Author(s): Lin Lin

Abstract: In her representative work Love Medicine, American Indian female writer Louise Erdrick uses a polyphonic narrative structure to construct a narrative space with diverse dialogues, allowing Indian characters of different identities to narrate their traumatic experiences. This paper is based on Judith Herman's theory of trauma and recovery, combined with the historical and current challenges faced by Native American reservation residents in the novel, to analyze the interweaving and composite presentation of personal trauma, war trauma, and cultural trauma in the work. Through polyphonic narrative strategy, Erdrick not only breaks the traditional linear trauma writing mode, but also transforms traumatic memories into narrative dynamics for cultural identity reconstruction. This paper further explores how the Native American characters in Love Medicine gradually achieve psychological and social trauma recovery by returning to cultural roots, coordinating the tension between tradition and modernity, and completing cultural redemption for individuals and ethnic groups through the three stages of trauma recovery proposed by Herman, safety establishment, mourning, and reconstruction connection.

Keywords: Love Medicine, Judith Herman, trauma recovery

Article Info: Received: 13 Dec 2025; Received in revised form: 10 Jan 2026; Accepted: 13 Jan 2026; Available online: 19 Jan 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.111.15