28 pages • 56 minutes read
Louise ErdrichThe Red Convertible
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1974A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Historical Context: The Vietnam War
Content Warning: This section contains references to war-related trauma and systemic racism against Indigenous Americans.
The Vietnam War lasted from 1954 to 1975, with United States military intervention officially ending in 1973. The conflict began after the North Vietnamese revolution ended French colonial rule in 1954. The US provided military and financial aid to South Vietnam to support their fight against communist North Vietnamese forces, who had the support of the Soviet Union. The conflict is now widely regarded as a proxy war resulting from Cold War tensions. The war was famously unpopular among US citizens, with millions participating in the antiwar protest movement through the end of the 1960s.
As was the case in World War II and other past conflicts, Indigienous Americans served in disproportionately large numbers compared to other racial groups. One quarter of eligible Indigenous Americans served in the Vietnam War, while one twelfth of all eligible Americans served (Holm, Tom. “Strong Hearts, Wounded Souls: An Excerpt: Chapter 4: A Legacy of War: The American Indian Vietnam Generation.” Wicazo Sa Review, vol. 11, no. 2, 1995, pp. 2-15). The Trauma of War led many veterans of the conflict to develop PTSD, and it was in part their experiences that led to the establishment of PTSD as a formal diagnosis in 1980 (though accounts of the symptoms of course predate this, using terms like “shell shock” or “combat fatigue”).
Socio-Historical Context: Tribal Sovereignty
The middle of the 20th century saw several big changes in federal policies and programs, radically altering the relationship between tribal governments and the United States. The policy of “termination” ended the US government’s unique relationship with a number of tribes, ending aid programs and protection promises and rescinding recognition of tribal sovereignty. Relocation programs offered vocational training and financial support to Indigenous Americans living in rural areas if they moved to cities. By the end of the 1960s, nearly half of the Indigenous American population resided in urban areas, although few saw the higher-paying jobs and better quality of life they moved to find. Both termination and relocation aimed to move them from their tribal lands, the idea being that they would (and should) abandon their tribal affiliations and assimilate as US citizens.
For the Vietnam War generation of Indigenous Americans, termination and relocation contributed to distrust of the US government. However, there were still several factors that might motivate someone to join the military despite this, including poverty, a sense of duty, and a cultural tradition of warriorhood (Holm).
Authorial Context: Indigenous Storytelling Traditions
Louise Erdrich cites her German American and Ojibwe heritage as influential forces on her work. History from both sets of grandparents has served as the basis for several her short stories and novels. Her grandfather, Pat Gourneau, was an Ojibwe tribal elder and political activist. His testimony before Congress helped the tribe keep their land during the policy of termination, and Erdrich has said he “was a very strong figure in [her] life” (Kurup, Seema. Understanding Louise Erdrich. University of South Carolina Press, 2016, pp. 2).
Erdrich was raised in both her Catholic and Ojibwe heritages, participating in both cultures throughout her life. On the Ojibwe influence on her writing, she says, “remembering through storytelling is a traditional and time-honored form of preserving Ojibwe heritage” (Kurup 2). The influence of indigenous oral traditions is evident in “The Red Convertible,” where Erdrich employs a first-person narrator and a colloquial style to convey the impression that Lyman is speaking directly to readers.
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