The Symbolism of Car in American Culture

Road movies enhance this notion with being free of the religious establishment and the government establishment - allowing one’s self to expand beyond the societal structure to test the possible boundaries. Steven Cohan combines a collection of diverse and engaging excerpts on movies from Bob Hope to Thelma and Louise to illustrate this point. The movies discussed in this essay chronicle road movies from America over the course of history from the Great Depression, to World War II, through current times. The nature of American society is brought to light through the presentation of a variety of movie

The car is one of the most important elements that develops and supports the theme brotherhood. The car is a symbol that is meant to show Lyman and Henry’s close bond, and it holds the key to their definitive separation. The red convertible is also a symbol of success, and a connection to the white world for both Henry and Lyman “ I was

The story “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich is a story with symbolic importance. Often you find that a lifeless object can be more important than the actual characters of the story. In this story that object is the red Oldsmobile convertible. This is a story of two Native American brothers of the Chippewa descent, Lyman and Henry Lamartine, who through their car that they purchased together form an unbreakable bond. Although the car itself represents the most symbolic item in the story, the color red also seems to come up in other forms than the car and plays a very symbolic part in the story. The red convertible is the main symbolism of the story and source of communication between the two brothers and the color red illustrates further the symbolism in the story. In America, the color red has positive and negative symbolic representations. The positive being passion, strength, love and energy. The negative being blood aggression, danger and war. Through the Native American culture, the color red represents a color of faith while also symbolizing communication. Throughout the story we read of both positive and

There was no actual evident mention of their American part of lifestyle until this point of their life, dealing with Henry after war. In the end, the reader can see that red convertible is a bigger representation of Henry and his individual changes after the Vietnam than anything else. It is his changes that affect his whole family and thus his strong relationship with his brother and thus why the car also counterparts their brotherly relationship. Further as the red convertible re-introduces itself throughout the story, it is the first and foremost object that shows the lifestyle of Henry and Lyman as Chippewa and American members of society.

The automobile "is making leisure-time enjoyment a regularly expected part of every day and week rather than an occasional event." (Document 11) Along with other early 21st century innovations, the automobile greatly changed the way Americans lived their lives. However, not all cultural changes regarding the automobile were positive. The automobile lured many families into an investment they could not afford to upkeep.

The characters in this short story have an object which they seem to both enjoy and use to bond with one another by taking trips. Erdrich, uses the car as a symbolism of the bond that the Lamartine brothers share. The trips that both brothers went on were full of adventure and joy and much of that joy came from having the car and

Based on Frank Romero's "Going to the Olympics" I infer his feeling towards car culture is that they are an essential for LA citizens. Romero's palette of colors consists of vibrant colors such as yellow, green, blue and red. This brings upon a fun mood for viewers along with the shape of the cars. The cars are drawn in cartoon way adding more fun to the mural. Romero emphasizes the idea of love for cars by including hearts above the cars. The hearts are also drawn with vibrant colors to tie in the idea of Romero.

The exhibits of the cabin and the wilderness indicates the desire of the settlers building homes out of pure wilderness, using their imagination beyond the stars to achieve and continue to strive and progress. The fresh crisp air invading the Americans to feel free to do the impossible, to dream and believe that the sky is the limit. The Chevy Silverado ad is a representation of what the American spirit is all about and how it has been a huge part in our history. Also, the captivating scenario of the open, empty land background manifests a different timeframe with no technology. The display of the red pickup truck in front persuades the audience to swallow and give into the Silverado, indulging them to believe in the capacity of doing more such as traveling, being able to relocate and explore. It also embarks it by having smarter components which makes it easy to navigate the land, and is strong to hold the impossible. The security blanket that twisted over the audience is into making them feel secured because somehow the trucks components can be related to the logic, and sympathy of a mankind. The components that were assembled into the ad were not vividly specific, but they were definitely tied into American values, which is a representation of the American spirit. The Chevrolet Silverado embodies the mindset of exploring new frontiers with great optimist and

Admiration for individuality, a common theme throughout “The Pink Car”, is constantly mentioned through the words of the Mark Halliday. Halliday personifies the cars in the poem as people; specifically focusing in on the pink car. He repeatedly describes the other cars in a jaundiced way; for example, he would characterize these cars as boisterous, rowdy, and big. However, he identifies the pink car as disparate, one who does not worry or care about other “cars’” perspectives. The author wrote, “Other cars might honk their horns to seem big- // the pink car doesn’t honk and doesn’t worry” (Halliday 25-26). Halliday symbolizes the car as ‘pink’ because society commonly construes the color as feminist, sweet, playful, the color of love, flowers and romantic. His intention of this poem was to help one find peace within themselves. The author wanted the reader to see that pointing out one’s flaws and blemishes cause people to become someone who is arrogant and too self confident by referring to the other cars who did not have the characteristics of the pink car. This poem definitely delineates what one wants to find in themselves, the satisfaction and happiness they eventually discover. The author characterizes the pink car with a certain type of satisfaction and pride which helps people look at themselves in a much more positive and confident way. He wanted people to read this poem, and have people realize that appearance does not define one’s personality. He wanted people to grasp, that in a similar way, pink should not let society define what it is.

Automobiles are such a significant part of our culture today and have been for the past century as a whole. From the big screen to the pages of a book they can play seemingly important roles that cannot be ignored. Often times these vehicles can assume almost human like characteristics which can cause you, the viewer/reader, to develop a relationship with these inanimate objects whether they are the new, beautiful and sleek sports car or the old, ratty and beat-up truck. In Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible” there are many occurrences in which the state of repair that the Olds is in gives you the sense that it closely represents Lyman’s current feelings towards his brother and how these feelings change and evolve throughout the length of the story.

The Great Depression has been depicted as one of the most hopeless and desolate times in American history. We connect the time period with pictures of the unemployed, tattered clothing, starvation, and poor. But during this time, not all was lost. A few companies and brands survived the Great Depression, and actually found ways to stay successful and push past the devastated economy. The era before the Great Depression was known as “The Roaring Twenties”, this was when American lifestyles were lavish and consumerism was flourishing. Post World War I, the economy thrived and there was great change in American culture with the introduction of new technologies, music, fashion, and literature. The brands and companies that were able to survive

First, the convertible symbolizes Henry's emotions throughout the story. At the beginning, Henry was happy and free as could be. The car

Automobiles symbolize the good and bad, people often look at the make of the car.

Fast Car, originally composed and performed by Tracy Chapman in 1988, is a contemporary song that has captured the hearts of audiences of all ages around the world for decades. In this piece, the persona takes the listener on not only a physical, but also on an emotional and imaginative journey, as she tells us her story of desperate hope to escape the place she lives in order to make a better life for herself elsewhere, and the obstacles she must overcome to do so. Through this text, Chapman effectively communicates that searching for something better is often the reason we embark on a journey, as well as exploring the fact that taking a physical journey does not always mean that we escape the problems that exist in our life. She also

The automobile has had a tremendous impact on society and the environment since its development in the beginning of the 20th century. Today, there are over 500 million motor vehicles on the earth. The automobile's efficiency, style, and performance have changed over the years, but there is one thing that has not - the pollution the automobile generates. Because of the pollution, people find themselves asking whether this technology has helped our society or hurt it. Should the consequences of the automobile be cause to eliminate it? Or should science develop technology to eliminate the pollution caused by the car?