More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary devices used in the red convertible
The red convertible by louise erditch symbolism
The red convertible story
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Experts say “when a man returns from war he is forever changed.” In the story “The Red Convertible” by writer Louise Erdrich, shows us how war can alter the friendship between two brothers, after Henry comes back from war. She accomplishes this by using a red convertible as a symbol of Henry’s mental state, and how is gets destroyed, “We owned it together until his boots filled up with water on a windy night and he bought my share.”(The Red Convertible-Erdrich 1) In one sentence the author gives us a good representation on how the story will develop. Throughout the story Erdrich gives us; different tones, foreshowing, and symbolism, in order to make the story more interesting giving us a pretty good picture of the emotions through out the whole story and how their friendship evolves. …show more content…
Through out the entire story the author uses symbolism to represent Henry and Lyman’s friendship through a red Convertible. The two brothers, Henry and Lyman, gathered their money and bought a red Olds convertible which they drover everywhere together. At this time the car and their friendship was in excellent shape, the two brother took amazing care of the care it was like their own child. That same summer they drove to places they didn’t even think they would, they lived their everyday lives here to there and did not let any little detail bother them thought out their trip. They were young, energetic and fun, and nothing could bother them. Henry’s mental state and friendship with layman was unbreakable at this point. At the then of their summer trip, Layman says “We’d made most of the trip, that summer, without putting up the car hood at all”(The red Convertible-Erdrich 3). Erdrich emphasizes the fact that after driving the car the whole entire summer, the engine and Henry’s mental state was in good shape. But not for long, because after they arrived from their summer trip trip, Henry got letter from the army saying it was time to join them during war. After henry had been in war and captive by the enemy for several years, layman talks about the car being most of the time half on block in the yard or half taken apart because “that long trip did a hard job under the hood”(The Red Convertible-Erdrich-3). On this sentence the author is trying to embrace foreshadowing, to warn us that Henry is most likely going to come home damaged from his war trip. Just like the car was damaged after the long summer trip. When henry arrived home, he was a changed man, he wasn’t the henry he use to be before.
He was quiet, very uncomfortable sitting anywhere and always moving around. Henry went from a fun energetic person like the color red from their convertible, to a more mean, cold and jumpy. Layman is very shocked and disappointed upon henry’s arrival bc he is not the henry he knew anymore. In one the paragraphs he mentions buying a color TV when Henry was gone, “I was also sorry I bought color because with black-and-white the pictures seem older and further away”(The Red Convertible, Erdrich-4), in this paragraphs Erdrich uses the color TV to represent the presents ,and mentions he would have rather bought a black-and-white in order to remember the good times with his brother henry. His family knew Henry was damaged from war, and couldn’t take him to a hospital. In a sentence his mom mentions “They don’t fix them in those places…they just give them drugs.” Layman tried everything to repair his brother. He completely destroyed the Red convertible to see if it would catch Henry’s attention. Layman’s plan successfully worked, Henry saw the car and got angry at his brother and decided to fix the
convertible. When the red convertible, and Henry were functioning normal, the two brothers decided to take a trip to the river. They both sit in front of the river and start drinking, reminiscing the good time and telling jokes to each other, Henry and Layman are laughing together again. Henrys’ fun will not last for too long, all of a sudden after one of Layman’s’ comments Henry gets up his chair and starts doing a crazy dance “He’s down doing something between a grass hopper and a bunny hop, no kind of dance I ever saw before”(The Red Convertible, Erdrich-8). When Henry realized he’s out of control he jumps in the river and calmly says, “my boots are filling”. When Layman sees is brother drowning, he turns on the car and pushes it into the river. When Layman realized that the car represents Henry’s struggles to heal himself he gives him complete ownership of the car and that’s why he pushed the car in the river after his brother drowns
During the war, Henry was taken P.O.W. and spent time in a Vietnamese prison. When he returned home, Lyman said, "Henry was very different...the change was no good," (463). Henry was constantly paranoid and evidently mentally unstable as a result of his wartime trauma. When the family had exhausted all efforts to help Henry, Lyman thought of the car. Though Henry had not even looked at the car since his return, Lyman said, "I thought the car might bring back the old Henry somehow. So I bided my time and waited for my chance to interest him in the vehicle." (464)
In the text “Seeing Red: American Indian Women Speaking about their Religious and Cultural Perspectives” by Inés Talamantez, the author discusses the role of ceremonies and ancestral spirituality in various Native American cultures, and elaborates on the injustices native women face because of their oppressors.
