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The Red Convertible By Louise Erdrich Summary

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War leaves battle wounds not only physically, but mentally as well. The process of going to war is long and strenuous. Throughout Louise Erdrich’s writing, The Red Convertible, readers are able to get a deeper understanding of the ever lasting effects that veterans have to suffer with. In Erdrich’s story, the main characters’, Lyman, older and outgoing brother is introduced. Henry is adventurous and constantly making life more humorous with his jokes. As the story prolongs, it is clear that once Henry returns home from war, he is not the same as he once was. This directly relates to people all over the world who are exposed to the act of transitioning into a soldier. The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich undoubtedly shows the connection to what it takes to become a soldier and the effects it has afterwards. …show more content…

To join the Army one must be at least 17 years old (with the consent of a parent). With that, people have to meet a certain height and weight depending on their age. For example, if a person joining the forces for the first time and they are between the ages of 17-20 and are 60 inches tall, they must be at least 139 pounds. In addition to the basic physical appearance requirements, a person has to be a US citizen, have at least a high school degree, and go through several physical and mental performance tests. The physical test that needs to be passed in order to join the Army is the APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). To pass, one has to go through an intensive muscular strength, endurance, and cardiovascular respiratory fitness evaluation (militaryspot.com). When trying to join the Military, the qualifications to enter are both reprimanding and

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534 Words | 3 Pages

“The Red Convertible”, by Louise Erdrich is a story about two brothers, Lyman and Henry, and how the bond of the brothers is affected when Henry is called to fight in the Vietman war. The Story is told in first person by the main character Lyman. We get to see from his perspective how he is affected by Henry fighting in the war. Erdrich uses symbolism, characterization, and theme to help us understand her story.

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1200 Words | 5 Pages

Having a sibling or multiple can be painstaking at points but it can also a relationship that nobody can tear apart. I have a sibling and we have the greatest bond of all time. We share many of the same characteristics as Lyman and Henry. “The Red Convertible” is a great example of two brothers who love eachother but the war has torn them apart. After researching Louise Erdrich 's life and reading “The Red Convertible”, the best literary elements of the short-story are the car in general, the raging waters, and the boots filling up with water to drown Henry.

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621 Words | 3 Pages

In The Red Badge of Courage, the reader follows a character known as the youth whose constant struggle both internally, trying to prove to himself that his fleeing from battle and overall cowardice is natural, and externally as he fights the United States worst war are both questioning whether Henry can truly call himself a man. Although Henry starts this story a full blown deserter, he drastically changes once he feels he belongs, becoming not only a great soldier who rallied men against a terrible foe, but indeed became all a man can be. As Henry enters his first battle he “thought he might very likely run”(Crane 30), which he had been arguing with himself about for the past few days. Ever since he was a kid, Henry had dreamed of the glory

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648 Words | 3 Pages

In the beginning of Red Badge of Courage, Henry immediately regretted his choice to go off to war. The Novel Soldier’s Heart was written in 1st person point of view, and Red Badge of Courage written in 3rd person limited. In the beginning of the book Soldier’s Heart, Charley is the main character, Charley wanted to leave his home life to go to war and fight, his excitement to go off fighting was unreal. He was willing to leave his family to go off and fight in a war that he didn’t know if he would make it through or not.

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443 Words | 2 Pages

Date: Influence of the Vietnam War on the U.S Society The Vietnam War was a great form of conflict which resulted to the molding of the U.S society in various ways. Following the end of the Vietnam War, the 1970s was a period of change in the society socially, politically and economically as well. There are various stories that writers narrated that brought about the effects that the war brought about such as the Red Convertible, If I die in a Combat Zone and the Home Soil. Despite having an influence on the US society during the 1970's , there are various ways in which the Vietnam War affects the U.S society today especially the war veterans as well as their families upon their return from the combat as illustrated in the three stories.

