Nickiesha Gould
English 220-6131
Literary Assignment #1
February 23, 2016
In writing, novelists use symbolism and imagery to communicate a profound meaning to
their stories. This type of method captures significant essentials and allows readers to see
the theme and conflicts within a story, without the writer having to openly tell them.
Louise Erdrich uses symbolism to accentuate and unveil the theme and various messages
in her short story, “The Red Convertible.” This story is merely about brotherly love as the
foremost highest value amongst two brothers, Lyman and Henry, as well as the difficulties
veterans of war and their families has to face at post-war times after returning home.
Symbolism plays an immense part in this story, enlightening the adversities Henry brings
home from the battlefields of Vietnam, and to display Lyman’s difficulties with handling
the departure and space from his brother.
In this emotional, heartfelt short story, “The Red Convertible”, by Louis Erdrich is the
changing relationship between two brothers, told from Lyman Lamartine’s point of view as
he recalls the bond he had with his older brother, Henry. This is set in North Dakota in the
1970s, where the brothers live on a Chippewa Native American reservation. Lyman and
Henry Lamartine are Native American brothers who decides to purchase a red Olds Mobile
convertible together, which they use to travel throughout diverse places from North Dakota
to Alaska and back. According to the text, Lyman briefly talks about how he is able to have
enough money to purchase the car with his brother, by “working his way from dishwasher
and up, to eventually owning his own Joliet Café by the age of fifteen, before it was torn
down by a tornado” (Erdrich 306). He clearly states that making money was easy for him
and the more he made the easier things would come. Despite, being an extremely hard
worker, Lyman is unselfish, devoted and has a sense of attachment to his brother and
family.
Regrettably as the story goes on, this indescribable bond amongst the two was interrupted
right when the Lamartine brothers return home from their adventure, when Henry was
drafted into the marines to fight in the Vietnam War. According to the text, “I don’t wonder
that the army was so glad to get my brother that they turned him into a Marine,” (Erdrich
308) this clearly shows that Lyman was not at all happy with his brother sudden departure
into the army. When Henry left, he gave the red convertible to Lyman, but Lyman still
