Analysis of The Red Convertible by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - Essay Example

Angered, Lyman smashes the convertible. Henry realizes their convertible is run-down. He repairs the convertible and they drive to the river with his brother. The two make a fire by the banks of the river and spends the moment talking. They disagree and fight. Henry jumps in the river to cool off. He drowns and Lamartine fail to rescue him. Lamartine starts the car and plunges it into the river. Symbolism in The Red Convertible The red convertible is an important symbol in the story. The brothers bought the convertible and used it to tour different places.

The narrator expresses that they enjoyed each other’s company as they drove to different places together. This is a representation of the normalcy of life before the effects of war. Henry goes to war, and he separates with his brother. Lamartine takes the car apart to demonstrate their separation. After three years away from home, Henry comes back home a different man. Lamartine does not like how Henry comes home withdrawn and disinterested in the things they enjoyed before the war. He laments to see how his brother is not returning back to his old self.

Out of this devastation, he bangs up the convertible. This symbolizes the torn relationship between the brothers (Erdrich 464). Henry confronts the brother after noticing the state of the convertible. This is indicative of the reality that war veterans face after serving in the war. They find things different as if in a new life. Henry manages to repair the convertible. This points to the repair of his relationship with his brother as the convertible was one of the things that held the two brothers together before the war.

When Henry finishes fixing up the convertible, he asks his brother to drive to the river with him. Lamartine thinks that things will go back to normal. His hopes end shortly when Henry jumps into the river and drowns. After he is unable to save his brother, he sends the car plunging into the river so that to give it to his brother. The demise points to the destructive effects that war has on veterans. It destroys the veterans and their relationships with others. After Henry returns from the war, he does not change his boots and his clothes (Erdrich 464).

This is indicative of the permanent memories that veterans carry from the war. These include the horrors and scars they incur in the war. He refuses to change into the clothes he wore before going to war. This expresses difficulty that war veterans experience in resuming their normal lives. Bonita takes a photograph of her two brothers before they drive off to the river. In the photograph, the two look different. Lamartine’s face that comes out as being round, big and right out the sun is the representation of a person who has not been to war.

Henry’s face is wrinkled, drawn back and has shadows (Erdrich 465). This represents the state of the soul of a person who has been to war. Henry does not like watching the color television. He becomes violent to his brother over it. The color from the color television makes him re-experience the horrors he witnessed in the war. This is a common symptom with war veterans. Themes in The Red Convertible Change Change is most prominent in the story. Henry and Lamartine start as good friends who trust each other and enjoy each other’s company.

They buy the red convertible together and gets away on a summer vacation. Their adventures in the red convertible express their innocence and freedom in life. They appreciate one another and are close. Henry slept