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1172 Words | 5 Pages

Published in 1984 from Louise Erdrich’s Love Medicine, The Red Convertible emphasizes the importance of relationships in a world that is not always perfect. Two of the main characters are Native American brothers Lyman and Henry who live on an American Indian Reservation in North Dakota. We watch their relationship evolve from the spontaneous decisions they make prior to the war to their relationship after the war as Henry returns home and suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Their relationship proves as a symbol of light and darkness and also shows how good things must eventually come to an end. Erdrich uses characterization and symbolism to portray how situations can lead to unexpected changes and to show that nothing in life is guaranteed

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917 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel, “Red Badge of Courage”, Henry first begins as an immature, prideful, and vain boy. He is often suggested as “The youth”, if the novel. On page 42 he is related to as “the youth.” Also this reference is made on page 3 and many other pages. As Henry battles through conflict and trials, choices and consequences, we find him at the end, a young, matured man.

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1034 Words | 5 Pages

In The Red Badge of Courage by American novelist Stephen Crane, Henry Flemming, a private in the Union army, faces greater trials than he could have ever imagined. Henry grows from an untested boy to a noble soldier over four battles in less than two days. Henry joins a brand new regiment as a brand new soldier. These men all differ

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500 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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1064 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the ages, wars have wreaked havoc and caused great destruction that lead to the loss of millions of lives. However, wars also have an immensely destructive effect on the individual soldier. In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque, one is able to see exactly to what extent soldiers suffered during World War 1 as well as the effect that war had on them. In this essay I will explain the effect that war has on young soldiers by referring to the loss of innocence of young soldiers, the disillusionment of the soldiers and the debasement of soldiers to animalistic men. Many soldiers entered World War 1 as innocent young boys, but as they experienced the full effect of the war they consequently lost their innocence.

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1024 Words | 5 Pages

A Red Convertible with Many Meanings Throughout the course of a given year, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects approximately 5.2 million people. Nearly 7.8% of the United States population will experience PTSD in their lifetime, in addition 3.6% of adults ages eighteen to fifty-four will experience PTSD (“What is PTSD?”). Henry is one of these people. Using symbolism as well as foreshadowing within the story, “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich portrays a few motifs throughout the story and these include the bond of brotherhood, sacrifice, and the effects of war.

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999 Words | 4 Pages

The True Weight of War “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, brings to light the psychological impact of what soldiers go through during times of war. We learn that the effects of traumatic events weigh heavier on the minds of men than all of the provisions and equipment they shouldered. Wartime truly tests the human body and and mind, to the point where some men return home completely destroyed. Some soldiers have been driven to the point of mentally altering reality in order to survive day to day. An indefinite number of men became numb to the deaths of their comrades, and yet secretly desired to die and bring a conclusion to their misery.

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1488 Words | 6 Pages

A blind woman jumping out of a burning building. A lonely man in an empty neighborhood. A man on a ledge eleven stories high. How are they similar? How are they different?

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1043 Words | 5 Pages

Authors use symbolism as part of their creative processes in the writing of fictional stories. “The Red Convertible” is a short story by Louise Erdrich, who uses a broad range of symbols to make her story charismatic and captivating. As we read the story of the two brothers, we learn about their relationship from adolescence to adulthood. The brothers are Henry Junior and Lyman who live on an American Indian reservation in North Dakota. Lyman is the narrator of the story and acts as the protagonist.

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1161 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout my childhood and adolescent years, I always had a dream of joining the military. Though it was a choice, I still did not have any inside information of what it would be like, and the requirements and specifics of the Army. It wasn't until 2005 when I decided to join the United States Army that all my concerns and questions were answered by a recruit; and I was guided through the whole process to enter and prep for the Army. If it was not for the confidences and motivation of my recruiter back in 2005, I might have not made my leap and probably would not be in this uniform today. Becoming a member of the United States Army recruiting team means having a physical and mental toughness in order to perform efficiently.

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