111). Knox says Dean argues that the privileged veteran would receive better treatment and medical attention compared to his impoverished counterpart (111). Neal also states that the communities and employers of Vietnam veterans treated them as if they had just gotten back from a vacation (140). This casual handling left veterans in a strange position. The skills they received in war were not transferable to the workplace, but the government and society did not see any reason to treat vets as different individuals (Neal 140). Adjusting to normal life, free of explosions and chaos proved to be difficult for many veterans. The results of the war are shown in one section of “The Red Convertible.” Henry is sitting very intently watching the television when he bites though his tongue. Lyman goes to turn the television off and Henry knocks him against the wall. Henry seems not to realize that he is bleeding, even later while he is eating supper with blood dripping all over his food (Erdrich 296-297). This is just one of many common experiences of those suffering with PTSD. They often seem to feel numb to their surroundings and bodily pain. The sudden acts of violence are usually not intentionally directed toward the unsuspecting victim. The main difficulty that veterans with the disorder face is the lack of the ability to forget unwanted memories (Neal 141). Their experiences of exploding soldiers and gunfire were so vivid that they could even smell smoke from explosions that would replay in their head. The veterans would have flashbacks of war scenes and act them out uncontrollably in the middle of the day while walking down the street. Horrible nightmares would also cause PTSD sufferers to wake up screaming in a drenching sweat (Neal 141). The experiences of the war would often lead to personality changes. Just as Henry was quiet and hard to talk to, those suffering from PTSD have trouble communicating with other...
