James Hurst Death Foreshadowing Analysis

Hurst again uses bird symbols in the story when he vividly describes, “The bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud.” (Hurst 5). While telling the story of the ibis, Hurst is simultaneously describing Doodle’s demise. Right before Doodle dies, he is attempting to catch up to his brother in the thunderstorm. Even though Doodle tries hard to catch up to his brother, much like the bird who is attempting to fly, Doodle’s physical shortcomings cause him to fail. Hurst then directly relates Doodle’s death to a bird when he is describing Doodle’s death. Doodle’s brother recounts, “I screamed above the pounding storm and threw my body to the earth above his. For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.” (Hurst 6). Hurst related Doodle’s dead body to the dead ibis from earlier in the story. This metaphor seems to help his brother come to terms with what has happened. Although he had been cruel to him by running ahead of him, he is comforting Doodle now that he is dead. The many bird symbols throughout The Scarlet Ibis help to further support the theme of death in the

Doodle screams for him to not leave him, foreshadowing the way Doodle screams out for his brother in the storm, who causes him to die, just like the how the brother is the cause of Doodle touching his coffin, and in a way, his own death. The whole passage foreshadows almost exactly how Doodle dies, and how his brother becomes a factor in his death. It contributes to the mood by foreshadowing his death, keeping the reader on their toes. Readers can sense the eerie mood when the two interact with each other. They can see how superior the brother is, and how he can easily command Doodle to do anything, up to the point where he pushes him past his limit. Readers, in suspense, will then want to keep reading to see how this attribute of the brother will take a toll later on in the story. As the story continues, readers can infer that the brother is a very proud person, a characteristic that can be used for both good and bad. “It seemed so hopeless from the beginning that it’s a miracle I didn’t give up. But all of us must have something or someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine. I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.” (Hurst 617) This statement foreshadows how the

When Doodle dies, he is being compared to the scarlet ibis, who died in a similar way. This creates a connection between the reader and the characters.

The despondent mood at the beginning of the story, mirrors the loss of innocence of the narrator because he had to face the responsibility and guilt of Doodle’s death.

After Doodle dies, Brother throws his body on top of him crying and “sheltering [his] fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.” Brother grows up with Doodle, teaches him how to walk, and is proud of how much he has accomplished. Brother even calls Doodle as his, showing possessiveness. Nevertheless, he feels guilty, that he was the reason his brother died. The act of sheltering Doodle also shows his guilt because previously, Brother did not protect him or show his love. Nonetheless, now that he is dead, Brother is protecting Doodle because he had not done so before. Another example where a remorseful tone is present is as Brother is hearing the oriole singing, he feels sorrowful as the song “seems to die up in the leaves.” The tone the author sets is opposite to what emotions are typically felt about a bird singing. Instead of making Brother feel happy, it is the opposite, creating a feeling of sorrow and remorse. Hurst’s word choice contributes to this. The word “die” gives off a negative connotation, seeming as if the happiness of the song is fading away in the leaves of the tree. The elm tree also has a direct relationship with Doodle, and this reminder causes sadness and guilt in Brother. Clearly, the tone is impactful in conveying Brother’s

The main character, Doodle was supposed to die when he was younger, but since he did not his coffin was stored in the barn. Brother knew that Doodle’s coffin was in there so he brought Doodle up to the barn and forced him to touch the coffin he was supposed to be buried in. The author states, “‘Then I’ll leave you here by yourself,’ I threatened, and made as if I were going down. Doodle was frightened of being left,’Don’t leave me Brother,’ he cried and leaned toward the coffin.” (Hurst 2) This quote demonstrates how Brother showing Doodle his coffin is similar to how in the end Brother showed Doodle potentially his death by leaving him in the storm. This also shows how Doodle is afraid to be left behind much like in end when he yells at Brother “Don’t leave me, don’t leave me!” Just like he did in the barn. Therefore, these two scenes symbolize each other and how both times Doodle is incapable of helping himself and is dependent on Brother, but in both instances Brother does not care about Doodle’s needs and the fact that he

