A Brothers Love Essay Example for Free

A Brothers Love EssayWhen you compare Louis Erdrichs fib The Red Convertible and James Baldwins figment Sonnys vapors, they seem like completely divergent stories. The Red Convertible is about devil brothers, Lyman and henry, who grow up on a Native Ameri ass reservation in North Dakota. The devil brothers share a strong bond that is personified finished their love for a certain red car that they share. They go through an amazing Journey and discover a lot about each other. On the other hand, Sonnys Blues is also about two brothers, however their Journey goes a completely diametrical oute than Lyman and Henrys. In Sonnys Blues, the fibber and his teeny-weeny brother, Sonny, get rolling out as distant and forgotten family members. through Sonnys love for music, and his older brothers gradual acceptance, the two grow a stronger bond than ever before. Although the two are indeed about different topics, there are some parallels to recognize as well. The Red Convertible and Sonnys Blues are analogous for many reasons, but the most prominent similarity is the theme of brotherhood. For instance, in Sonnys Blues, the dynamic between the two brothers changes from eing completely distant to finally understanding each other, despite their differences.The growth of a kind is an classic factor in true brotherhood. An example of the two brothers taking a step in the chastise direction is when they meet after Sonny is let out of prison. It has been a while since they have verbalise last, and the older brother narrates, miet, when he smiled, when we shook hands, the baby brother Id never cognise looked out from the depths of his unavowed life, like an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light. (Baldwin, 312) The other brother is realizing that e has never really known his baby brother because his true self was always buried beneath the mask of his drug addiction.We can see here that the other brother is seeing that Sonny is stressful to let himself i nto the light, or trying to finally get himself to a better place in life. The turning point in the yarn where Sonnys love for music gets truly understood by his brother, is at the end of the story when he is performing his gig. The older brother states, For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must(prenominal) be heard. There isnt any other tale to tell, its the only light weve got in all this darkness. (Baldwin, 324) This line by Sonnys older brother shows that he has finally opened up his heart to accept that his little brother is getting better and expressing himself through music. Like in Sonnys Blues, Henry and Lyman go through a similar Journey in The Red Convertible, where they discover their own Journey through brotherhood. Unlike Sonnys furtherance of his human relationship noush his brother, Henry and Lymans relationship starts out very strong but dies out in the end. Although the two stories have different outcomes, the core theme of brotherhood is the same.In The Red Convertible, Henry and Lyman are silk hat friends, and spend every moment hanging out with each other. They are inseparable, until Henrys decision to Join the forces for three years tears them apart. When Henry returns, Lyman is concerned as he remembers the times wed sit still for the whole afternoon, Henry always had a Joke, then, too, and now you couldnt get him to laugh (Erdrich, 74). Lyman is realizing that his brother nas changed and is disassociated wit n his tormer selt. Lyman is pain stricken because the strength of their brotherhood was slipping through his fingers.Overall, both stories express the motive and strength that a brotherhood can give. Despite their similarities in overall theme, the two stories are different regarding the symbols that connect the brothers. In Sonnys Blues, the factor that allowed Sonny and his brother to break the barrier between them was his music. Living in Harlem, t here isnt many ways to express yourself or let yourself be heard, so music was an escape. Through Sonnys infatuation with music, his brother was able o see beyond his drug addiction and begin to start the re-birth of their relationship.At the end of the story, Sonnys brother was watching him play, But Just before they started playing again, Sonny sipped from it and looked toward me, and nodded (Baldwin, 326). At this point, it is as if Sonnys brother accepted him through the music and finally feels that connection that only brothers can share. euphony is a central symbol in Sonnys Blues and creates a stepping stone for the two brothers relationship to grow. On the other hand, we have The Red Convertible, which has a uch different object that directs the story.In The Red Convertible, Henry and Lymans relationship is driven by their love for their red car they had bought together. The red flashy car resembles the boys resilient and unworried view on life, and the strength of the bon d they shared in the beginning of the story. However, after Henry returns from Vietnam, he is a changed man and according to Lyman, The change was no good. (Erdrich, 72) Lyman hopes that the car might bring the old Henry back somehow (Erdrich, 75), but is let down when Henry shows no interest in he car.Ironically, Henry ends up destroying the car which, symbolically, destroys the relationship between the two brothers as well. Like the music in Sonnys Blues, the red car in The Red Convertible was a symbol for the change in the brothers relationship. The relationship between two brothers can be transitive, whether it starts distant and grow close like in Sonnys Blues, or the other way around as we saw in The Red Convertible. While each story may have different symbols and storylines, we still see the theme of both the true nature of brotherhood.