Red convertable. The Red Convertible Summary & Analysis 2022-12-10

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At the beginning of the story, he is reposed and calm, but due to his post-war trauma, his mental state declines. Devastated, Lyman pushes the red convertible into the river to join him. The brothers enjoy a short moment of laughter and then sit and think about how things used to be. His trauma also manifests physically when he bites through his lip and seems not to notice—blood running down his chin like something out of a horror film while he eats in front of his entire family. Moreover, the episode in which brothers throw beer cans in the river, is very symbolical, since the river represents the flow of life, which drags people under its current. Another minor symbol in the story is the picture that Bonita took of the boys with the red convertible.

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However, instead of talking to Henry about what happened to him or what he needs, Lyman takes action in silence by destroying the car. This scene takes on greater meaning later, after Henry is traumatized from war. Lyman jokes back that he, too, is crazy—that they all are crazy—trying to rile him up, hoping to keep having fun. The significance of the book is defined by the representation of the Indian traditional culture in the broader context of American culture and the contemporary historical events, and it is also characterized by its literary innovations. Their sister Bonita makes them pose for a photograph with the car before they go.

The Red Convertible Summary

The shattered car seems to stand for the shattered happiness of Henry who now desires to build it back. After they take the picture, they take a full cooler and make the trip to the Red River, because Henry wants to see the high water. Lyman realizes that his brother is in trouble and calls out to him. Three years after enlisting, Henry returns home and Lyman sees how he has changed during his time away. Henry and Lyman are in Winnipeg when they stumble upon the convertible, which seems almost larger than life, and they decide to buy it.

Literary Analysis of "The Red Convertible" by Louise Erdrich

Early on, Lyman establishes that he lives on a reservation, which implies that he is probably Native American. Over a month later, Henry confronts Lyman about the state of the car, and Lyman goads him into fixing the car himself. However, after Henry drowns in a river, Lyman allows the red convertible to roll into the water after him. One fine spring day, the two brothers decide to take a drive in the car. The tension is broken, and Henry begins to dance wildly.

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In this part, Henry and Lyman are at their freest and most innocent. There is no sound after he jumps in, and he does not even scream. After Henry fixes the car, the two take it for a drive and end up down at the river. Meanwhile, Lyman writes him lots of letters and keeps the convertible in top shape for him. Meanwhile, Lyman still hopes that the car returns his brother to who he was before. After giving her a ride to her home in Chicken, Alaska, they spend the summer with her family. The boys spend much of their time together and care for each other deeply, as shown by their actions and the road trip they go on.

The Red Convertible Summary & Analysis

They hit each other too hard, drawing blood, and finally they stop, agreeing that Lyman will have the car. Cite this page as follows: "The Red Convertible - Summary" Comprehensive Guide to Short Stories, Critical Edition Ed. He describes the circumstances, in which the tragic finale takes place, but he does not reveal his emotional state, not during the depicted events nor after them. The money that Lyman invested in the car came at great cost. Lyman takes a hammer to the car in the hope that his brother will notice it and want to repair it. See eNotes Ad-Free Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. As Lyman remains forthright about his thoughts and feeling throughout the story, he only holds back from the reader as it comes to his perception of the loss of his brother.

"The Red Convertible" by Louise Erdrich: Symbolism

Lyman wants to remain close with his brother and tries to restore his personality. They start talking and Henry reveals that he knew what Lyman was doing by intentionally damaging the convertible. Their idyllic journey comes to an end when they return to their reservation and discover that Henry, who had volunteered for military service, has been called to report for duty. It is only upon seeing the photograph in a particular light that Lyman realizes how much Henry was suffering, and how obvious that was in the physical features of his face. Henry picks her up on his shoulders and twirls her around so her hair sways from side to side.

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Learn more The Impact of the Historical Context on the Main Characters Before dwelling upon the analysis of literary traits of the text, one should observe the historical background and circumstances. Lyman rushes to rescue his brother but to no avail. Lyman goes in the river after him, but it is too late. It also reveals the gap of knowledge between Henry and Lyman, exacerbated by their silence. This historical background gives a proper context to the issues which are described in the novel: the land which is unfit for the cultivation, high unemployment rates, lack of education, widespread diseases and alcoholism. Lyman recalls the picture, which he kept on the wall for a long time until one night he realized how much it tormented him.

Lyman then turns on the car and sends it into the river, watching it sink to its demise just like Henry. This scene reveals that his true nature is calm, jocular, and not overly concerned with norms of masculinity, but instead comfortable in himself. However, he struggles to retrieve the happiness that he had before, but he fails in this attempt, leading the story to its tragic finale. Henry wears only broken-in clothes and military boots from his time in Vietnam; he is either withdrawn or "jumpy and mean. Along the way, they pick up Susy, a Native American woman who is hitchhiking.

They are able to travel freely, and the red convertible is both a literal source of their freedom and a symbol of it, with its youth and energy. He never speaks about his capture, which would undoubtedly be a traumatic experience and would have contributed to his loss of innocence. The car symbolizes the unity and the deep connection between brothers, as they had bought it together, took a road trip in the summertime on it, they fixed it along. Henry remarks apathetically that his boots have filled with water and he goes under in the current. When Henry comes back from the war a changed man, Lyman tries to rekindle their relationship, but when his efforts fail he destroys the car and in turn symbolically destroys their relationship. Telling Lyman that he needs to cool off, Henry runs to the river, jumps in, and is taken by the current. Henry and Lyman head home, and before long Henry is drafted into the Vietnam War as a Marine.