Summary Of The Red Convertible By Louise Erdrich

Have you ever watched the life in someone’s eyes burn out? I have. I’ve seen it in my own eyes, and I imagine Lyman saw it in his brother’s eyes after he returned home. Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” presents signs of Henry’s thoughts of suicide before it tells us. I hate to summarize this story even slightly, but the change in his actions and circumstances is something I feel needs to be pointed out. While Henry never told anyone about his feelings, he showed it in his actions. Although this story never states the upcoming suicide, Henry changes after returning home. I assume that he felt as if he had nothing to live for, so once he finished rebuilding their convertible, he began making amends with his brother. People who are close

Once Henry discovered the car was all beat up, he confronted Lyman, and Lyman told his brother to fix it. During the time that Henry worked on the car, he seemed to be doing much better, “he ate more slowly and didn’t jump up and down during the meal.” (Erdrich 110). His mind was slightly more at ease, and he had something to preoccupy himself with. Distractions like these can give a temporary escape where individuals feel as if they have a purpose, instead of feeling like they have nothing in their life. Once the car was fixed, Henry seemed to be in a better mood. Little to Lyman’s knowledge, Henry probably felt as if he had nothing to live for, he had finished the car. Before the two left for another trip, they took a photo together. Lyman later says that Henry’s smile looked as if it was held with “little hooks around the ends” (Erdrich 111). At the time, Lyman believed his brother was doing better, but looking back on it he saw the pain his brother was going through. Henry knew what would happen on this trip, but he didn’t want to ruin his brother’s image of him. While on their trip, Henry seemed