Through the transformation of the relationship between the two brothers, Henry and Lyman, Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” calls the readers to attention about the countercultural issues experienced during wartime by the veterans and the effect of such experiences on their families and the entire community. The effects of warfare, especially the Vietnam War have been documented among veterans, who not only face traumatic experiences due to difficult conditions of their service, but some also lack the support that they need to re-integrate back to the society. The two free-spirited brothers, driven by the desire to achieve their American dreams; Henry by serving in the military, and Lyman through entrepreneurship, act as totems for comprehending the tormenting scars faced by individuals and families. Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” contemplates the countercultural issues by tracing the transformation of the relationship between Henry and Lyman, Henry’s choice to serve in the military, the symbolic undertone of the red convertible, and the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on Henry.
A predominant theme at the beginning of the story is ‘freedom’. The Native Americans value their sense of freedom and pride, which is represented in the free spirit exhibited by the two brothers at the beginning of the story. According to Czarnecki, the freedom bound in the journey and the road trips undertaken by the brothers were not only literal, but also symbolic (110). Essentially, the brothers are not only travelling across extended distances, but also developing in time, into deeper and broader connections. Though driving, the boys feel a sense of embellishment and freedom especially since most of their decisions to go on these road trips are highly impulsive, demonstrating their value for freedom. The same impulsiveness is demonstrated by the purchase of the red convertible. During one summer, they tool all the money they had and jointly purchased the red convertible, and spent the entire summer on road trips, “We went places in that car, me and Henry. We took off driving one whole summer” (Erdrich 407). Summer is usually the time to do exciting things, and the boys decided to buy the old car and spend the entire summer on road trips. Lyman also describes how they met a girl, drove her to her home in Alaska and felt comfortable and peaceful there, “We got up there and never wanted to leave. The sun doesn’t truly set there in summer, and the night is more a soft dusk” (Erdrich 408). The reference to ‘sun’ shows that the brothers feel a lighthearted and warm atmosphere that they believed nothing could go wrong, as there was peace and comfort in each other’s’ company.
Henry and Lyman demonstrate encouraging drives to serve America, which is a representation of their American Dream. The countercultural relations come to play in the service of the brothers to America, as they first acknowledge their heritage, and the need to achieve success according to the metrics of his origin. Proudly, Lyman acknowledges his Chippewa heritage and the values of his culture, especially the fact that his culture views the success of other cultures in terms of their ability to pursue successful businesses and make money through entrepreneurship. Lyman exhibits an entrepreneurial drive that is highly encouraged by everyone, which further motivates him to work in the café, and ultimately becomes the owner. He mentions, “it wasn’t long before the whole thing was mine” (Erdrich 332). According to their view, it is evident that the Native Americans valued and encouraged equal social standing and sharing of wealth, which is a measure of achievement of the American Dream. Dutta contrasts Henry and Lyman in terms of their drive to achieve the American Dream, noting that Henry is more of a traditionalist, choosing to uphold the cultural characteristics of the Native American life, while his brother, Lyman demonstrates overzealousness to be assimilated into Americanism, there he achieves beyond expectations. He says that, “My own talent was I could always make money. I had a touch for it…” (Erdrich 359). Dutta notes “that Lyman buys a red convertible, works at an American café and the American Legion Hall and ultimately becomes owner of the café affirms that he has an overwhelming desire to be white” (1). This contrast between the two brothers brings forth undertones of cultural diversity in the society, as well as cultural tolerance. While both brothers exhibit differences in exemplifying their cultural views, they both remain rooted proudly to their Native culture, as successful entrepreneurship is also a fundamental belief in the Native American culture.
The service of the two brothers to the American dream is contrasted with the service of the American government to Native American culture, and other small minority groups that work hard to contribute to the American capitalism. Erdrich brings to light to inequity in the service rendered by the brothers and conversely, American’s service to them. Lyman sets himself apart from his community due to his unusual tendency to support the western cultures, which is noted as living from ‘here to there’ as opposed to accumulating wealth and building an empire (Erdrich 360). Despite supporting the country’s capitalist interests, comparing the promises to reservation roads, Lyman notes that the government does not deliver any of its promises to the people. He says, “…reservation roads, which they always say are like government promises—full of holes” (Erdrich 364). The reservation roads are symbolic of the Native American males who are left with very few options in terms of service delivery by the state. Henry also faces the same lack of reciprocity when he serves in the military. Before serving in Vietnam War, Henry’s American Dream is clearly seen as serving for the freedom of his country, America. However, after his return, he is emotionally, and psychologically traumatized, and suffering from PTSD. Lyman remembers that, “When he came home, though, Henry was very different, and I'll say this: the change was no good. You could hardly expect him to change for the better, I know” (Erdrich 465). The interaction of Henry and the white man in service left him damaged inside to the point that he never recovered. As Geraldine explains, this period was marked with increased civil rights movements as many young people from different cultures protested the involvement of the United States in Vietnam War (n.p). According to Dutta, Henry and Lyman’s service to the preservation of American capitalist interests demonstrates sacrifices that were misguided, and with nothing to show for the loyalty exhibited. Dutta explains that despite adopting too many “western ideas and concepts,” it is clear that these ideas and concepts did not apply to their view of actualization of the American dream (119). In the end, Lyman realizes that the concept of American dream is vaguely inclusive, as Henry is abandoned to his fate by the elusive government that he strived to support in Vietnam war (Minogue and Palmer 167). As such, Lyman faces serious challenges reconciling such events that he does not even want to view the photograph he took with Henry the fateful day.
