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Lulu’s second husband and Beverly’s brother. Like many of the characters in the novel, Henry is an alcoholic, and he commits suicide by parking his car on the railroad tracks. Exactly why Henry commits suicide is never revealed, although Marie claims he did it because of Lulu’s infidelity. Lulu has an assortment of sons named Lamartine, including Henry, Jr., but none of Lulu’s boys are actually Henry’s sons. Despite this, Henry accepted each of Lulu’s boys as his own, even those who were not, by name, Lamartines, which aligns with Erdrich’s overreaching argument that family is more than blood ties.
Henry Lamartine Quotes in Love Medicine
The Love Medicine quotes below are all either spoken by Henry Lamartine or refer to Henry Lamartine. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Good Tears Part 1
Quotes
I believed this way even before those yellow-bearded government surveyors in their tie boots came to measure the land around Henry’s house. Henry Lamartine had never filed on or bought the land outright, but he lived there. He never took much stock in measurement, either. He knew like I did. If we’re going to measure land, let’s measure right. Every foot and inch you’re standing on, even if it’s on the top of the highest skyscraper, belongs to the Indians. That’s the real truth of the matter.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Love Medicine LitChart as a printable PDF.
Henry Lamartine Quotes in Love Medicine
The Love Medicine quotes below are all either spoken by Henry Lamartine or refer to Henry Lamartine. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Good Tears Part 1
Quotes
I believed this way even before those yellow-bearded government surveyors in their tie boots came to measure the land around Henry’s house. Henry Lamartine had never filed on or bought the land outright, but he lived there. He never took much stock in measurement, either. He knew like I did. If we’re going to measure land, let’s measure right. Every foot and inch you’re standing on, even if it’s on the top of the highest skyscraper, belongs to the Indians. That’s the real truth of the matter.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
