ipl-logo

The Red Convertible Summary

753 Words4 Pages

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 …show more content…

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

Show More
Related
275 Words | 2 Pages

After he did die Henry embarked on the journey but his friend and his dog tagged along. To start the adventure they needed a

Read More
1297 Words | 6 Pages

The older man 's behavior contrasts with that of the persona who is young and has barely experienced life. Whereas the speaker is eager to discover life and have new experiences to escape her reality, the older man avoids his truth by focusing on mundane details of his experience in the Vietnam War. Furthermore, the older man was once a young man himself, surely eager to have new experiences, as he enrolled in the army. Instead of having these desires fulfilled, his memories of the war have caused his view of the world to greatly deviate from that of the persona and

Read More
1650 Words | 7 Pages

“Life comes from physical survival; but the good life comes from what we care about”(Rollo May). In 1954 a nineteen year old girl named Florence Kaefer had accepted a job at a Norway House Indian Residential School in Manitoba. Edward Gamblin was only five years old when he was brought to the school, and Florence remembered him as a shy and polite young boy. He had left the school when he was sixteen and began to face many challenges in the world that he was unfamiliar with. Edward had later found success in his music career and that is when Florence had come across Edward and unexpectedly reconnected with him.

Read More
337 Words | 2 Pages

To illustrate, Mr. Levine walks to a building everyday to carve his old village the way he remembers it before the Nazi’s took it over, and destroyed it. This is a form of art therapy. Next, Mr. Cassavant is also coping with his trauma. The source of Mr. Cassavant’s trauma is because of the death of his son, Eddie. Eddie was hit by a

Read More
398 Words | 2 Pages

The effects of relationships are very powerful and can change the course of someone 's life. Connections shared between family members are particularly strong, and is supposed that they can survive any test that is forced upon them. In ‘The Red Convertible’ by Louise Erdrich, the red convertible that the two brothers purchase together symbolizes the relationship that they have. The car is beside them at every stage of their relationship, from the adversity that gives them the opportunity to buy the car, to the tragedy that ends with the loss of both Henry and the car. For most of the story, it seems as though the relationship that Henry and Lyman share is free and unbreakable.

Read More
1292 Words | 6 Pages

Readers, especially those reading historical fiction, always crave to find believable stories and realistic characters. Tim O’Brien gives them this in “The Things They Carried.” Like war, people and their stories are often complex. This novel is a collection stories that include these complex characters and their in depth stories, both of which are essential when telling stories of the Vietnam War. Using techniques common to postmodern writers, literary techniques, and a collection of emotional truths, O’Brien helps readers understand a wide perspective from the war, which ultimately makes the fictional stories he tells more believable.

Read More
1024 Words | 5 Pages

Louise Erdrich, author of “The Red Convertible,” is the daughter of a German-American father and a Chippewa Indian mother. They were both employed at the Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school and from an early age, Louise was encouraged by her father to write stories. She says that “my father used to give me a nickel for every story I wrote” (Madden 241). After years of writing, Louise received the National Book Award for Fiction in 2012 for her novel “The Round House.” “The Red Convertible” follows the brotherhood of Lyman Lamartine and Henry Junior and illustrates the symbolization of the red convertible.

Read More
775 Words | 4 Pages

Jamie Hobbs Ms. Birkhead 20th Century Literature A233 29 September 2015 Comparison/Contrast of The Harold Krebs and the Narrator In the early 20th century no one had any great understanding of a psychological illness and the outcome was the suffering of many ill patients. "Soldiers Home" takes place right after the war in 1919 and shows how the war can effect a man 's perception on life immensely. "

Read More
1504 Words | 7 Pages

The novel focuses on coping with the death and horror of war. It also speaks volumes about the true nature of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the never-ending struggle of dealing with it. In the

Read More
502 Words | 3 Pages

Even though he did not do these things he was able to redeem himself in the

Read More
2103 Words | 9 Pages

His reckless behavior arose many bad events that occurred in his

Read More
1493 Words | 6 Pages

The man with whom Danny had corresponded with was Miles. It was after they had gone through all the letters that they realized a last name was never mentioned. He was in his late thirties, as was his “partner,” Bass. “They” had a son named Connor who was a year older than Charlie and a daughter, Sophia, who was two and whom they felt was beginning to suffer from the lack of a maternal figure in her life. Nothing was said about why she didn’t already have a mother.

Read More
208 Words | 1 Pages

ain’t many guys travel around together…” (34-35;ch.2). This represents their friendship bond is strong and George and Lennie

Read More
1133 Words | 5 Pages

The Change of Two Brother’s Relationship Certain circumstances can change a person for the better or for the worse. In “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich, she demonstrates how the Vietnam War completely altered a young man’s personality. Two brothers, Henry and Lyman, who has an inseparable bond in the beginning of the story were portrayed also as best friends.

Read More
895 Words | 4 Pages

One of the predominant themes that govern the story and characters in the book is friendship, "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world” Lennie And George are very lucky to have each other, although they are rather different to one another,

Read More

More about The Red Convertible Summary

Related Topics

Open Document