The struggle between one’s desires and expectations leads an individual to falter from their values and beliefs resulting in dire consequences to one’s morality and internal self. The short story "On a Rainy River" clearly demonstrates the conflict between the two dilemmas as the main character‚ Tim O’Brien‚ is faced with a decision to fight a pointless war or desert his country‚ choosing between potentially dying‚ or being branded as a coward. "Traitor! they yelled. Turncoat! Pussy! I felt myself
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essay #1 In the short story‚ “The Red Convertible‚” by Louise Erdrich we enjoy a short story of two brothers that are bonded. Perhaps they are bonded more than they should have been. Henry and Lyman are Native Americans living in North Dakota. Lyman describes himself as a lucky guy that has an easy time making money. The two brothers share a desire for adventure. Their first adventure marks the beginning of them sharing a red Oldsmobile Convertible. The final adventure is foreshadowing death
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O’Brien stated‚ “To carry something was to hump it”. In “The Red Convertible” and ‘The Things They Carried’ these characters carried baggage that could not only been seen‚ but they also carried baggage that was internal. In these stories the author uses setting and symbolize to portray the growth of these characters throughout their journey in war‚ and also tells the story of the mental strain war can cause someone. In “The Red Convertible” the characters Lyman and Henry have a bond that could not
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Among the issues raised in Louise Erdrich’s short story “The Red Convertible” is that of the fading relationship due to war trauma. There are more significant topics in this story‚ but it is one that gains attention when the story is analyzed through historical context- Our current understanding of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in contrast to the characters in the story. Understood in this context‚ the story is not just about Henry’s transformation‚ but of the effects of the war on the soldier’s
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Essay Topic #1: The Growing Distance between Family Members Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” and John Cheever’s “Reunion”‚ both use symbolism to reveal the growing distance between the main characters. However‚ this fictional technique is used and appears uniquely in both works. In the “Red Convertible” the car is one solitary symbol that represents the brothers’ relationship but in “Reunion” the places the father and son visit resembles their growing distance. Even though the symbols
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battle. Although Polynices is considered a traitor to the land of Thebes‚ Antigone feels that to respect the wishes of the gods she must burry him. She faithfully acts upon her morals‚ even though they oppose the law. However‚ in the story “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien‚ Tim is not so persistent with his loyalty to his morals. Although he is very against the war he has been drafted into‚ in the end he ends up going to battle due to his fear of letting his family and country down. While both Tim
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knew. But are they? Veterans returning home from combat experience are faced with the difficult task of coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its side effects‚ because of their experiences in combat. In Lousie Erdrich’s‚ “The Red Convertible” and Wilfred Owen’s‚ “Dulce et Decorum Est” we can see how and why a returning veteran‚ such as Henry‚ would have trouble readapting to his former environment and handling the symptoms of PTSD. First‚ in order for us to see what Henry was suffering
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The short story “The Red Convertible” expresses many different types of symbolism. The most reoccurring symbol is the reference of the red convertible itself. The car is so important that once it is gone the story is over. The car is a constant metaphor of where the brothers are at in life. The story follows two Native American half brothers in through navigating the changing landscape of their life and wastes no time jumping into of how the brothers came to own the convertible that would forever
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of the Red Convertible Although the Vietnam War concluded with the return of most American troops‚ for those who served‚ the memories of the events that transgressed during those years did not stay in the combat grounds of Vietnam. The psychological scars left in the minds and hearts of American soldiers was something that continued to haunt no only those who experienced the fighting in the flesh but the families and loved ones who welcomed them upon their return. In “The Red Convertible‚” Lyman
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factors dictate how a person‚ or animal in some cases‚ will evolve or emerge in the end of the story. The people around a character and where the character lives usually determines what type of person or animal they are. The short story “On the Rainy River” shows how location helps a character grow and develop. Location plays a substantial role in how a character develops and how they learn the necessary material for growing up. Tim O’Brien‚ drafted into the Vietnam War‚ bolts out of town‚ avoiding
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