When I first read Louise Erdrich's Four Souls, I pondered in thoughts about the thematic element of the stories being narrated by two different narrators. At first, I imagined the main character, Fleur Pillager, as an angry Native American woman who's upset by the man that had stolen her trees and is following his track to seek vengeance. But what was intended with hatred gradually illustrates a sense of self-actualization, which is central to the themes of the book. Originally, I predicted the ending to be a happy ending based on the reliability of the narrators. But to my finding, I now acknowledge the ending to be somewhat bittersweet. At the end of the story, Nanapush states, "Finally, I can see the shape of all that's happened and all that is to come./ Within me there has always burned an urge to see how things turn out./ To know the story./ Now that I know the story, I can rest./ The woman once called Fleur Pillager, and now named Four Souls as well as another name nobody speaks, is now understood by the spirits" (209). Here, the reader can speculate the bittersweet sensation, which is highlighted by the mere fact that the characters and narrators like Polly Elizabeth are experiencing a self-realization. Both the characters and narrators telling the story are guilty of behaving in a stereotypical way. As the story progressed, the reader witnesses how the negative behaviors and actions of Fleur, Nanapush, Margaret, and Polly Elizabeth led to the results of their bittersweet ending. For Fleur, she started out seeking vengeance but she somehow ended up marrying a white man and even bearing his child. However, Fleur's downfall led to her consumption of unnecessary amount of liquor, resulting in her child's birth defects. Nanapush's mad love for Margaret overcame him with jealousy because he was convinced that Margaret and Shesheeb were having an affair. His jealousy led to his consumption of alcohol, which made him somewhat insane and came up with a plan at winning Margaret back, but instead ended up trapping her and almost killing her. At that time, Margaret had a vision with her great-grandmother, telling her to sew a dress that will gives healing power, so she set out to make the medicine dress. For Polly Elizabeth, she was a reliable narrator because her failure in love gave her a sense of self-actualization. As Polly Elizabeth narrates, "If one only accepts what is given!/ There could be afternoons of laughter./ There could even be happiness. If one only accepts" (125). To conclude, the bittersweet touch in the ending is allowing yourself time to heal and what's more important is being able to see your mistakes and learn from those mistakes. Although, it is a happy ending for Fleur to get her name back, there still remain many possibilities to be considered. Relating back to the title of the book, Four Souls, I believe Louise Erdrich was clever in having more than one narrators telling the story of Fleur Pillager. The three narrators Nanapush, Polly Elizabeth, and Margaret happened to make up the three souls of Fleur, what's missing is the fourth soul. Based on the reading and my observations, I theorized that self-realization and personal beliefs completes the four souls, making up for the fourth soul.