The red convertible is an important and dominant artifact in the story that demonstrates the changes in the relationship between Henry and Lyman, and also in their transformation from free-sprit and free young men, to wounded young men who have a clear understanding of the damage in their environment. The immaturity, happiness and carefree spirit of the boys is first manifested when they bought the old automobile, which was majorly influenced by the impulsive and recklessness of young age. The enthusiasm espoused by Lyman can be captured based on his description of the car, “There it was. Parked, large as life. Really as if it was alive…. The car reposed, calm and gleaming…” (Erdrich 463). The car brings forth a sense of freedom and escape as it gave the brothers the means of transportation to Montana, where they meet Susy and spend time with her, and also with her family, who extend their hospitality, also exhibiting cultural tolerance. The moment before leaving Susy’s home demonstrates one of Henry’s free-sprit nature as he picked her up on his shoulders and started spinning her in circles, in a moment of happiness. The impending change is foreshowed when Lyman notes that “The season was changing. It was getting darker by that time, and the cold was even getting just a little mean (Erdrich 408). The reference to darkness, cold and mean foreshadows a dark cloud in the lives of the two brothers, something that would manifest as the last happy trip they would ever take. Immediately they got home, Henry was drafted into Vietnam to serve in the military.
The transformation of Henry’s physic is a representation of the destruction of the relationship between the brothers, and the destruction of their American dream, which Lyman symbolizes through the destruction of the red convertible. After the realization that pursing the American dream did not do much to helping the brothers live happy lives, and that there was no turning back, Lyman sought to destroy the car they jointly shared because he had given up trying to get his brother back to life, to enjoy the things they enjoyed together. After his return from the war, Henry only sat at the TV as if he was lifeless, that Lyman regretted having bought the TV. During this time, the car is left to gather dust and cobwebs as there was no one to take care of it. This disregard for the car is symbolic of the disregard of Henry for his mother, brother and sister. In anger, Lyman damages the car in order to get the attention of his brother, but this act also takes a long time before Henry could even notice that the car had been destroyed. It takes him days and nights to fix the car, which is a representation of the realization of the damage he was doing to his family, and his effort in regaining the relationship they once shared. The time Henry is using to fix the car is a representation of the time and dedication the brothers are putting in to fix their relationship. In the end, Henry gets the car in good condition and decides to take a trip to the river. Henry is trying hard to regain their relationship by having a new beginning; going to the river will give the brothers a new beginning. However, Lyman notes that when they got to the river, “The sun was still out, but it was colder by the river” (Erdrich 467). This mixed reaction foreshadows the desperation experienced by Henry, trying hard to mend his broken psyche, but still remaining damaged and unhappy. After drowning himself in the river, Lyman notes that “the sun is down” signifying the death of this brother (Erdrich 469). The story ends where it began, with henry’s boots filling with water, in accordance with the Chippewa story telling tradition (Ried 69). Lyman also drowns the red convertible, as it was a sacred bond between the brothers, and he could not own it if the brother was already gone.
Despite the high level of tolerance in countercultural relations in Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible,” the story shows that the transformation of the relationship between Henry and Lyman, Henry’s choice to serve in the military, the symbolic undertone of the red convertible, and the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on Henry are all spheres lived through the experience of the red convertible, which is symbolic of the lives of Henry and Lyman. Despite having great hopes and dreams about the car and the experience they would share, they end up frustrated, devastated and eventually lost.
Works Cited
Czarnecki, Kristin. "Postcolonial Theory and the Undergraduate Classroom: Teaching" The Red Convertible"." Pedagogy 2.1 (2002): 109-112.
Dutta, Pratima. “Erdrich’s ‘The Red Convertible’.” The Explicator 61.2. (2003): 119-124. Print.
Erdrich, Louise. “The Red Convertible.” Literature A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner, et al. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. PDF
Geraldine, Wagner. “Baby Boomers” Great Neck Publishing. 2013.
Minogue, Sally and Palmer, Andrew. “Memorial Poems and the Poetics of Memorializing.” Journal of Modern Literature 34.1 (2010): 162-178
Reid, Shelley E. “The Stories We Tell: Louise Erdrich’s Identity Narratives.” Melus Fall-Winter (2000) 65-77. Print.