Comparing The Red Convertible And A Place I Ve Never Been

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Handling Illness in “The Red Convertible” and “A Place I’ve Never Been” Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” and David Leavitt’s “A Place I’ve Never Been” portray two characters, Henry and Nathan, who face unknown or misunderstood illnesses. Henry and Nathan share a few significant similarities; however, they are remarkably contrasting characters. Each character has a distinct way of dealing with his circumstances, and upon close inspection of the point of view, setting, and symbolism in each story, the reader is able to conclude that Nathan is a coward and lacks the courage to even attempt to overcome his condition unlike Henry. “The Red Convertible” revolves around Henry, but it is narrated by his younger brother, Lyman. From Lyman’s perspective, …show more content…

Once Nathan returns from Europe, Celia reveals, “In any case, Nathan was back and I didn’t dare think about myself” (Leavitt 1050). This indicates that Celia is willing to do anything for Nathan. However, from what the reader can gather about Nathan, he is unwilling to accept her help. For instance, Celia suggests practicing safe sex so that Nathan can resume life as normally as possible, but Nathan declares, “There is no such thing as far as I’m concerned” (Leavitt 1051). Celia portrays a side of Nathan that only she is familiar is to reveal that Nathan is given help but is too cowardly to accept it. The reader can analyze what is revealed by each narrator and conclude that Henry deserves much more praise than Nathan for at least attempting to exploit the help he is offered before losing all hope. Nathan and Henry are both given support, but Nathan is too cowardly to accept …show more content…

Nathan lives in New York City where there is a considerable amount of public awareness for HIV/AIDS. This strongly suggests that Nathan not only has access to get tested for the virus, but also has access to receive available treatment. Nathan plainly refuses to even get tested. Contrastingly, Henry lives on an Indian reservation where there are no doctors, and his brother confesses, “We were afraid if we brought Henry to a regular hospital they would keep him” (Erdrich 333). Knowing he has no access to medical treatment, Henry still tries to overcome his illness with only the help of his younger brother. From the setting alone, readers can determine that Nathan has access to get help while Henry does not, and they can confirm that Nathan is a coward for not even attempting to get medical

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