The Mighty Red

Part 2 begins the night before Kismet marries Gary. She and her girlfriends gather at the Red River for a party, where they fall off the bridge. The water level is particularly high, and Kismet is swept away. Throughout this scene, Kismet is aware of the danger that she is in but does nothing to try to get out of the river. She contemplates her life, reflecting on her inability to make clear decisions about her future. She reflects that “[s]he’d been accepted by every college she’d applied to, but the emails panicked her” (106). She thinks about how unsure she is about Gary as a partner. Ultimately, she does decide to act and swims to the shore, but this scene symbolizes the inertia that is at the heart of Kismet’s character. The river itself functions as a metaphor for the lack of agency that characterizes Kismet’s life, pushing her along much as societal and familial pressures push her toward a life she has not truly chosen. She struggles to make even the smallest choice and seems to be carried along by the momentum of others in her life, much as she is carried by the river’s momentum after she falls in. For Kismet, whose name means “destiny,” figuring out how to become the master of her own destiny will be a key part of her narrative arc, and arguably one that she does not figure out until the novel’s conclusion.

Kismet continues to be a focal point as the action moves to the day of her wedding. The wedding is also rife with symbolism, and it illustrates how ambivalent Kismet is about her marriage. While standing at the altar of the local parish church, Kismet fixates on the gruesome figure of Christ on the cross. This fixation serves as an external reflection of her internal state, paralleling her feeling of martyrdom in going through with the wedding to shield her family from further scrutiny after her father’s embezzlement scandal, which also reflects Love’s Many Forms. It is evident that Kismet sees a reflection of Christ’s sacrifice in her own: The deciding factor in going through with the marriage to Gary was, for Kismet, her father’s disappearance with the town’s invested savings. She hopes to draw attention away not only from her father but also her mother, whom the town has begun to gossip about. Kismet loves her mother deeply, and their connection and love are clear when they embrace at her wedding. Kismet sees herself as a sacrificial figure, and she is so distracted by this thought that when uttering her vows, she says, “Do I?” instead of “I Do.” Erdrich’s use of Christ’s image adds a religious layer to Kismet’s sense of sacrifice, echoing a broader critique of societal expectations, particularly around how women are often pressured to bear the burden of family crises. Here, too, Erdrich provides a window into Kismet’s inner monologue. Kismet is so unsure about Gary that she cannot even get her vows out correctly. Kismet’s lack of self-awareness of her own desires is particularly on display here, because to the townspeople, it is obvious that Kismet does not love Gary, but Kismet is still in the process of figuring that out for herself. Kismet’s slower processing of her feelings highlights how young she is, connecting past and present by evoking the idea of arranged, or unwanted, marriages made by young women aiming to save their families. Kismet has hardly had the time to figure out who she is, let alone who she wants to marry, but the only clear action she takes is on behalf of the person she loves the most: her mother.

The novel’s exploration of Love’s Many Forms is deepened in Part 2 through the contrast of Kismet’s relationship with Hugo and her relationship with Gary. On the night of the wedding, Gary behaves with sexual entitlement toward Kismet, which also evokes a traditional male expectation of a bride on her wedding night. Gary forces her hand onto the crotch of his jeans even though she is uncomfortable, pressures her for sex at their house in a way that Kismet finds particularly upsetting, and even calls her a “slut” in what Kismet thinks is a drunken attempt at playfulness. Kismet is physically repulsed by Gary for the entirety of their wedding night, preferring to sit on the floor of their bathroom. Kismet’s ambivalence toward Gary edges toward regret, and Kismet begins to realize that perhaps she had been wrong about her feelings for Gary. This disconnect between her feelings and her actions underscores the novel’s critique of romantic relationships built on societal or familial expectations rather than mutual respect and genuine connection. By contrast, Kismet and Hugo have real chemistry. Although she tells herself that he is too young and nerdy for her, she is physically drawn to him. Their sex life is passionate, fulfilling, and markedly dissimilar from Gary’s fumbling and offensive attempts to seduce her. Kismet’s ability to express herself freely and naturally with Hugo—both physically and emotionally—highlights the compatibility lacking in her relationship with Gary, highlighting the novel’s argument that romantic love thrives when both parties can be their authentic selves. The ease with which she and Hugo communicate also contrasts with the stilting half-conversations that she has with Gary. Her reticence when she is in Gary’s company is obvious, but conversation flows when Kismet and Hugo are together. That Kismet herself is unable to see her relationship with Hugo clearly speaks to her lack of awareness of her own desires. Ironically, Kismet thinks that Hugo is immature, but despite their age difference, he is much more self-aware than Kismet. However, while Hugo is sure that he loves Kismet, this certainty is also a quality that is assigned to men and boys in the text: Women like Kismet and Crystal serve as sacrificial in the sense that their needs and wants come after their survival. Hugo is known as a “genius,” while Kismet is sent to the principal’s office and shamed for her intelligence, highlighting the complexity of gender expectations within the text.

Economic Instability’s Impact on Individuals and Small Communities continues as a theme in Part 2, revealing the impact of the town’s economic struggles on both personal and community levels. Martin is found to have absconded with the church’s invested funds, and initially, it seems as though he’s stolen the money. Because of his shoddy work ethic and love for expensive material things, both Crystal and the town have no trouble believing his guilt. It is Hugo who first suggests that it is possible that he lost the investments in the crash the previous year. While Martin remains a problematic, irresponsible character, this scene gestures toward the novel’s broader point about the impact of the 2008 financial crisis: The US government bailed out many large banks but did not provide help to individuals. People lost pensions, their savings, and even their homes, and the impact was felt disproportionately by working-class individuals like those in Tabor. Martin’s financial recklessness and lack of resources reflect the vulnerability of individuals with fewer financial safety nets, underscoring the novel’s critique of a system that protects institutions rather than the people they’re meant to serve. Additionally, Hugo making this connection foreshadows his enduring role in Kismet’s life: Where Gary seeks his own pleasure and runs from his mistakes, Hugo stands by Kismet even when she is married to the wrong person. Hugo presents a love that is patient, further exploring Love’s Many Forms.