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The Red Convertible is a story about a man that is mentally damaged by the events of the war, and also how it affects his whole family. Henry was a happy, loving, and sane man before being drafted, but when he came back he was a completely different person. The war affected Henry in a way that many of our soldiers were affected and it went a lot deeper than medicine can go. The red in The Red Convertible is directly related to the blood, violence, and despair that caused Henry to take his own life.
Henry had many obstacles that he never seemed able to overcome. The transition from army life back into household life was very hard. It seemed as if Henry forgot how to be himself and was transformed into someone else during the war. (Chavkin, 77-80) The only things that Henry could accomplish were watching TV and working on the convertible. Even watching TV got dangerous, Once I was in the room watching TV with Henry and I heard his teeth click at something.
I looked over, and hed bitten through his lip. Henry was very tense ever since returning home from the war. The memories of the war were stuck in his head. Henry can not get out of the war even when returning home. His illness is mental and there isnt a drug to cure it. Henrys battles against his mind are the real cause of his death. Suicide allowed Henry to become himself again and overcome his obstacles.
Before Henry was drafted into the war his life was carefree. Henry and Lyman just toured around the globe in their red convertible. When asked to drive to Alaska by a hitchhiker Henrys answer was, Okay. Henry represents everything free and innocent before being drafted. When Henry was drafted his morals changed and are illustrated by his actions. The way that he isnt even able to talk to his brother tells the reader that whatever happened in the war touched Henry deeply and hard. The literature separates the innocents of normal life and the ferociousness of war. (Brenda, 119-22)
Henrys story is that of a man stripped of his innocence and freedom only to have his mind destroyed by the war. The red convertible was a symbol of Henrys freedom and that is why it died with Henry. The obstacles that were presented as a result of the war were too much for Henry to handle; therefore Henry was forced to take his life. The war isnt always over when the fighting stops, it takes longer for the mind to heal than the body. Henrys mind was damaged which left him unable to continue his life in society. The Red Convertible is an accurate account of what happens to a person when put through a traumatizing event.
On the Rainy River takes place during the time Tim is at college. Tim did not believe he should go to war but then again he believed that the U.S. should go to war that would have a good reason where you would know what you are fighting for, not just going off to fight pointless battles. Tim was not afraid to go to war, he was more afraid of what the people in his town would say if he had not gone to war. The only thing that he was afraid of was showing the feelings that he had of war and making his own decisions.
Tim is a person that always tells the truth. An example would be when he explains that a true war story could never be moral or an example of humane behavior. The war was so influential on him that he takes his daughter there as a way of remembrance of the past. The war has made the character of Tim OBrien a stronger person the war was something that influenced his life greatly. (Bonn, 2-14) He shows how war is similar to life and how people need it to survive. Tim went through many hardships he was a very strong person both mentally and physically. (Harris, 8) Going through Vietnam was a hard task and he surpassed it. Many close men he knew did not make it because they could not go through all the struggles and snapped, they just went crazy and he held strong to his senses.
Many soldiers feared shame, and as a result, have been motivated to do things that they wouldnt have regularly done on their own. For example, in the chapter On The Rainy River , Tim OBrien feels that the only reason he couldnt swim across the Rainy River to Canada was that his family members and community would think less of him. He is however against the war and does not want to take part in it because he feels it is unjust and cruel. Instead of going to war for patriotism or dedication to his county, OBrien goes because his fear of shame and appearing socially unacceptable is too great to withstand.
Works Cited
Bonn, Maria S., Can Stories Save Us? Tim OBrien and the Efficacy of the Text, in Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, Vol. 36, No. 1, 1994, pp. 2-14.
Brende, Joel Osler, and E. R. Parson, Vietnam Veterans: The Road to Recovery, Perseus Publishing, 1985. 119-22.
Chavkin, Allan Richard, ed., The Chippewa Landscape of Louise Erdrich, University of Alabama Press, 1999. 77-80.
Harris, Robert R., Too Embarrassed Not to Kill: A review of The Things They Carried, in New York Times Book Review, 1990, p. 8.
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