The Red Convertible By Louise Erdrich Summary

Throughout “The Red Convertible,” Louise Erdrich tells the story of two brothers, Henry and Lyman, who purchase a red convertible together. Henry and Lyman are very close and have a strong relationship until Lyman is drafted into the war. When Lyman returns, he faces symptoms of what we would call today PTSD and Lyman struggles to deal with this new version of his brother and best friend. Towards the end of the story, Lyman jumps into the river and eventually ends up drowning. After Lyman drowns, readers are faced with the question, has Lyman committed suicide, or did he jump into the river just to cool off? “The Red Convertible” never comes out and says that Henry committed suicide, although, with Erdrich’s use of foreshadowing, symbolism, and distinct dialogue, the reader can infer that Henry went to the river with intent to end his life. …show more content…
At the beginning, the car was shiny and new, a strongly deserved prize in both of their eyes. After Lyman returned from the war, Henry tried to pull him out of his funk by destroying the car so Lyman would want to fix it. Henry believed this would mend their relationship as well. “I threw dirt in the carburetor and I ripped all the electric tape off the seats. I made it look just as beat up as I could. Then I sat back and waited for Henry to find it,” Lyman, the narrator, said (?). Henry eventually ended up fixing the car and they drove it to the river the day that he jumped in. After Lyman realizes Henry is gone, he purposely plunges the car into the river. This is the final straw Erdrich uses to represent the brother’s relationship. Lyman intentionally thrusts the car into the river after Henry intentionally ends his life. The car serves as a major symbol in “The Red Convertible” and conveys exactly what the Lamartine brothers’ relationship is like. Once the relationship is gone, the car is gone

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