I have a final on Love Medicine, and was wondering what stories to focus on. Any help?

Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine,
offers a diverse group of stories and characters. It is, perhaps, what makes her novel
so worth reading: it describes the complexity of the human condition,
interrelationships, and insights into the reservation life of Native Americans,
specifically the Chippewa.

Trying to imagine what might be
selected for a final test on this novel is difficult because it is a collection of
stories with related (literally) characters, but there is no continuous plot line, and
there is no traditional timeline. Traditionally, when reading a novel we can concentrate
on main characters and significant aspects of plot development and conflict resolution,
but it is very different for this book.

For my
recommendations, though this is in no way written in stone, I would concentrate first on
"The World's Greatest Fisherman," as it is the first story which introduces a wide
variety of characters and the inter-workings of their relationships, as well as some
sense to the culture.

Personally, I especially liked the
stories "Saint Marie," "Wild Geese," and "The Island." "Saint Marie" is a little creepy,
but a fascinating take on good vs. evil. "Wild Geese" seems a continuation of "Saint
Marie," but from Nector's viewpoint. (And some of his questions for Marie we can only
know the answers to having read the previous chapter.) "The Island" steps completely out
of a short sense of timeline to introduce Lulu, who we will "visit" throughout the
book.

I would make sure to study "The Red Convertible," as
this is a highly anthologized short story. "Love Medicine," I would think, is a must, as
the concept of "love medicine," introduced in "The Island" is discussed in more detail
here; core Chippewa beliefs are present; and, this is the chapter for which the book is
named.

While it is important to have read and reviewed the
entire book, I would doubt a college professor would concentrate on especially minor
aspects of the novel as much as he/she might on central ideas and characterizations
(different than a high school teacher). With this is mind, I would think it prudent to
make sure to also be familiar with the final two chapters as
well.

I'm not sure if your edition of the book has it
(maybe they all do), but if so, I would study the family tree at the beginning of the
novel. It may help to see how all these characters are connected, especially because
their stories follow no chronology.