The Significance Of The Lake Monster In Louise Erdrich's TRA

The Significance of the Lake Monster in Louise Erdrich's TRACKS

This article discusses the symbolic role of the Lake Monster, Misshepeshu, in Louise Erdrich's novel Tracks. Initially, critics depict the Lake Monster as a symbol of Native American resistance to colonial oppression, mainly associated with Fleur, the protagonist’s outcast sister. However, the article argues that in the post-contact era depicted in the novel, the symbolic meaning of Misshepeshu transforms from representing indigenous resistance to embodying colonial power and authority. The monster becomes a symbol of the colonizer, especially associated with Pauline, an outsider and antagonist, rather than with Fleur or Native resistance. Pauline's obsession with lion-like qualities and her final act of adopting the name Leopolda, meaning 'like a lion,' reinforce the recontextualized symbolism of the Lake Monster as a symbol of colonial dominance and Pauline's own destructive nature. The article challenges earlier interpretations, emphasizing that the evolving portrayal of Misshepeshu reflects the shifting power dynamics between colonizers and Native Americans within the narrative framework of Tracks.

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Louise Erdrich’s novel Tracks is a complex exploration of Native American identity, resistance, and the shifting meanings of mythic symbols. Among these symbols, the Lake Monster, Misshepeshu, plays a critical role, initially serving as a representation of Native resistance to white encroachment. However, a closer analysis reveals that the symbolic significance of Misshepeshu evolves significantly in the post-contact era depicted in the novel, reflecting broader historical and cultural shifts.

Early in the novel, critics such as Gloria Bird and María Ruth Sánchez emphasize that Fleur’s relationship with Misshepeshu symbolizes a connection to indigenous spirituality and resistance. Bird notes that Fleur’s bond with the Lake Monster underscores her resistance to colonial authority and her attempt to preserve Native culture. Sánchez and Simal similarly highlight Fleur’s association with water and her protector spirit, portraying the monster as a guardian of Native land and identity. This perspective aligns with the traditional view of Misshepeshu as an indigenous symbol embodying resistance and resilience.

However, the narrative's later development challenges this initial interpretation. As the story progresses beyond the early stages, the symbolic role of Misshepeshu shifts. The novel’s historical setting between 1912 and 1924 contextualizes the symbol within the aftermath of colonial expansion, including British and American dominance. The article argues that the Lake Monster ceases to represent indigenous resistance and instead becomes a symbol of colonial authority. Its redefinition aligns with the British acknowledgment of the creature as the “underwater lion,” a mythological figure tied to the colonizer’s own symbols of power, such as the lion on British medals and trade goods. The transformation of Misshepeshu into a symbol resembling a lion underscores its new association with colonial authority and imperial dominance.

This shift is further reinforced by the character of Pauline, who embodies colonial hostility and destructive tendencies. Pauline’s identification with lion-like qualities and her final act of adopting the name Leopolda, which means “like a lion” in Latin, serve as a symbolic culmination of the monster’s recontextualization. Pauline’s connection to the Lake Monster represents her own transformation into a symbol of colonial violence and internalized oppression. Her actions—murdering Napoleon, her symbolic identification with a lion, and her final renaming—highlight her alignment with colonial aggressors rather than indigenous resistance.

Moreover, the article highlights how the narrative complicates the traditional interpretation by exposing the unreliability of Pauline as a narrator. Her hallucinations, religious fanaticism, and contradictions cast doubt on her claims about Fleur’s association with the Lake Monster. Instead, the novel subtly suggests that the true symbolic figure of Misshepeshu might be Pauline herself. Her lion-like qualities, her murderous tendencies, and her final act of self-renaming reinforce the idea that the monster symbolizes colonial violence and internal repression, not Native resistance.

The redefinition of Misshepeshu from a symbol of resistance to one of colonization reflects broader themes in Tracks. It illustrates how myths and symbols are mutable, shaped by historical and cultural contexts. The novel portrays how the colonizing forces reappropriate indigenous symbols to legitimize their dominance. In this sense, the Lake Monster’s transformation underscores the complex and often contradictory nature of cultural symbols—they can embody resistance in one context and oppression in another.

This interpretation expands the traditional views by emphasizing the fluidity of mythic symbols and the importance of historical context. The novel invites readers to reconsider assumptions about symbolism in Native literature, highlighting that the meanings of such symbols are never fixed but continually reshaped by power dynamics and social change. As a result, Misshepeshu’s evolving symbolism in Tracks serves as a powerful commentary on how colonialism remakes indigenous symbols to serve its narratives of dominance and control.

References

• Bird, Gloria. “Searching for Evidence of Colonialism at Work: A Reading of Louise Erdrich’s Tracks.” Wicazo Sa Review, vol. 8, 1993, pp. 40–47.
• Brehm, Victoria. “Metamorphosis of an Ojibewa Manido.” American Literature, vol. 68, 1996, pp. 677–706.
• Dewdney, Selwyn. The Sacred Scrolls of the Southern Ojibway. Calgary: U of Toronto P, 1975.
• Erdrich, Louise. Tracks. New York: Perennial Library, 1988.
• Hegerfeldt, Anne C. Lies That Tell the Truth: Magic Realism Seen Through Contemporary Fiction from Britain. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2005.
• Sánchez, Jesús Benito, Ana M. Manzanas, and Begoña Simal. Uncertain Mirrors: Magical Realism in US Ethnic Literature. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2009.
• Sánchez, María Ruth Noriega. Challenging Realities: Magic Realism in Contemporary American Women’s Fiction. Valencia: Universitat de Valencia, 2002.
• Shackleton, Mark. “‘June Walked over It Like Water and Came Home’: Cross-Cultural Symbolism in Louise Erdrich’s Love Medicine and Tracks.” Transatlantic Voices: Interpretations of Native North American Literatures. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 2007, pp. 188–205.