Comparative Analysis of Setting and Symbolism in Louise Erdrich’s “the Red Convertible” and Jhumpa Lahiri’s “a Temporary Matter”

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The demise of family relationships is a common theme among Louise Erdrich’s The Red Convertible and Jhumpa Lahiri’s A Temporary Matter. In both stories, relationships begin as strong and promising. Over time, however, they become inflicted by unfortunate life circumstances that lead to their termination. Erdrich and Lahiri use the environment of the characters and the possessions they are most passionate towards to represent the separation between family members in different ways. In The Red Convertible, Erdrich varies the geographic setting to reflect the relationship changes among the characters. Henry and Lyman embark on several nationwide road trips together. These trips emphasized their unified and worry-free relationship, as Lyman recollects during one of the trips: “[I] was comfortable. So comfortable … And quiet, it was quiet … I feel good” (Erdrich 355). However, once the setting changes and Henry is drafted into Vietnam, the brothers’ relationship becomes distant. After his return, Lyman describes Henry as “very different, and … the change [is] no good” (Erdrich 357). Similarly, Lahiri also uses the setting to illustrate the relationship between Shoba and Shukumar. However, unlike Erdrich, Lahiri keeps the geographic setting constant and alters it through light and darkness. Under the light and in the same household, the couple is unhappy in their marriage. Shukumar states that Shoba “sought him out, yet he’d come to dread it” (Lahiri 400), displaying his contempt for Shoba in forcing herself to engage with him. Once the same household becomes dark, their relationship improves. They begin to bond and feel liberated in their marriage, as shown by their sexual intimacy. The state of the red convertible symbolizes the relationship status between Henry and Lyman. Initially, the brothers purchase and repair the car together. The car, and therefore their

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