The story The Red Convertible was written by Louise Erdrich, who makes Native Americans the main characters in her books and frequently touches upon the topic of family relationships. In this particular tale, the author describes the tragic story of brothers Lyman and Henry, who never get to reconcile after one brother returns from war. While Lyman was lucky and more efficient with money, even managing to be the first person in this family to buy a convertible, Henry is more reserved and always distances himself. Two brothers try to repair the family bond that was lost at some point, but they never accomplish that goal as Henry falls down the river and drowns along with the car. In this sad story, the author points out the topic of brotherhood with such literary elements as symbolism, characterization, and the point of view.
As for symbolism in The Red Convertible, it is evident that this car becomes the main symbol for the brotherly bond in the narrative. Lyman and Henry buy the convertible; they share it together and even ride it during their journey all over North America. For this reason, it can be safely assumed that this car represents the life journey that two siblings went through. In addition, it also means their youth and innocence since they buy it almost on a whim before they part ways. The condition of the car clearly demonstrates the strength of their bond. While at the beginning it was bright red and in the working state, Lyman and Henry were close and shared adventures.
However, after Henry went to war and became distanced, despite all the efforts to rebuild the family relationship, Lyman was disappointed and began to destroy the car (Erdrich). The desperation makes him damage it, but it is Henry who tries to repair the convertible, which means that he still cares about their bond. The car even plays a major role at the end of the story when Lyman pushes it down the river, meaning the termination of the brotherhood that died along with Henry. There is no doubt that the author uses heavy symbolism as a literary device in order to advance the drama.
Characterization in this story is done by comparing the two opposites that the brothers become during the narration. Despite being brothers, Lyman and Henry do not look much alike, and their personality traits are completely different. Moreover, the author also depicts the dark development that Henry goes through after the war. He is a dynamic character that drastically changes while Lyman remains as innocent and kind as he was before.
The reader sees the story from the point of view of Lyman, who tries to reconcile with Henry. It means that the motives of his brother stay unclear, which represents Lyman’s inability to understand him. The author does not state whether Henry decided to kill himself or his fall was an accident (Erdrich). For this reason, the reader can feel that the brotherly bond is not as strong as it was before since Henry remains a closed-off person.
In conclusion, it would appear that Erdrich masterfully manages several literary elements in order to talk about the theme of the brotherhood in The Red Convertible. The bond between brothers is represented by the symbolism of the red car, which changes throughout the story. While one character remains static during the narration, another one goes through significant changes, which results in them being opposite to each other. Lyman’s point of view emphasizes the major distance that they never get to overcome.