Content Warning: This sections contains references to war-related trauma and systemic racism against Indigenous Americans.

The story establishes itself as a character study from the beginning. The title situates the Oldsmobile as the focal point of the story, and Lyman reveals the end of that narrative in the first paragraph: Henry “buys out” Lyman’s share on a cold night, and now Lyman walks everywhere. The anecdote about the Joliet Café’s destruction confirms that Lyman is someone who loses things, and he loses them “quick” (178). Because the author discloses the last event of the story before he really begins, the question driving the reader forward isn’t primarily what happens (though the narrator’s ambiguously metaphorical account of what happened to the car and his brother does leave room for surprise). Instead, this is a story about why things happen and how they affect the people they happen to. The narrator’s comments on the story as it happens augment this search for understanding, making connections and drawing meaning from the events.

The structure of the story reflects the main character’s Coming of Age. When the narrator recalls a fond memory, he leans hard into nostalgia, indulging in lush or repetitive language.