In the short story, The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich, she contrasts the old way of life versus the new. Erdrich does this through irony, symbols, and motifs: the color red, the convertible, and the summer trip. Through these use of literary techniques, Erdrich presents Henry as a victim of the “American Dream,” while falling under the trap of the Vietnam War.
In this story, the color red symbolizes many things, the red convertible being the main one. The color red is used as a motif. Lyman says his brother, "had a nose big and sharp as a hatchet, like the nose on Red Tomahawk" (Erdrich p. 106). Also when the brothers took their final journey to a river, Lyman says, "We started off east, toward Pembina and the Red River" (Erdrich p. 112). The color red, in this story represents Henry's will to be free. The convertible is viewed as a bright red because while driving the car, Henry feels trapped by the white man's war. Hence why the car feels brand new and comforting in the beginning of the story and later introduced as broken and run down when Henry comes back from the war. By returning to the "Red River" Henry regains his spiritual freedom. Also, according to Native American history, the "Red Sticks" were an "anti-American faction" that fought to keep the white man out and their heritage strong. With this information, the "Red Sticks," and the color red represented in this story can be linked with their feelings about "anti-Americanism” due to Henry being sent to a war to fight for the same people who forcefully took his culture and identity away.
Lyman states, "He said he wanted to give the car to me for good now, it was no use.” (Erdrich p. 112) By Henry giving Lyman the red convertible for good, it foreshadows his death because in the Chippewa culture, gifts are given to the family of the deceased. Traditionally, a remnant of the deceased was kept for a year and later given to the family. Lyman realizes that he’s preparing him for his death, which is why Lyman states, "No way. I don't want it," (Erdrich p. 113) referring to the car. Lyman refuses the gift because he knows that accepting it would be accepting his brother’s death, which is also why he didn’t keep the car at the end of the story and let the car go with along with his brother.
The “American Dream” was an idea that success, freedom, and equality exists according to every person’s capabilities regardless of social status and ethnicity, it was something that appealed to every American from all walks of life. After the Great Depression, the importance of realizing success, freedom, and equality became a priority in the lives of many, including the Native Americans. The belief in the “American Dream” was deeply embedded in their hearts that set them out in a quest to disprove stereotypes about their community such as being poverty-stricken.
By using irony, Erdrich tells us the tragic ending of the story where the convertible sinks into the river which could represent the crushed dreams of equality and success of Henry, as he returns to the same poverty-stricken life of the reservation for which he assumed would change at the end of the war.
Erdrich also compares Henry to a rabbit, an animal that essentially exists to be free in the wild but ironically exists just to be preyed on, just as Native Americans believing that they were equals in society but were actually preyed upon the stereotype that they were brave, natural warriors who would have skills to fight ruthlessly in a war. When Henry comes back from the war, he was “jumpy and mean” (Erdrich p. 108) and when he was still, “it was the kind of stillness that you see in a rabbit when it freezes before it will bolt” (Erdrich pg. 108). Henry was used as a prey in the war based on a stereotype, without any regard for his humanity. However. he would now bolt to protect himself as he realizes that the dream of equality he once believed in was a lie that exploited him to fighting in a war that now scars him for life. The war had torn Henry to the point that he would stare lifelessly at a television screen for hours. He also had said not more than a few words to Lyman. This leads Lyman to purposely damage the red convertible to get the attention of his brother. The damaging of the car represents the anger felt by Lyman because the relationship with his brother had been destroyed by the war. This shows that the war hadn’t only affected Henry, but others around him.
Hatred and anger fills the relationship between Native Americans and European settlers. Henry and the Vietnam War is a perfect example to show how white colonizers exploited Native Americans to fight for them even though they took everything from them and treated them so horribly. Even today, the trauma has been transferred to the descent of the Natives because they have been stripped of their culture and oppressed for many years with their homes being given and taken away from all the time. In this story, Erdrich shows how two loving brothers who would do anything for eachother were torn apart and victimized yet again by white colonizers.