The Red Convertible Character Analysis

Laura Katherine Blurton
Caroline Randall Williams
Writing 102 Section 23
February 6, 2014
Altering Convertible In The Red Convertible, Louise Erdrich depicts on a brother’s ruined relationship due to the elder brother Henry’s time in the war. Before he had left for the army, Henry was carefree, untroubled, serene, and connected to Lyman in every way. The war transformed Henry’s character immensely to very tense and uptight. This altering of Henry led to a change in the younger brother Lyman and Henry’s relationship for the worst. Erdrich takes readers through two brother’s connected relationship and shows how it collapses due to war. Henry is the older brother to Lyman and is described as easy going before he enters the army. Erdrich
When she unclipped her hair, it depicts the brother’s falling out relationship because it was so easy for it to fall apart. Henry also shared the red convertible with Lyman that they got together and went on spontaneous trips with, which shows Henry’s carefree attitude about life and is another thing that kept them together even when Henry came back from the war. Henry’s whole demeanor before the war is a totally different person from the character that he becomes after. Lyman describes his brother’s character as “very different” (396) when Henry comes home from the war. Lyman knew Henry was built for the Army, but never realized it would transform Henry for the worst. Erdrich portrays Henry watching TV, “He was not easy. He sat in his chair gripping the armrests with all his might” (396). Lyman specified when Henry watched TV and could tell most of his changed character from watching him. Lyman must go to their mom to see if there was anything that the doctors could do, ‘”They don’t fix them in those places,” Mom said; “they just give them drugs.” “We wouldn’t get him there in the first place,” I agreed, “so let’s just forget about”’ (397). Lyman felt a burden over him to try and fix what was wrong with Henry. But Henry was now tense and rigid at the remotest things and Lyman could only watch this new brother of his in
Many people search for the freedom and carefree sense of character that Henry had before. Most feel sorry for Henry because of the effects the war had on Henry and readers wonder what must have gone wrong to turn Henry so tense. We see the brother’s relationship shift so drastically after Henry returns and how Lyman tries to save it. What lengths should someone go through to save a relationship? Erdrich shows us that the more a person is pushed to be someone they cannot be anymore, they eventually will not be able to take it anymore and like Lyman who sinks and gets taken over by the current, will be gone