2015TR

TUSCARORA REVIEW 2016

2016 TUSCARORA REVIEW

Felicity Alvino,

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— Photography

Vietnam and the American Indian Soldier:

An Examination of “The Red Convertible”

and the Effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on the

American Indian and his Family

Ryan Slicer

he short story “The Red Convertible” written in 1984 by Louise Erdrich tells

the tale of two American Indian brothers and their relationship as the older

brother, Henry, is drafted into the U.S. Marines and sent overseas to fight in

the Vietnam War. The story is told through the eyes of Lyman, Henry’s younger

brother and the story’s protagonist. They share ownership of a red 1960s

Oldsmobile convertible, a key symbol throughout the narrative. Once a happy,

optimistic, and promising young man, Henry returns to Lyman and their mother

a completely different person, a direct result of his time in Vietnam, which led to

him suffering severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Damaged extensively

from the traumas of war, he undergoes a drastic change in mood, his relationships

and social interactions, and his overall emotional well-being. This inevitably leads

to his own death by drowning, a possible and likely suicide. It is arguable, however,

that Henry did not have his full mental faculties and was not in a conscious state

of mind to follow through with killing himself knowingly. Regardless, the severity

of Henry’s PTSD was, without a doubt, real and ruthless, likely even more so than

that of other in-country veterans. While PTSD affected many Vietnam veterans

of all races, it had more severe and drastic effects on American Indian Vietnam

veterans. This is, in large part, due to the circumstances of their military service

and cultural backgrounds.

Before Henry’s draft date and service, Lyman tells a story of their life together

and the adventures they went on and the people they encountered. By all

accounts, Henry is a sociable and optimistic young man. He enjoys life to its fullest

despite the brothers coming from a poor, fatherless reservation family. Henry and

Lyman make do with what they have and even embark on a road trip in the red

Oldsmobile convertible they bought together. They even picked up a hitchhiker

named Susy and gladly drove her all the way home to Alaska, where they stayed

with her family for some months. At this point in the story, the reader really sees

the early aspects of Henry’s character. Susy shows them how exceptionally long

her hair is, which prompts Henry to get her to jump on his shoulders so he can

swing her and her hair around and around. It’s a small, impromptu event but it’s

these types of happy and humorous occasions that really portray Henry and the

person he was pre-Vietnam and pre-PTSD.

Henry was drafted in 1969 and was fighting in Vietnam the following year.

Lyman says, “[T]hen the next thing you know we get an overseas letter from

him. It was 1970, and he said he was stationed up in the northern hill country”

(128). It is evident that Erdrich did substantial research prior to writing “The