Woman, our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, lack the appreciation they deserve, despite having the capability to bring life into the world are looked down upon and seen as inferior by society. Women are expected to stay in the kitchen, please the men in their lives, and in certain cultures are prevented from receiving an education. Though these norms are still significantly accepted in society, change occurs in small stages when women decide to step up for themselves and defy the patriarchy. Instances of this defiance are regarded in the novel, Tracks, in which the author Louise Erdrich writes from the perspectives of two Native Americans, Nanapush, a humorous Chippewa Native and Pauline Puyat, a cowardly, outlandish female and illustrates the…show more content… Fleur exhibits her strength in significant ways, she curses men that did her wrong and makes sure that they do not forget what they have done to harm her. Fleur was able to evade the patriarchy by demonstrating that she is strong enough to take revenge on those who have made faults against her, which is demonstrated when Fleur decides to take revenge on Lazarre, one of the men who cut margaret’s braids off and is mentioned by Nanapush when he states, “All the whispers were true. She [Fleur] had scratched Lazarre’s figure into a piece of Birchbark, drawn his insides, and rubbed a bit of vermilion up his arms until the red stain reached his heart. There was no sound as he fell, no cry, no word” (Erdrich 125). In this excerpt, Fleur shows her strength by seeking out revenge on Lazarre, she shows how truly strong she is and how men don’t always have to get away with the horrid things they do. In addition, what this tactic reveals about the inequity between men and women, is that women unlike men, are expected to remain quiet about the injustices that are committed against them, a standard that Fleur does not
