine

Lulu is unapologetically herself—bold, sexual, and fiercely loyal to her sons. Her many lovers and children make her a subject of gossip, but also a symbol of resilience and adaptability. Lulu's battles—with the tribal council, with Nector, with the world—are fought with wit and tenacity. Her blindness in old age does not diminish her power; if anything, it sharpens her insight into the follies and strengths of those around her.

Lipsha Morrissey

Lipsha is the family's oddball—a self-taught healer with a gift for "the touch," but also a deep sense of not belonging. Raised by Marie, haunted by the mystery of his parentage, Lipsha's journey is one of self-discovery and acceptance. His failed attempt at love medicine is both comic and tragic, exposing the limits of magic and the necessity of forgiveness. Lipsha's eventual reunion with his father, Gerry, is a moment of grace and closure.

King Kashpaw

King is June's son, marked by resentment and a sense of inadequacy. His relationship with his wife Lynette is volatile, and his treatment of Lipsha is often cruel. King's purchase of a car with June's insurance money is both a symbol of his longing for status and a source of conflict. His inability to escape the cycle of violence and disappointment is both pitiable and infuriating.

Gordie Kashpaw

Gordie is June's former husband, unable to recover from her loss. His descent into alcoholism and madness is a portrait of grief unmoored from hope. Gordie's hallucinations and confessions blur the line between reality and nightmare, exposing the deep wounds left by love and betrayal.

Lyman and Henry Lamartine

Lyman and Henry, Lulu's sons, share a close bond symbolized by their red convertible. Their road trip is a brief escape from reservation life, but Henry's service in Vietnam leaves him changed and unreachable. Lyman's desperate attempt to save his brother ends in tragedy, as Henry's suicide shatters the family and leaves Lyman with a legacy of guilt and loss.

Gerry Nanapush

Gerry is a larger-than-life figure—political activist, escape artist, and absent father. His relationship with Lipsha is brief but transformative, offering both the possibility of connection and the inevitability of separation. Gerry's life on the run is both a symbol of resistance and a reminder of the costs of freedom.

Albertine Johnson

Albertine is the novel's chronicler, her perspective offering insight into the family's history and dynamics. Her return to the reservation is a journey of reconciliation—with her mother, with her past, and with herself. Albertine's intelligence and empathy make her both a participant in and a witness to the family's struggles.

Plot Devices

Nonlinear, Multi-Voiced Narrative

Erdrich structures the novel as a series of interlinked stories, each told from a different character's perspective and set at different points in time. This mosaic approach allows for a deep exploration of memory, identity, and the ways in which the past shapes the present. The nonlinear narrative mirrors the complexity of family history and the persistence of unresolved pain.

Symbolism and Magical Realism

Throughout the novel, objects like June's beads, the red convertible, and the love medicine itself serve as symbols of connection, loss, and the longing for healing. Supernatural elements—ghosts, visions, and inexplicable events—are woven seamlessly into the fabric of everyday life, reflecting the characters' beliefs and the porous boundary between the seen and unseen.

Intergenerational Conflict and Inheritance

The novel is propelled by the tensions between generations—parents and children, siblings, lovers. Secrets about parentage, betrayal, and survival are revealed gradually, forcing characters to confront the truths that have shaped their lives. The inheritance of trauma, resilience, and love is both a burden and a source of strength.

Humor and Irony

Erdrich's use of humor—often biting, sometimes absurd—serves to both highlight and alleviate the pain of her characters' struggles. The comic elements are never merely decorative; they are integral to the novel's exploration of survival, dignity, and the refusal to be defeated by circumstance.

Analysis

Love Medicine is a masterwork of contemporary Native American literature, blending humor, tragedy, and myth to create a portrait of a family and a community shaped by history, loss, and resilience. Erdrich's nonlinear, multi-voiced narrative reflects the complexity of memory and the ways in which personal and collective histories are intertwined. The novel explores the costs and possibilities of love—romantic, familial, and communal—while refusing easy answers or sentimental resolutions. Through its vivid characters and richly symbolic storytelling, Love Medicine confronts the enduring wounds of colonization, the challenges of identity, and the power of forgiveness. Ultimately, the novel insists on the necessity of connection, the persistence of hope, and the possibility of healing, even in the face of overwhelming pain.

Last updated: May 11, 2025