Red_Convertible

Red Convertible Unable to Cope in Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” In the short story “The Red Convertible” Louise Erdrich writes about two brothers who were Chippewa Indians, living on a reservation in the 1970’s. Lyman, the youngest brother, reveals how an event in his older brothers life, Henry’s, turned him inside out, dwindled from the person he was. Lyman’s story is about how Henry changes, before the war Henry was out going, liked telling jokes and hanging out with his brother. After Henry comes home from being drafted into the Vietnam War; he doesn’t talk or laugh and is to himself, Lyman even destroys the car they shared, trying to bring his brother back. Henry worked at Jewel Bearing Plant before the layoff. He didn’t seam as lucky with money as his brother Lyman. “But Henry was never lucky in the same way as me.”(409) Lyman became owner of a restaurant at sixteen. “It wasn’t long before the whole thing was mine.”(407) Henry didn’t seam to have a problem with Lyman’s good fortune; he loved his brother, they did every thing together. Lyman and Henry bought a red convertible together and traveled all summer in it. Henry liked having fun and making henry, lyman, brother, out, war, henry’s, red, mind, didn’t, convertible, 409, way, over, never, liked, laugh, home, going, brothers, being, before, back, after, unable, turned, took, together, through, thing, talk, story, started, sound, something, side, seamed