In Native American culture, red is the color of faith and represents communication. The short story The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich is more than a moving story about the lives of two Chippewa brothers who grew up together on an Indian reservation in North Dakota. Erdrich uses metaphors, symbols, vivid imagery, and a simple writing style to allow the reader to understand the text while providing the opportunity to read much into the story. Written in the first person by Lyman Larmartine, The Red Convertible follows a typical dramatic storyline. development. The story begins with an introduction to the narrator's life. Almost simultaneously, the reader is introduced to his older brother Henry Junior and the shiny red Oldsmobile convertible they bought together on a whim. The rising action of the story begins when the two go on a road trip one summer that ends up in Alaska. When they arrived home, it was just in time for Henry to be drafted into the army. A few months later, in the early 1970s, Henry was fighting in the Vietnam War and Lyman had the red convertible in his possession. Over three years later, Henry finally returned home three years later to be a very different person than the one who left. Henry was distant and nonchalant for the most part, never really caring about anything. Lyman knew that there had been only one thing in the past that had truly cheered him up, and he would do whatever it took to get Henry back to being himself. Lyman took a hammer from their possession one night and quickly showed Henry the car. Henry then became angered by the way the car had been treated and soon spent all his days and nights repairing the car. The climax of the story begins when Henry finally finishes refurbishing the car and poses in front of it with Lyman for one last photo followed by a trip to Red River like old times. When they arrived at the river, Henry confessed that he knew what Lyman had done to the Olds and was grateful, then offered to give him his share of the car. Just when the reader thinks old Henry has come back to life, he dives into the river and is sucked in by the strong current..