Bonds of Brotherhood and Love - Essay Example

In the story “The Red Convertible” (Erdrich), the central theme of brotherhood and care is quite obvious, and it forms the basis of the story, which revolves around two brothers, Lyman and Henry (Erdrich). The story follows the life of the brothers and their relationship before and after the life-changing and revolutionizing experience of a war that Henry had to go through (Erdrich). The portrayal in the difference of the attitude and life of Henry in the pre and post war periods is glaring in the story, and the relationship of the brothers is visibly effected by it (Erdrich).

From the tone of the narrative, the love and respect that Lyman feels for Henry is obvious, as is the degree to which he cherishes their relationship (Erdrich). The red convertible functions as the link between the brothers, and symbolizes their relationship (Erdrich). It serves as a means of communication between them, and helps to set the tone of their relationship (Erdrich). It is through the car that Lyman tries to reach out to his brother after his return from the war, and tries to rekindle the life in Henry, and change him back to the “old Henry” (Erdrich 109).

The narrative is divided into two major sections. The first section describes their journey in the red convertible, which fosters their bond and makes it stronger (Erdrich). The journey and the car also give Lyman memories to draw onto later in the story after his brother returns from war a changed man (Erdrich). Through the experiences that the brothers have, their characters and their personalities are revealed and developed, with the car portraying the dynamic of their bond (Erdrich). . The second section deals with the struggle of Lyman as he tries to help his brother recover from the horrors of the war, and once again turn him into the Henry he knew (Erdrich 112).

The anxiety of Lyman for his brother is clear, from his act of deliberately destroying the car (Erdrich 109) to making sure the color television doesn’t work (Erdrich 110). Even his thought of regret about getting the color television set which kept Henry lost in a trance is a proof of the love that he felt for his brother (Erdrich 108). The incident of Henry cutting his lip while watching TV and Lyman rushing to smash the set in his anger is yet another example of his bond with his brother (Erdrich 108).

The car plays a vital link between the brothers in this section of the narrative as well (Erdrich), and through it the writer as portrayed the sensitivity of the relationship and the character, and the hidden tenderness in Henry for Lyman when he admits he knew what Lyman had done with the car (Erdrich 112), and that he wanted Lyman to have it forever (Erdrich 112). After Henry’s death, Lyman sinks the car in the same river, fortifying his love for his brother (Erdrich 114). In the story “Sonny’s Blues”, Baldwin has focused on the relationship of two brothers who are almost estranged from one another, but still feel strongly for each other.

Sonny, the younger brother, has a problem of drugs, and the narrator intervenes and tries to set his life back on track (Baldwin). He encourage his to play the piano at a jazz club, trying to make a difference in his life. (Baldwin). Throughout the story, the narrator feels strongly for his brother, watching him struggle, from as complex an issue as drugs to