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PTSD In Louise Erdrich's The Red Convertible

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In Louise Erdrich’s story “The Red Convertible” there is a recurring topic of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The author portrays the harsh realities that someone with PTSD experiences every day to bring about change. In other words, by Henry exhibiting emotions such as silence, aggression, and depression Louise Erdrich attempts to bring awareness and recognition to an issue that was not so spoken about in their time. One of the most prevalent symptoms that stem from PTSD is silence. In the story, Lyman states that after he returned from the war “[Henry] was very different” and that “He was quiet, so quiet.” This shows the tendency for victims to avoid situations as it brings up traumatic memories from the past and forces victims to relive them. In the case of “The Red Convertible” Henry was avoiding conversation with the ones around him and was lost in his mind reliving events of the war. This displays the torment and reanimation of events in ones mind that people with PTSD experience on a day-to-day. Whereas avoidance is a primary symptom of PTSD it is not the only one common among victims. …show more content…

This is shown when the two main characters, Henry and Lyman, engage in an aggressive altercation which was instigated by Henry. Lyman says that “[Henry grabbed his] jacket and ripped the arm loose.” This altercation negatively affected Lyman’s well-being, as his brother is the one who attacks him. which he never thought would come from someone so close to him, and ultimately Lyman felt betrayed. This portrays the potentially aggressive tendencies of victims, and how they can affect the ones around them, as shown in “The Red Convertible.” While aggression is a very visible symptom, some PTSD symptoms are less apparent to others until it is too

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