“There is in fact no such thing as an instantaneous photograph. All photographs are time exposures, of shorter or longer duration, and each describes a discrete parcel of time.” -John Szarkowski
However, the easily overlooked similarity is the concept of love. This emotion is merely overlooked. Through this similarity, it becomes evident that love not only is something yearned for by humanity, but also a temptation so strong it can blind us to reality. This blindness can cause the pain of death. Love can cause people to do crazy things, and if you are Lieutenant Cross, even make you treat a pebble as if it were a tongue. Frank’s love for Mary Ann, as innocent as it may seem, exists as a love for a married woman. Love and lust are dangerous beasts, ones that we as readers must be weary of, for if we are not, we may find ourselves sharing the same fate as Frank, death by
Henry Fosdick once said, “The tragedy of war is that it uses man’s best to do man’s worst.” In “The Red Convertible” by Louis Erdrich, there is a conflict amongst two brothers, Henry and Lyman as ones awareness towards reality is shifted upon the return of the Vietnam War. Henry’s experience fighting in the Vietnam War is the responsibility for the unexpected aftermath that affects their brotherhood. The event of Henry fighting in the war through fears, emotions and horrors that he encounters is the source of his “Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome [PTSD].” It has shaped his own perception of reality and his relationship with his brother Lyman and the strong bond that they had shared.
Whereas, when Henry was drafted, not to face his feelings and fears he offered his half of the car to Lyman. Clearly, this was his way of using the car to communicate, as Henry said to Lyman, “Now it’s yours” (326). Also, this could also be considered as a means to try to ease Lyman’s pain. Nevertheless, Lyman fought for the relationship without speaking the words. Besides, what’s more Lyman could not deal with the fact that Henry may not return, and he also used the car to communicate by rejecting his offer saying, “Thanks for the extra key,”(326). By the same token, they were using the car, by giving it up, as a symbol of their love; however, neither wanted the car without the other brother. In any case, without the car to connect them, they are in a break-up
The relationship of brothers usually lasts forever, but in Louise Erdrich’s short story “The Red Convertible”, the relationship of the main characters Lyman and Henry takes a turn. Erdrich takes her audience through the experiences these brothers face and how they must come to terms that their relationship has changed. Knowing that it will most likely never be the same both Lyman and Henry try to fix their relationship until eventually one falls because of the experiences he faced in life. While Lyman may think the red convertible will save his and Henry’s relationship, Erdrich makes it clear that it will not through the characterization of the brothers, the plot of the story, and the symbolism she uses to tell her story.
Throughout "The Red Convertible" Erdrich embraces the car as a symbol for the powerful relationship between two brothers, Henry and Lyman. The brothers combine their money to acquire a red convertible which they drove everywhere together; the car symbolized that relationship. Lyman preserved the vehicle while Henry was in the Army, deployed to Vietnam. Even when Henry gave Lyman the car, Lyman always regarded the car as Henry’s, which Erdrich depicts with the following passage, “I always thought of it as his car while he was gone, even though when he left he said, ‘Now it’s yours,’ and threw me the key.” (Erdrich 357) The brothers held their relationship with high regard, Henry trusted Lyman with the car enough to give Lyman his share of the vehicle while he was away. Conversely, Lyman surmised that that the car would always belong to Henry; just like their relationship, the car was important and would always belong to both of them. During Henry’s deployment, Lyman preserved the state of the car, he kept it in immaculate condition while waiting for Henry's return. By spending so much time caring for the car, Lyman in a way was caring for his brother. Little did Lyman know that his brother was going to come back a changed...
The author starts the essay with an interviewee and adds in the first fragment about V-1 rockets. Then the interviewee's story mixed in with a biology fragment. The author uses this type of fragment to relate to subjects farther down the essay which makes each fragment relate to the content. Fragments that are used help to explain human nature, insides and outsides, everything affected by past, secrets, cause and effect, and development. All of these factors can go with the stories of Heinrich Himmler, Gebhard (Dad of Himmler), Laura (story in beginning), Heinz, Wernher von Braun (rocket scientist), Helene (author met at Metro station), and Leo. The author also uses examples of homosexuality, torture, child-rearing practices, parents/family, and also relates it with the stories and the fragments. Knowing that this essay has a lot of subjects that the author writes on, can make this piece seem confusing. Knowing that all of the issues will be tied together in some way, makes the essay more understandable. To use an example to tie together the fragments one can see that V-1 rockets are potentially destructive, complex, conveys images of strength, outcome unpredictable, inside guides outside, and that it has a target or destination which shows that in some way each fragment can relate to torture, human nature, cause and effect, parents and family, and many others. For example, Himmler is complex, conveys images of strength, his outcome is unpredictable, and he is potentially dangerous to the jews. In some way, all of the topics are put together with the fragments. To use another example to connect the fragments one can see that cells and DNA are used to show development through the book.
