Fleur

Parallelism is the repetition of different grammatical elements to convey something significant. Parallelism can involve repeating different figures of speech or grammatical structures, and authors often use it to emphasize contrast or similarity.

Erdrich uses parallelism very early on in “Fleur,” when she describes Misshepeshu with two parallel lists. Erdrich writes that “it was clear that Misshepeshu, the water man, the monster” wanted Fleur and that, “He’s a thing of dry foam, a thing of death by drowning, the death a Chippewa cannot survive” (177). This rhythmic, repetitive phrasing is broken up by the following sentence, “Unless you are Fleur Pillager” (177). The use of parallelism in the preceding sentences conveys the mythic nature of Misshepeshu; the fact that only Fleur can break this pattern emphasizes her own power.

Parallelism also conveys the intensity of Pauline’s interest in Fleur, as Pauline describes how she “followed her close, stayed with her, became her moving shadow that the men never noticed, the shadow that could have saved her” (183). This multi-verb parallel structure is employed to describe the storm as well, which “[becomes] a fat snout that nosed along the earth and sniffed, jabbed, picked at things, sucked them up, blew them apart, rooted them around” (187).