Analysis of Fleur by Louise ErdrichIt is easy to find Louise Erdrich among the canons of what we today call Western writers. His name (or names, given the many pseudonyms) appears right at the top with Cormac McCarthy and Elmer Kelton. And as impressive as his notoriety is, one ends up wondering if the “Western writer” is not an albatross hanging around the neck of his career. Maybe it's Tolkien's fault. After all, he's the one who created an entire genre in which the setting is paramount to the plot or conflict. But Erdrich does not share his negligence. His stories take place in the West, but his truths are universal. “Fleur”, in particular, speaks to both. Beyond clothing, shelter and food, human beings have a basic desire: to look good and, conversely, to avoid the toilet....