Twin Archetype in Louise Erdrich’s Novels

Abstract

Twin stories are central to American Indian mythology. Native American novelist Louise Erdrich has created the images of twins in several of her works. Taking the mythic twins Matchkwewis and Oshkikwe from the Anishinaabe tales and stories as an archetype, many of Erdrich's novels, such as Tracks, Love Medicine, The Antelope Wife, and The Round House, are based on the stories of twins and depict different twins or twinlike characters. Erdrich takes up the responsibility of storyteller to tell stories about residents on the reservation, carrying forward Indian culture and conveying positive value to the readers. From the perspective of the twin archetype, this essay discusses the power of action of these twin characters in Erdrich's novels, so as to interpret her replacement strategy of folk