Symbolism in The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich - Essay Example

Eng 102 September 30, Symbolism in “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich The short story, “The Red Convertible,” by Louise Erdrich narrates the saga of the close bonding between two brothers, Henry and Lyman. The story is told from the point of view of the younger brother, Lyman, and it begins with his narration of them buying a car. The car becomes an integral part of the relationship between the brothers. They embark on a long trip, taking turns driving the car. On their return, Henry gets drafted into the Army where he becomes a marine.

While leaving, he entrusts the car to Lyman’s care and hands over his keys. Once Henry returns home from the Vietnam War, he suffers stress disorders and, in a bid to divert Henry’s attention from the traumatic memories of war, Lyman whacks the car so Henry will focus his attention on fixing it. As expected, Henry commits himself to repairing the car. The brothers again take a trip to the Red River, where they fight, reconcile and then Henry commits suicide. The story’s main focus is the bondage between the brothers and Erdrich uses symbolism throughout the narrative to emphasize the strength of their relationship.

Right at the beginning of the story, the author uses the color red as a symbol of bonding between the brothers. By deploying the “Red Convertible” as a fascination for the brothers, the author symbolizes the blood relationship between them. The car rather assumes the proportion of a living character rather than a non-living thing in the brothers’ lives when Lyman reminisces about it as being “reposed, calm and gleaming” instead of being parked in the place (McMahan et al. p….). By using this subtle imagery, the author emphasizes the fact that the bond between the brothers is spirited and resonating instead of merely being a routine relationship that usually brothers have.

The story moves on, showing them enjoying the long journey, taking turns driving the car through the landscapes, the weather, the company of a girl and essentially being together in their car. Both invest their money as well as passion in the car, which indicates that they have a common purpose. This kind of a relationship is rather evidenced in friends rather than brothers. Thus, by using the elements of symbols and imagery the author intends to underline the strength of the bonding between the brothers.

When Lyman comes to know that the Army has turned Henry into a marine, he makes the association with Henry’s nose which is “like the nose on Red Tomahawk, the Indian who killed Sitting Bull” (P.). The brothers belong to the Chippewa and this reference alludes to the fact that they take pride in this. Once Henry returns from the war, he becomes totally changed due to the post traumatic stress disorder he suffers as a consequence of his involvement in the war. The relationship between the brothers suffers due to this.

Henry remains detached to the home and his brother, to the extent that he does not realize “he was eating his own blood mixed with the food” (P.). Here, the author symbolizes how the Western influence transforms their bonding. However, Lyman, due to his absolute loyalty to his brother, wants to change him. He understands his brother’s passion for the Red Convertible and damages it so that he can draw his brother’s attention. His tactics fetches the intended results and Henry dedicates himself to fixing the car.

Again, the car becomes the symbol of their brotherhood. In fact, Henry understands that Lyman has deliberately damaged the car and wants to give it back to him in good shape. These events subtly hint at the fact that the bondage between the brothers, which is based on their kinship, overrides the Western influence. Thus, Erdrich again deploys symbolism as the literary device to underline the bond of brother between his characters. The author also illustrates that physical harms can be fixed while mental traumas will leave indelible damage on human psyche, using symbolization.

This she achieves by juxtaposing Henry’s mental stress with the Red Convertible’s physical damage. Henry, suffering himself, can fix the damaged car but nobody is capable to cure his disorder, which he sustains due to the war. The brothers again embark on a ride, this time to the Red River where Henry wants to go. Again, the red here is symbolic of the bond between the brothers. Henry wants to give the car to Lyman but the latter considers his brother as more important than anything, including the car, which has always been his fascination.

After Henry gets sucked up by the river, Lyman “puts the car in first gear” and lets it slip into the current (P.). Thus, the author alludes to Henry’s significance in his brother’s life by using the car as a symbol. Besides, by referring to the river’s flowing current in the last line, the author wants to emphasize the fact that the river continues to go on “it current strong and deep beneath the surface, as will Layman’s strong memories and deep love for Henry” (Sinkevich 4).

Thus, Louise Erdrich uses symbolism throughout her story, “The Red Convertible,” to demonstrate the relationship between the brothers and the strength of their bonding. She deftly deploys this literary device in the narration to create a strong impact in the audience about the relationship between the brothers. Work Cited McMahan et al. Literature and the Writing Process. 9th Edn. Amazon.com. 2010. Web. 29 September 2011. Print. Sinkevich, Zachary. The Red Convertible. ENG 12. A06. 2009. Web.

29 September 2011.