To what lengths would you go for a loved one? Would you destroy something in hopes that it would save them? That 's what Lyman Lamartine did in hopes to fix his PTSD afflicted brother. "The Red Convertible" was written by Louise Erdrich in 1974 and published in 2009 along with several other short stories. Lyman, and Henry, are brothers. The story starts by telling us about how the two brothers acquired a red convertible. Henry ends up being drafted into the Vietnam War, and comes back home suffering from PTSD. One day the pair decided to take a drive to the Red River because Henry wanted to see the high water. Ultimately, the story ends with a cliff-hanger, and we are left wondering what happens to the boys. The symbolic nature of the red convertible will play a key role in this literary analysis, along with underling themes of PTSD and war.
Louise Erdrich and Tim O’Brien both use symbolism to foreshadow of what the future will come to be of the characters. Henry in “The Red Convertible,” his emotions and mental state is shown through the symbolism of the red convertible. The car symbolizes the strong bond between one another. Henry tells Lyman, “When I left the car was running like a watch. Now I don’t know if I can get it to star again, let alone get it anywhere near its old condition” (Erdrich 138). The relationship between Henry and Lyman applies to the condition of their vehicle. Bussey states in her critical essay, “After Lyman damaged the car, Henry had the opportunity to work toward a goal, instead of watching television all day. In this way, the car symbolizes Henry 's
The Red Convertible, written by Louise Erdrich, is a short story written in the first person perspective of a Chippewa Indian named Lyman. It portrays the story of his brother, Henry, who joins the Marines and fights in the Vietnam War. Before recruiters pick up Henry, Lyman describes him and his brother’s road trip in their brand new red Olds. Lyman explains Henry’s characteristic during their joy-ride as friendly, joking, and fun. Returning from their road trip, Henry leaves for Vietnam. When he returns, Henry is not the same joyful man that he once was before he had left. Louise Erdrich’s short story, The Red Convertible, follows the life of Henry who is as funny joking guy. Although war has changed him, and it was not for the best. Louise Erdrich’s theme for The Red Convertible is that war can devastate peoples’ lives.
The reader is put in the middle of a war of nerves and will between two men, one of which we have grown up to learn to hate. This only makes us even more emotional about the topic at hand. For a history book, it was surprisingly understandable and hard to put down. It enlightened me to the complex problems that existed in the most memorable three months this century.
In “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich the two main characters Lyman and Henry are brothers that have an amazing relationship with one another. In the beginning of the story Erdrich writes about how Lyman and Henry bought a beautiful red convertible; and together they went on plenty of road trips and bonded over the car. On the other hand, the two siblings in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” don’t have that same sibling bond. The siblings in “Everyday Use”, Maggie and Dee, are complete opposites. Dee is extremely vain, snobbish, and outspoken while Maggie is coy, insecure, and more down to Earth. Although Maggie and Dee aren’t as close as Lyman and Henry, they still have a very close relationship even though it seems as if they’re from two different planets. In the stories “Everyday Use” and “The Red Convertible”, the characters share multiple traits such as: loyalty, good heartedness, and empathy; the authors of both stories convey their characters in a way that makes the reader feel a sense of sympathy for them.
When new soldiers go to fight in a war, they never know what’s coming. Although events are preserved in stories by the veterans, nothing can capture the real thing. Seeing everything up close and personal can change a person dramatically. Soldiers may never be the same after traumatic events such as these. Wars test a person and shows how strong not just physically, but mentally, one is. Stephen Crane, throughout his novel, The Red Badge of Courage, creates three distinct tones by utilizing the stylistic devices of imagery and figurative language, which reinforce Crane’s fearful, unworthy and courageous attitude on the realities of war. In the novel, fear is one of the very first tones viewed as one begins the reading.