ipl-logo

The Red Convertible

1230 Words5 Pages

5“The Red Convertible” is a short story written by Louise Erdrich about two brothers who live in the era of the Vietnam War. The two brothers are named Lyman and Henry, and they go through a shaky journey in their lives in the story. “The Red Convertible” has three elements in particular that advance our class theme of “life passages” in the story. The idea of “life passages” plays a vital role in how we live our lives, overcome our adversities, and how we achieve our goals, which leads to success. Key moments in our lives help the transition in people’s lives. The integration of symbolism of the red convertible point of view, the setting of the story taking place during the Vietnam war, and the point of view of the first story through Lyman’s …show more content…

In “The Red Convertible” the story is portrayed in first person point of view through Lyman’s perspective. With this perspective of Lyman narrating the story, he gives us deep insight into his relationship with his brother throughout the story. He gives us insight on him expressing the love and admiration he feels and the pain as well at being powerless to help him towards the end of their relationship. While reading the story, the first person point of view from Lyman seemingly makes me feel that he is reliable and trustworthy. As well as he is unashamed of his sensitive and emotional nature. He relates but also describes his emotions openly to the reader. One specific statement from Lyman that shows the audience his honest and open feelings is when he says, “When everything starts changing, drying up, clearing off, you feel like your whole life is starting.” (443) He says this when he recalls the optimism he felt when he and Henry took the car for a drive after Henry fixed it. This statement from Lyman shows that he is not afraid to express his emotions. Lyman talks about how significantly his life has changed and his mood, from driving the red convertible. Furthermore, the element of point of view in the story and Lyman’s clear perspective of his thoughts correlate with one another to advance the theme of “life passages” by showing the reader how we live our lives. Lyman’s mood is brightened from the car and notes the positive impact it had on his

Show More
Related

  • Things They Carried By Tim O Brien: A Literary Analysis

    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

  • The Green Berets Movie Analysis

    1589 Words  | 7 Pages

    The three movies – Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and The Green Berets – are all movies based on the same historical event – the Vietnam war and US’s involvement in it. Yet, they all presented us with different and narrative point of view and authority figures in order to paint their individual values. The movies’ most obvious differences lie within the choice of their narrative point of view. The Green Beret, the earliest one, was directed by John Wayne and he also starred in the leading role. Wayne’s authority and influence in the 1960s was similar to the influence of Tom Hanks in the 21st Century.

    Read More

  • David Mclean's Short Story 'Marine Corps Issue'

    765 Words  | 4 Pages

    David McLean’s short story “Marine Corps Issue” includes a beautifully vivid scene of Sergeant Bowen, the narrator Johnny’s father, “sitting on the edge of our elevated garden, black ashes from a distant fire falling lightly like snow around him” (620). While this scene is powerful by itself, it can be appreciated even more by understanding the symbolism and allusions embedded in it, as well as the psychological state of the father as he sits “on the edge of the garden with his head down and his eyes closed as if in prayer” (634). This is why McLean’s readers should use literary criticism: it enhances their appreciation for the story’s impact. Prior to the climax, Johnny has spent weeks researching the Vietnam War. The location in which he

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Red Convertible

    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

  • Spin By Tim O Brien Rhetorical Analysis

    791 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, the author retells the chilling, and oftentimes gruesome, experiences of the Vietnam war. He utilizes many anecdotes and other rhetorical devices in his stories to paint the image of what war is really like to people who have never experienced it. In the short stories “Spin,” “The Man I Killed,” and “ ,” O’Brien gives reader the perfect understanding of the Vietnam by placing them directly into the war itself. In “Spin,” O’Brien expresses the general theme of war being boring and unpredictable, as well as the soldiers being young and unpredictable.

    Read More

  • Reflective Essay: The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

    747 Words  | 3 Pages

    Synthesis Essay In the Vietnam war, there were many soldiers at war with each other, and most soldiers were not prepared for the fight. In the novel The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien was in the Vietnam war when he was young. The book was not in order but he still talks about his experiences while in the war. His purpose for writing this novel was because he wanted younger audience to know what happened in the war and what the soldiers experienced.

