Chapter 10: Earth Sickness

As Markus is rediscovering life after coming so close to joining his mother, Franz is having some serious girl trouble. He is old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, but instead of going with Mazarine as he wants to, he lets his foolish fear that being with her was what almost killed his brother get the better of him. Instead he goes out with Betty, and locks eyes with Mazarine as they pass her on the street in Betty's car. For a moment, it is confusion and then pain for both of them, as their first experience with love gone wrong begins to take affect. Franz, like every young person in love who does something stupid, knows he is terribly wrong, but thinks nothing of the betrayal that Mazarine must feel. However, even though it is bad now, I think Erdrich is trying to reminds us that we all need to, have done, something like this in our brash, youthful way; perhaps simply to remind ourselves that we can do these things, even if we shouldn't.