The Red Convertible Short Story

The car was in good shape before Henry went off and joined the Marines but Lyman wanted it in perfect condition for when his brother arrived at home. The red convertible to Lyman is everything that he wants his relationship with his brother to be once he returns. Lyman wants everything to go back to the way things were like the summer before Henry left. When Henry finally does arrive at home, however, Lyman describes him as being "very different" and "jumpy and mean"(367). Henry no longer seems to have any interest in the car or in Lyman any longer. In desperation, to retrieve his old brother, Lyman goes out one night when Henry had gone out and "did a number" on the red convertible(367). This desperate act of Lyman is in order to try to bring the brothers together. Lyman feels that since they were connected through the red convertible in the past that it would bring them together now. When Henry sees the car messed up he becomes upset and instead of bringing the brothers together Henry becomes fanatically obsessed with fixing the red convertible. This event in the story shows how the war has changed their relationship from close knit to distant. However, once Henry gets the car fixed up he asks Lyman to go for a drive once again showing how the car and their relationship are hand in hand. The red convertible continues to bring the brothers together even in the worst of times.

The symbolism of the red convertible is the main metaphor for brotherhood theme in this story and focused on their connection to each other with the care; however, the color of red throughout provides a much more profound meaning. Edrich wants readers of all backgrounds to find some relationship with the color red. If any other color was used for the car, there might not be a deeper

The car is one of the most important elements that develops and supports the theme brotherhood. The car is a symbol that is meant to show Lyman and Henry’s close bond, and it holds the key to their definitive separation. The red convertible is also a symbol of success, and a connection to the white world for both Henry and Lyman “ I was

The story “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich is a story with symbolic importance. Often you find that a lifeless object can be more important than the actual characters of the story. In this story that object is the red Oldsmobile convertible. This is a story of two Native American brothers of the Chippewa descent, Lyman and Henry Lamartine, who through their car that they purchased together form an unbreakable bond. Although the car itself represents the most symbolic item in the story, the color red also seems to come up in other forms than the car and plays a very symbolic part in the story. The red convertible is the main symbolism of the story and source of communication between the two brothers and the color red illustrates further the symbolism in the story. In America, the color red has positive and negative symbolic representations. The positive being passion, strength, love and energy. The negative being blood aggression, danger and war. Through the Native American culture, the color red represents a color of faith while also symbolizing communication. Throughout the story we read of both positive and

The relationship of brothers usually lasts forever, but in Louise Erdrich’s short story “The Red Convertible”, the relationship of the main characters Lyman and Henry takes a turn. Erdrich takes her audience through the experiences these brothers face and how they must come to terms that their relationship has changed. Knowing that it will most likely never be the same both Lyman and Henry try to fix their relationship until eventually one falls because of the experiences he faced in life. While Lyman may think the red convertible will save his and Henry’s relationship, Erdrich makes it clear that it will not through the characterization of the brothers, the plot of the story, and the symbolism she uses to tell her story.

Lyman soon realized he was wrong. The war had torn Henry to the point that he would stare lifelessly at a television screen for hours on end. He had not said more than a few words to Lyman for some time. Angered, Lyman purposefully damages the red convertible to get the attention of his brother. The damaging of the car represents the anger felt by Lyman that the relationship with his brother had been destroyed by the war. By destroying the car, Lyman is metaphorically changing the condition of the red convertible to match that of their brotherly bond. “Now I don’t even know if I can get it to start again, let alone get it anywhere near its old condition.” (Erdrich 328) Henry states about the car, symbolizing his feelings towards their relationship.

Henry returns from the war damaged not unlike the car after Lyman tries to destroy it. The relation ship between the brothers will never return to its previous state just as the car will never be the same. The car now comes to signify the change in the brother’s relationship. When Henry drowns himself in the river, Lyman lets the car go with them. Henry knows life will never be the same and neither will his feelings about the car. The car will now only trigger the raw emotions of his brother’s transformation and his death, instead of the carefree life he once had with a close brother. The car comes to symbolize death and the death of the close relationship between the to brothers. When Lyman lets go of the car, he is also letting go of his innocence.

