The Soul of Four Souls

In Four Souls by Louise Erdrich, the "soul" was referenced several times and in one particular chapter Nanapush alludes to the soul as the irreducible, the story. However, what is the soul of Four Souls in this case? Is it the story, the actual tale about Fleur or is it the relationship between Nanapush and Margaret? Or maybe it's the story of John Mauser and his greed. It is my opinion that the soul referenced in Four Souls is the actual story of a soul that achieves ultimate happiness and content with life and there are several characters which fit this description in the story. The character that I think embodies the soul that's content with life the most is Polly Elizabeth, however Fleur and Nanapush also reach this state by the end of the story as implied from the narration in the last two chapters. Polly Elizabeth in the beginning of the story viewed everything from their outward appearances whether it was a human being or an inanimate object. One of those people that she despised because of his outward appearance was Fantan, however as later evident in the story that displeasure dissipates as Polly Elizabeth begins to realize that people should not be judged by their physical appearance but rather by their conduct. When she finally does achieve this state only then is she happy with her life and achieves contentment with life as she knows it. Thus, there is a clear message that her soul is finally at peace and therefore, it is one of the souls that comprises the "soul" of Four Souls. Since there are four characters that reach inner-peace and happiness, Margaret, Nanapush, Polly Elizabeth and Fleur, their stories about how their lives changed from unhappiness to becoming content are the Four Souls that comprise the title. Yes, at this point it is one too many souls, to digest as the reader, however it seems that the overall message from the "soul" of Four Souls is that an individual will only be happy when they are content with what they've achieved in life and the situation that they are in currently.