The Vietnam War is often viewed as a flashpoint in American History. Televisions, like the color television depicted in “The Red Convertible,” were common in households across the country. Images of war and devastation entered people’s homes and consciousness as never seen before. Protests occurred on college campuses and in cities around the country. Civil rights activists and women’s rights activists also largely opposed the war. These movements were simultaneously influencing huge cultural shifts within the American consciousness. As the war carried on with no end in sight, anti-war sentiment grew, and the nation became extremely polarized. The draft, which Lyman in “The Red Convertible” is lucky enough to avoid, was extremely unpopular and fear-provoking. The United States military suffered tremendous casualties, and many who returned home suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, just as Henry Junior does.

The term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) came into use in the 1970s because of the large number of returning veterans from Vietnam who suffered from the condition. Although post-war trauma was a well-known condition among veterans from the world wars of the first half of the twentieth century, it was known at the time as shell shock. PTSD would not become an official diagnosis until 1980. The symptoms often include flashbacks, disassociation, trauma-induced anxiety, and depression. Many veterans turned to substance abuse to alleviate their symptoms. It is estimated that thirty percent of Vietnam veterans experienced PTSD in their lifetimes. For many, the condition was and is chronic. “The Red Convertible” heartbreakingly depicts the outcome for many who suffered from wartime PTSD.