There was no actual evident mention of their American part of lifestyle until this point of their life, dealing with Henry after war. In the end, the reader can see that red convertible is a bigger representation of Henry and his individual changes after the Vietnam than anything else. It is his changes that affect his whole family and thus his strong relationship with his brother and thus why the car also counterparts their brotherly relationship. Further as the red convertible re-introduces itself throughout the story, it is the first and foremost object that shows the lifestyle of Henry and Lyman as Chippewa and American members of society.

Towards the middle of the story we see how Lyman damages the car and this is to regain his brothers interest in the car. He wants his brother back and by having Henry fix the car it would be as if he were fixing the bond between the two. Lyman describes how he “did a number on its underside. Whacked it up… and waited for Henry to find it”(891). He wanted to“bring the old Henry back” (891), and what better way to do this than to have Henry focus on the one thing both brothers enjoyed which was the convertible. He thought that the car would make Henry return back to his old

Henry Fosdick once said, “The tragedy of war is that it uses man’s best to do man’s worst.” In “The Red Convertible” by Louis Erdrich, there is a conflict amongst two brothers, Henry and Lyman as ones awareness towards reality is shifted upon the return of the Vietnam War. Henry’s experience fighting in the Vietnam War is the responsibility for the unexpected aftermath that affects their brotherhood. The event of Henry fighting in the war through fears, emotions and horrors that he encounters is the source of his “Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome [PTSD].” It has shaped his own perception of reality and his relationship with his brother Lyman and the strong bond that they had shared.

Both Erdrich’s, “The Red Convertible”, and O'Brien's, “The Things They Carried” reflect the effects of psychological trauma left by war; specifically, the Vietnam War. In Erdrich’s piece, she uses the red convertible as a metaphor for Henry. The fact that the two brothers purchased the convertible together is a serves to symbolize their bond. Yet, when Henry returns from his tenure as a soldier, his mental health has deteriorated into an apparently depressive state. I believe that Lyman’s act of wrecking the car represents how the war has devastated Henry’s emotional state. In Henry’s attempt to restore the car, he is indirectly trying to mend himself. Indeed we see that in his effort to do so, he exhibits signs indicative of his previous

Other stories, perceived as unrealistic, often are posited so because they contain elements we do not see in the real world; metaphoric fantasy, symbolism, abstractness. These concepts are all based on our own filters of perception – we discern what is historically accurate and what is legend, or myth, based on our position in culture and the lenses which we view ourselves. In “The Red Convertible”, we can see these concepts at play – Lyman, narrating the story of the relationship with his brother Henry, tells a story that flows very effortlessly. Things that happen around him seem to brush off of him, as if they are no big deal.

At this point in time, I happened in the back seat or my mom's van driving to my grandparent's house for dinner and to chat with my other relatives. Thrown around while a couple of times, making some turns I saw we were slowly but surely rounding near their subdivision. I could tell as I saw an enormous, round, and probably metal or concrete, tall sign with the big red letter "S" on it. that was obviously just an advertisement for Speedway, but all I needed to do was see that to know that up ahead a little further we'd be there.

Chapter 7 (pgs 83-89): This short chapter is focused on used cars in is told for the point of view of a car sale manager. This opportunist knew that he could scam navie farm hands into buying branly running Model T and other old Jalopies. These tenants were so desperate to travel westward that they agreed to buying these broken down cars at extremely high prices.

It was a cold February evening. The snow fell from the sky and onto Deer Trail. The sun was just setting as the car was pulling into the drive way of my house. “Thanks for driving me!” I said to my friend and her mom as I stepped out of the car. “No problem!” they replied as I shut the door of the red car. I walked up to the front door with my soccer bag over my shoulder. I walked into my house kicking my cleats off and throwing my bag onto the floor.