The Red Convertible Essay with Quotes
English 211
Essay 2 Assignment: Theme
Format of Final Essay 2: Typed, double-spaced, Times 12 Roman font, 2-pages long, 1-inch margins all around, stapled in the upper lefthand corner, MLA format.
In this essay, you will focus on theme in Kate Chopin's “Desiree's Baby” or Louise Erdrich's “The Red Convertible.” You will need to use at least two to three quotes per body paragraph, plus commentary on how the quote supports your point. Keep all your discussion of the works in present tense.
Make sure you proofread your work carefully; typos, poor grammar, and spelling errors will adversely affect your grade.
Your Introduction needs to end with a thesis, which is a statement of the main point that you will be proving in your essay. A thesis can be 1-3 sentences. Here is an example of a thesis statement based on a short story. Yours should look somewhat like this (note that the author's name and the name of the short story must be included in the thesis):
Course Instructor
Course Title
Date of Submission
The Red Convertible
The red convertible is a story authored by Louise Erdich. The story describes the memory of Lyman about his brother Henry, who is the protagonist. The two brothers bought a red convertible on impulse; it gave them many experiences, which marked the good times, during their brotherhood. However, after Henry leaves for the Vietnam War, his spirit breaks, he grows into a worrisome man, and the relationship with the brother changes – never to get back to the way they used to be before. This essay discusses the theme of brotherhood – which explicates the change of outlook towards life and relationships – from the case of Henry, as told in The Red Convertible by Louise Erdich.
DISCUSSION
The theme of brotherhood is told through the experience of Lyman, about his brother Henry, who used to be a calm man, but after his experiences and time at the war, he changed to an exceedingly restless man. Lyman expresses the nature of his brother, as one who “sat for afternoons, never moving a muscle” (936). The experiences of the brother demonstrate the profound change in Henry, which could have resulted from his entry into the military and his combat experience, which changed his calm nature. Lyman elaborates his feelings about the brother, explaining that he must have experienced many bad experiences, as “the change ... in him ... was no good” (936). He changes from the brother that Lyman used to know; to a man that he was not sure, whether he was really the brother. Henry’s indifferent mood strains their brotherhood and the brother, and as a result hurt his emotions about him. The brother appears very different from the man Lyman would spend quality time with, sharing the carefree and calm time with the red olds. To Lyman, “it was a fact ... that...Henry had become jumpy and mean” (936). The feelings of the brother communicate the previous nature of the brother, which raises concerns in Lyman.
Through the theme of brotherhood, the change of personality that took place in Hen...