Julie Tharp (Essay Date 1993)

SOURCE: Tharp, Julie. "Women's Community and Survival in the Novels of Louise Erdrich." In Communication and Women's Friendships: Parallels and Intersections in Literature and Life, edited by Janet Doubler Ward and JoAnna Stephens Mink, pp. 165-80. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1993.

In the following essay, Tharp explores the effects of Native American cultural corrosion on women's interpersonal relationships in Erdrich's novels.

… The old women sit patiently in a circle, not speaking. Each set of eyes stares sharply into the air or the fire. Occasionally, a sigh is let loose from an open mouth. A Grandmother has a twitch in the corner of her eye. She rubs her nose, then smooths her hair.

The coffee is ready. Cups are brought from a wooden cupboard. Each woman is given the steaming brew. They blow on the swirling liquid, then slurp...