Critical Analysis of: "Fleur"
             I chose to write a critical analysis on the American short story, Fleur, written by Louise Erdrich. I chose this story because I had never read anything by Louise Erdrich before. Also, as I read the introduction, I found out that she was part Native American, and I enjoy reading their literature. The title, "Fleur" also intrigued me as to what was behind that name. I assumed there must be something interesting to this story that the title is not telling me. I was not mistaken. I found Fleur to be a complex and intriguingly written short story.
             Fleur, simple as the title may be, behind that name is a complex person with an entrancing personality and life-style. Erdrich's style of writing, irony, symbolism, and underlying themes all add to why Fleur was compelling to read. Erdrich was able to elaborate on part of America's history of the treatment of others. She also cleverly throws in some humor to lighten the seriousness of the story, which added to its readability. This magnificent story of a woman's instinct and struggle to survive after being shunned by her people, illustrates to readers that we should never underestimate the power of other individuals and that the power of the mind is more valuable than raw physical strength.
             Erdrich's style of writing compliments the contents of the text. Her prose style and realist point of view is relevant throughout the story. She also refers to Fleur as having animalistic characteristics throughout and also Fleur's ability and instinct of survival are both traits of naturalistic writings as well. Erdrich also effectively uses some poetic cadences to reinforce that Native American tradition way of story telling. The cadenced sentences also assist in the readability of the story. They make sentences, though separated by many commas, still flow right along. Another aspect of Erdrich's is her bri...