The Red Convertible, Research Paper Example

Lyman makes a decision to roll the car in the water in the end of the story. He is in denial of losing his brother. He lost Henry long before he drowned in the water. He lost him for the Vietnamese war. Layman still cannot look at the picture that was taken on that day. He does not want to accept that people can change that much. By letting the car go, he expressed his mourning for his brother. While the story does not mention his brother dying by one word, it is obvious that Henry did not fight for his life. The author states: “He says this in a normal voice, like he just noticed and doesn’t know what to think of it” (Edrich, 314). Layman cannot accept the fact that his brother became a person who simply gives up, being a young man before the war who was full of joy and life. The car symbolizes the old Henry; by letting it go, Layman lets Henry before the war go as well.

Works Cited

Edrich, L. “The Red Convertible” Love Medicine, New and Expanded Version p. 306-314. 1984. Print.