    Read More

  • Native-American Themes In The Red Convertible By Louise Erdrich

    682 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lyman knew that Robert had changed when he came home from war, but I don’t think he got the full gist of what was going on in Robert’s head. A clear sign that there was something seriously wrong with Robert is when he and Robert were watching tv together and saw the blood coming down Robert’s chin. I think whatever they were watching give Robert a mental flashback, which is a f the symptoms of PTSD. I think Robert knew exactly what was going on with him. That why he fixed up the car and took Lyman and himself for one last car ride and bonding moment before ending

    Read More

  • A Marker On The Side Of The Boat Analysis

    813 Words  | 4 Pages

    Regret is a powerful emotion that has the ability to scar someone for the rest of their life. Moments of regret can come from relationships, self-made decisions and life changing events. The idea of regret also applies to “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” by Bao Ninh and “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien. Although these two literary pieces are very different in many ways, both authors describe the experience of the Vietnam War as a time of regretful decisions that negatively impacted people of both the American side and the Vietnamese side. Both authors tell a story about a character that recalls of flashbacks of the war, where they grieve over the past decisions that have affected them for the rest of their life.

    Read More

  • False Truth In O Brien's The Things They Carried

    919 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rather, the significance of O’Brien’s work is his utilization of a metafictional novel as a representative vehicle for the Vietnam War. Within The Things They Carried

    Read More

  • Fiction And Reality In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    1413 Words  | 6 Pages

    Hidden somewhere within the blurred lines of fiction and reality, lies a great war story trapped in the mind of a veteran. On a day to day basis, most are not willing to murder someone, but in the Vietnam War, America’s youth population was forced to after being pulled in by the draft. Author Tim O’Brien expertly blends the lines between fiction, reality, and their effects on psychological viewpoints in the series of short stories embedded within his novel, The Things They Carried. He forces the reader to rethink the purpose of storytelling and breaks down not only what it means to be human, but how mortality and experience influence the way we see our world. In general, he attempts to question why we choose to tell the stories in the way

    Read More

  • Imagery In The Things They Carried

    543 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Things They Carried, written by Tim O’Brien, illustrates the experiences of a man and his comrades throughout the war in Vietnam. Tim O’Brien actually served in the war, so he had a phenomenal background when it came to telling the true story about the war. In his novel, Tim O’Brien uses imagery to portray every necessary detail about the war and provide the reader with a true depiction of the war in Vietnam. O’Brien starts out the book by describing everything he and his comrades carry around with them during the war. Immediately once the book starts, so does his use of imagery.

    Read More

  • Structure And Symbolism In Elizabeth Alexander's 'Nineteen'

    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

  • Symbolism In The Red Convertible By Louise Erdrich

    1024 Words  | 5 Pages

    A Red Convertible with Many Meanings Throughout the course of a given year, approximately 5.2 million people are affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nearly 7.8% of the United States population will experience PTSD in their lifetime, and 3.6% of adults ages eighteen to fifty-four will experience PTSD (“What is PTSD?”). Henry is one of these people. Using symbolism and foreshadowing within the story, “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich portrays a few motifs throughout the story and these include the bond of brotherhood, sacrifice, and the effects of war.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon

    894 Words  | 4 Pages

    Once something that had been a fantasy and only a dream, now turned into a nightmare, haunting Charlie, mentally exhausting him. “I’ve given up using the typewriter completely. My coordination is bad. I feel that I’m moving slower and slower. Had a terrible shock today.”

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Epiphany In Raymond Carver's Cathedral

    860 Words  | 4 Pages

    The narrator begins to change as Robert taught him to see beyond the surface of looking. The narrator feels enlightened and opens up to a new world of vision and imagination. This brief experience has a long lasting effect on the narrator. Being able to shut out everything around us allows an individual the ability to become focused on their relationships, intrapersonal well-being, and

    Read More

More about The Red Convertible

Open Document