This story is about two brothers who bought a red convertible and who took off driving for an whole summer. They finally came back home for the older brother, Henry, had signed up to join the army. He came back from it totally change (for the worst). The younger brother, Lyman, did everything he could to bring back the old Henry, but he couldn't and Henry finally committed suicide at the end of the story. In "The Red Convertible" Erdrich suggests that even when one puts all the effort he can to rescue another, it may still turn out to be worthless.
In this story, Erdrich uses the character of Henry to show that some people cannot be rescued. As stated before, Henry is the older brother of Lyman. Both are native Americans, living on a reservation. At the beginning of the story, Henry seems happy and is funny, but then, he goes to war. When he comes back from it, he is completely change. He does not laugh anymore and is very lonesome. Lyman even reports that " He'd (Henry) always had a joke, then, too, and now you couldn't get him to laugh, or when he did it was more the sound of a man choking, a sound that stopped up the throats of other people around him. They got to leaving him alone most of the time, and I didn't blame them. It was a fact: Henry was jumpy and mean."(p516). However, not only Henry's friends realize that he is change and might needs help, but also Henry's family. In one scene, they talk about bringing him to the hospital. Finally, they decide not to do it because they are afraid that then, they might want to keep him (p517). At this point, Lyman tries to "rescue" his brother. First, he wants to get rid of the television because, when Henry sits to watch it, he grips the armrests of his chair and once, he even bits through his lip (p516). The spectacle is really not funny to watch at. Still, Lyman does not get rid of the television, but he manages for the picture to become fuzzy.
The Red Convertible? Erdrich In the short storyThe Red Convertible? by Louise Erdrich, the red convertible symbolizes the bond between the two main characters. ... The two brothers purchase a red convertible together with their own hard earned money. ... The red convertible helps reveal the plot of the story in several ways as well. ...
In the short story "The Red Convertible" the author, Louise Enrich, uses a red convertible to symbolize the bond between the two main characters, Henry Jr. and Lyman. ... Even so, the brothers use their hard earned money to purchase a Red Convertible. ... While in the car, everything seemed right and good, just like the red convertible (Brandt, Darcy, 2003, np). ... Henry no longer had anything to do with the red convertible, let alone Lyman. ... Enrichs use of a red convertible to symbolize a changing relationship was a great idea. ...
The Red Convertible, a short story written by Louise Erdrich, challenges the reader's mind with numerous uses of imagery. ... At the start of the story, Henry and Lyman had gone up to Winnipeg and come across a red convertible that neither one can take their eyes off. ... The convertible, which of course did not have a top, represented the newly found freedom for the boys. ... The convertible, therefore, becomes their source of self-discovery as they travel wherever the roads take them. ... Henry's physical and mental state at this time is similar to that of the red convertibl...
Indian Brothers "The Red Convertible" by Louise Endrich is the story of two Chippewa Indian brothers who center their attention on rebuilding a red convertible. The convertible symbolizes the friendship, love and everything positive in the lives of the two brothers. ... Endrich begins this final scene with Bonita, their younger sister, taking a last picture of the two brothers and the red convertible. ... The brothers argue over who should keep the red convertible. ... He returns to the red convertible in the darkness and turns on the high beams. ...
Louise Erdrich's short story "The Red Convertible" embodies numerous symbols that might be missed. ... Instead of using the money to rebuild a passion he and his brother purchase a red convertible, which seems to bring a change to their lives and an inseparable bond. ... The car could be said to have been the way that the brothers communicated as they headed off to see new places in that red convertible and enjoyed the last few weeks that Henry would be free before leaving. The red convertible may also represent a remedial charm for Henry. ... The red convertible was originally ...
Unable to Cope in Erdrich's "The Red Convertible" In the short story "The Red Convertible" Louise Erdrich writes about two brothers who were Chippewa Indians, living on a reservation in the 1970's. ... Lyman and Henry bought a red convertible together and traveled all summer in it. ... Lyman had beat up the red convertible hoping that Henry would snap out of where- ever he was. ...
Buying the red convertible, which he first believes is "alive", is a signal that he is making this shift. He is the first, if not only, native to drive a convertible on his reservation. ... One night, he takes a hammer and destroys the underside of the red convertible, "whacked it up and bent the tail pipe". ... In the end, after Henry drowns himself, Lyman completely disconnects himself from the convertible by pushing it into the water and he confirms his status as a native when he says "Lyman walks everywhere he goes". ...
There are two main symbols that really stick out to me. The first is the Red Convertible, and the other is the water at the very end of the story. I think that the convertible symbolizes the relationship between Marty and Stephan. When they first buy it, it is brand new, and so is their relations...
Well this is what Henry and Lyman in the "Red Convertible" by Louise Erdrich decided to do one summer. ... The two brothers had a very close relationship growing up together and were able to expand their adolescence and simplicity with the purchase of the red convertible. A red convertible was not the typical car you would expect to see on the reservation but Henry and Lyman saw the car and bought it on a whim. ... The red convertible only let the two brothers enjoy their summer by taking them to many comfortable and peaceful places other than the reservation. ...
