Imagery In The Red Convertible

When Lyman was looking at the picture it dawned on him, unlike the car, Henry cannot be repaired. The dark truth behind the mental image of Henry’s brother shows that his soul did not return back from Vietnam. Lyman’s avoidance of the photograph shows the murkiness behind the photograph. His detail of the photograph creates a mental image of Henry’s suffering and distance from reality he could never overcome. He hides this photograph in his closet because he would never get to understand what his brother went through while being imprisoned. With the imagery shown in “The Red Convertible” it helps visualize that Henry was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from his war captivity after returning home. The platoon, like Henry, show their struggles and anxiety through imagery. Everyone attempts to collect themselves and move on but it becomes impossible. O’Brien describes Lavender’s corpse as, “He lay with his mouth open. The teeth were broken. There was a swollen black bruise under his left eye. The cheekbone was gone” (523). This disturbing image was embedded in each one of their brains. It would be a part of them for the rest of their lives, as many will never forget such a traumatic experience. The imagery provides the reader how these soldiers develop Post-Traumatic Stress disorder. It

He tried everything he could in his power to help his brother. The beginning of the downfall started with the vehicle they both shared. Since the vehicle couldn’t save Henry he didn’t want to hold on to it anymore. The memories of the car were shared only between those two. The condition of the car was always in the same condition of the relationship between the brother’s. When his brother died, he decided it was only right to send the car in with his brother. The symbol of the red convertible show the wild journey the two brothers shared in it, while it also represented Henry’s condition after returning home from