It is said that when a man returns from war he is changed forever. In the short story “The Red Convertible,” Louise Erdrich demonstrates these transformations through the use of symbolism. Erdrich uses the convertible to characterize the emotional afflictions that war creates for the soldier and his family around him, discussing the pre-deployment relationship between the two brothers Henry and Lyman, Lyman's perception of Henry upon Henry's return, and the Henry's supposed view on life at the end of the story. Throughout “The Red Convertible” Erdrich embraces the car as a symbol of the powerful relationship between two brothers, Henry and Lyman. The brothers pooled their money to buy a red convertible that they drove together everywhere; the car symbolized that relationship. Lyman stored the vehicle while Henry was in the Army, deployed to Vietnam. Even when Henry gave the car to Lyman, Lyman always thought of the car as Henry's, which Erdrich describes with the following passage: "I always thought of it as his car while he was gone, even though when he left He said, 'It's yours now.'" ', and threw me the key” (Erdrich 357). The brothers held their relationship in high regard, Henry trusting Lyman with the car enough to give Lyman his share of the vehicle while he was away. In contrast, Lyman assumed that the car would always belong to Henry; just like their relationship, the car was important and would always belong to both of them. During Henry's employment, Lyman preserved the car's condition, keeping it in immaculate condition while he awaited Henry's return. By spending so much time taking care of the car, Lyman was in a sense taking care of his brother. Little did Lyman know that his brother would return a changed man and... middle of paper... to an environment where they could witness the changes in a soldier and the horrible mental state of those soldiers with post-stress disorder -traumatic upon returning from war. War affects a person's relationships with people close to him and his relationships with himself. Erdrich embodies these changes through the lyrics of “The Red Convertible.” “'My boots are filling,' he says. He says it in a normal voice, as if he just noticed it and doesn't know what to think of it. Then he left” (Erdrich 363) shows the reader the last moments between the brothers before Henry leaves forever. Henry is presumed to take his own life, concluding the tale and further reinforcing the devastating effects the war had on Henry. Works Cited Erdich, Louise. "The red convertible." 1984. Literature: A Paperback Anthology. Editor Gwynn, RS, ed. 5th edition. New York: Penguin, 2012, 354-363. Press.