In the short story, “The Red Convertible” written by Louise Erdich, in the first person from the narrator Lyman’s point of view. It is about two Chippewa Native American brothers Lyman Lamartine and Henry Lamartine who were separated when Henry enlisted in the Vietnam War. During the short story, Lyman expresses his feelings about the bond him and Henry shared; and how their relationship changed from pre-war happy Henry to post-war mentally-haggard Henry. Louise shows how one thing, the red convertible, brought two brothers bond together and how it ended their bond. This presented us with something we do not know that will be brought to the light.
Before Henry deployed, he and Lyman were very close, as is shown by their many trips in the red convertible. A memorable trip was when they picked up the hitch hiker Susy headed to Alaska.“Then my brother henry did something funny”(Erdich 94), this shows the pre war henry that had a social side that people enjoyed when around him. But when Henry returned, he and Lyman spent a less time together. “We had always been together before Henry and Lyman. But he was such a loner now that I didn’t know how to take it. (97)”.
“It was at least three years before henry came home. But by then I guess the whole war was solved in
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The powerful words and visuals, such as these presented, bring together an understanding of one’s personal perception of Henry’s state of mind. The red convertible that stands as a mere metaphor for the actuality of the lives that have now drifted from one another. They have changed, and the red convertible did the same. By examining Henry’s actions throughout the course of the story, it can be established that he does indeed suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. at one point in time, Henry was a loving, funny, and respectable human being. Despite his errors and