I've really enjoyed this book so far even though it is filled with a series of characters that are struggling and seem broken. It doesn't seem like any of the unities between these people really make any of them happy, especially since the main connecting character is shown in such a bleek situation right before her death. But through all of that I've been trying to figure out the sense of hope that I think is underlying all of the depressing stuff. The way that June's story ends still has hope in it, almost like even though we figure out that June has died, her soul is still very much alive. When reading Marie Kashpaw's story, we also figure out that June was found in a situation that probably should have killed her, so the way that June entered the world and left it are both really connected to the environment and harsh situations. To me it seems like these characters find happiness in situations that are ultimately really destructive, but in the end people seem to be at terms with it...the relationship between King and Lynette is something that I think really shows that, especially when the other relatives ignore their fighting and violence for so long and the thing that seems the most important to them is the pies.
Do you find any hope in this book and what do you think motivates the decisions of these characters? I'm still not clear on what "Love Medicine" is or what the author is trying to do, but hopefully it will become clear soon!
I don't see hope as much as I see acceptance. Many of the character do things to try to better their positions in life like go to school, but they still come back. They are tied to their community no matter what they do. I think all the characters have very different motivators. Some want power, some what family, some are just trying to get along the best they can.
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