In “The Red Convertible,” Louise Erdrich describes the relationship between two Chippewa brothers–Lyman and Henry–before and after Henry is drafted into the Vietnam war. Written from Lyman’s perspective using the first-person point of view, the narrator uses the red convertible as a physical representation of the health of his relationship with Henry with the car’s condition going from good to damaged. Because the author and the reader have different models of competence, the red convertible also serves as a shared cultural icon that both individuals can understand using their prior experiences and knowledge to guide their interpretation. The role of the red convertible changes in the period before and after the war. Erdrich uses the car as a tool to bridge the gaps between Lyman and Henry, highlighting the integration of Native American and modern American culture. 

Before the war, the two brothers have a strong bond centered on their fondness for the red convertible that they share. Henry and Lyman’s relationship with the red convertible demonstrates Native American assimilation into Western society. As a reader whose model of competence is shaped by Western culture, the red convertible is immediately seen as a classic American car that is expensive and luxurious. The vehicle has become a symbol of patriotism and Western culture because the car’s significance stems from the heavy presence of red convertibles in various types of American media that is accessible to the public, ranging from movies to television shows. From the perspective of an individual’s model of competence who is familiar with Native American culture, red convertibles are considered infeasible cars due to their lack of practicality and large price tag leading to a limited presence of them on reservations. Lyman writes, “I was the first one to drive a convertible on my reservation” (Erdrich 1). However, Lyman and Henry’s red convertible is an object where the reader and author’s models of competence overlap because both see it as a glamorous, American non-reservation vehicle. This highlights the different cultural values that exist between Native American culture and Western culture. On the reservation, cars are seen as a practical tool to get an individual or object from one place to another in contrast to Henry and Lyman who revered the expensive red convertible and cared for it very well by cleaning it and keeping it in excellent condition. In addition to the red convertible and its cultural significance, cultural values can be learned through Lyman’s acquisition of the car. Lyman differentiates himself from fellow Native Americans through his talent for making money that was “unusual in a Chippewa” and his “good luck with numbers” (2, 24). These two uncommon qualities in a Chippewa suggest that these characteristics are more visible in non-natives, illustrating the stark contrast between the native and non-native populations. The Native American and Western cultures shared representation by the red convertible demonstrates Lyman and Henry’s participation in a hybrid culture, created by the merging of both. 

As an explanation for the distant relationship between Lyman and Henry, Lyman blames the American government for the psychological damage the Vietnam war has inflicted upon his brother. While Henry is away at war, Lyman tries to keep their relationship strong by writing letters to Henry keeping him informed about the red convertible. Despite Lyman’s efforts, their relationship grows distant and when Henry returns home after three years, he has developed post-traumatic stress disorder and is a shell of his former self. Lyman comments, “By then I guess the whole war was solved in the government’s mind, but for him it would keep on going” (24). Lyman’s political commentary reflects his feelings of unhappiness with the government for sending his brother to war and abandoning Henry without a support system once he had finished serving, illustrating the division between the American government and Native American people. Lyman’s negative attitude toward the government’s actions is also shown when he decides to help Henry return to his old self by interesting him in the red convertible that he purposefully damaged in an attempt to make the car look neglected. He concludes, “By the time I was done with the car it looked worse than any typical Indian car that has been driven all its life on reservation roads, which they always say are like government promises–full of holes” (35). Lyman’s comment sheds light on the treatment of Native Americans at the hands of the government because it showcases the poor condition of the reservations, the government’s unfulfilled promises, and Native American cultural values associated with vehicles. It brings attention to the separation of cultures between Western society and Native Americans and where the cultures merge–which in Lyman’s case–is the red convertible and Henry’s experience with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

The red convertible serves as a link to Native American and Western culture between Lyman and Henry. Together, the brothers explore their own cultural values through their experiences with the car and were exposed to Western cultural values on their frequent trips around the United States. While discussing Henry’s facial features, Lyman writes that his nose looked like the Red Tomahawk’s nose “whose profile is on signs all along the North Dakota highways” (22). Living on a Chippewa reservation and owning a classic American car, the brothers recognize the hybrid culture that exists with the depiction of Red Tomahawk, a Native American police officer. Thus, the brothers have an integrated culture, a mix of both Native American and Western.

Erdrich successfully uses first-person narration and shared cultural iconography to fill the gaps in Lyman and Henry’s relationship. The red convertible serves as the overlap in the reader and author’s models of competence, illustrating how Lyman and Henry’s relationship changes before and after the war. By paying attention to the gaps, readers are better able to understand the complexities of life for Native Americans in the United States and the challenges of trying to straddle two cultures.