Red Convertible
A Deconstruction of the Themes of The Red Convertible
The Red Convertible is the story about the trials and tribulations of two brothers, Lyman and Henry, and their red convertible. The story covers the relationship between the brothers from the rime when they buy the red convertible to the time when Henry and the convertible drown in a raging river (Dorris, Edrich and Chavkin 14). In the story, the red convertible is used to symbolize the ups and downs of the two brothers’ relationship. The car has come to signify their relationship to the extent that the state of the car can paint a good picture of the kind of relationship Henry and Lyman have. When the convertible is in a prime condition, their relationship is also in a prime condition, but when the convertible is whacked up, their relationship is also ruined. In the end, the red convertible “dies” alongside Henry and their relationship in a raging river (Dorris, Edrich and Chavkin 15). In Edrich’s story the recurring themes of love, death, poverty, trauma and loneliness are brought to bear as each brother deals with each of these themes.
Theme of Love
The theme of love is clearly illustrated throughout the book. In the book, there is a lot of love between the narrator (Lyman), his brother (Henry), and the red convertible. The narrator’s close relationship with his brother began after they bought the red convertible and ever since that day they have lived to share good and bad moments together (Eldrich 394). The good moments occurred during the first few years after they bought the red convertible. The car lightened up their lives and they used to hop with it from one state to another looking for fun and happiness. In one occasion, Lyman and Henry found a lady stranded on the road and asked to give her a ride to her house in Alaska. The trip was long and when they arrived, the girl’s family was so appreciative of their kindness that they allowed Henry and Lyman to stay with them for a while. While they were
The Red Convertible is the story about the trials and tribulations of two brothers, Lyman and Henry, and their red convertible. The story covers the relationship between the brothers from the rime when they buy the red convertible to the time when Henry and the convertible drown in a raging river (Dorris, Edrich and Chavkin 14). In the story, the red convertible is used to symbolize the ups and downs of the two brothers’ relationship. The car has come to signify their relationship to the extent that the state of the car can paint a good picture of the kind of relationship Henry and Lyman have. When the convertible is in a prime condition, their relationship is also in a prime condition, but when the convertible is whacked up, their relationship is also ruined. In the end, the red convertible “dies” alongside Henry and their relationship in a raging river (Dorris, Edrich and Chavkin 15). In Edrich’s story the recurring themes of love, death, poverty, trauma and loneliness are brought to bear as each brother deals with each of these themes.
Theme of Love
The theme of love is clearly illustrated throughout the book. In the book, there is a lot of love between the narrator (Lyman), his brother (Henry), and the red convertible. The narrator’s close relationship with his brother began after they bought the red convertible and ever since that day they have lived to share good and bad moments together (Eldrich 394). The good moments occurred during the first few years after they bought the red convertible. The car lightened up their lives and they used to hop with it from one state to another looking for fun and happiness. In one occasion, Lyman and Henry found a lady stranded on the road and asked to give her a ride to her house in Alaska. The trip was long and when they arrived, the girl’s family was so appreciative of their kindness that they allowed Henry and Lyman to stay with them for a while. While they were
Cited: Dorris, Michael, Louise Edrich and Alan Chavkin. Conversations with Louise Edrich and Michael Dorris. New York: Prentice Hall, 1994. Eldrich, Louise. The Red Convertible. McMahan, Elizabeth, Susan X. Day, Robert Funk, And Linda S. Coleman. Literature And The Writing Process. Longman, 2010.James, Missy. Reading Literature and Writing Argument. New York: Routelege, 2004. p. 394-400 Nagel, James. The contemporary American short story cycle: The ethnic resonance of genre. New York: Longman, 2004.