He has been characterized as cruel by making Doodle push himself to death. After a very difficult lesson, a storm arose and the two brothers were separated. “When the deafening peal of thunder had died, and at the moment before the rain arrived, I heard Doodle, who had fallen behind, cry out, ‘Brother, Brother, don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!’” (182). The narrator has developed into Doodle’s best friend, mentor, and protector. Doodle needed the protection from his brother when he fell behind. At the beginning of the story the narrator would have just left Doodle behind to die, but now that they have grown a relationship, he waited for Doodle to catch up. “‘Doodle!’ I screamed above the pounding storm and threw my body to the earth above his. For a long, long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain” (183). The narrator has developed into affectionate, knowledgeable young adult. This incident is nearing the end of Doodle’s life, and he did not want to lose him. It is also evident that the narrator has become Doodle’s protector. Doodle later dies, the narrator released many sad

“The Scarlet Ibis” is written by James Hurst is a short story that takes place on a cotton farm in the south during World War 1. A boy named Doodle dreams about flying because he is not very mobile. The author uses different types of birds to compare Doodle too. James Hurst used flying as a metaphor for Doodle throughout the whole story.

The Narrator is a very smart, loving, yet insecure person. After the death of his brother Doodle, he remembers all of the mistakes he made and feels very bad about it. Even though he loved his brother very much, he treated him wrong many different times. For example when his brother was five years old he was embarrassed by him and to be seen with him because of the fact he couldn’t walk even though he knew Doodle was paralyzed. Out of shame teaches him to walk and other things that push Doodle too hard. One day, a rare, injured bird alights in a backyard tree. It falls and dies, foreshadowing Doodle’s early death. He is killed after being deserted by his brother in a terrible storm. Because of all of the terrible things he did and how he treated Doodle he deals with his death with grief and

First of all, the scarlet ibis has many meaning throughout the story. To start off, the scarlet ibis that had died represents how small and fragile it was like Doodle, but what most importantly should be seen is that the bird was in a place that it should not be at when it arrived at Doodle’s yard. Just like the bird, Doodle was out of place because he was different from everyone else, he was fragile. Also, when Doodle had died, his brother stands by his brother and cries about his death. “He had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red” (Hurst 426). Just like the scarlet ibis, Doodle ends up dying on the same way. With his neck twisted like the scarlet ibis and had bloodying falling from his mouth. Symbolism shows a great deal to how it contributes to the

For example in the story it says,“He seemed all head, with a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man’s. Everybody thought he was going to die” (Hurst ll. 20-21) In addition to this the author also says, “Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpenter, build a little mahogany coffin for him.” (Hurst l. 24). Both of these can amount to the foreshadow of Doodle dying at an early age. Along with this, the author also talks about a ‘bleeding tree’. “bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree (Hurst l.300). Doodle was born with a condition that made his body red at birth. This color can symbolize death and blood in the story. The coffin could be used as a foreshadow to Doodle’s death and represent blood or dying by being the color red. The ‘bleeding tree’ symbolizes blood, like when Doodle died and was bleeding from his mouth. All of these ideas can connect into one and represent as foreshadow towards Doodle’s death at the end of the

The cruelness the narrator shows over the course of their relationship ultimately killed him. Even when Doodle was a young boy the narrator chose cruel ways to torture his brother. Everyone thought Doodle was going to die as a baby so his parents got a casket built, however remarkably Doodle lived. His parents

(346) Doodle then begs Brother not to leave him. This may be a foreshadowing of Doodle's death, as both circumstances were brought about by a streak of cruelty on Brother's part and Doodle died only because Brother left

At the start of the story, Brother resents Doodle because he is not like a normal brother. Doodle is unable to walk or function without help, Brother thinks this is an inconvenience because he wants a brother to go on adventures with and have fun with. Doodle’s older brother is cruel to him but Doodle responds by thriving and becoming more capable of everyday activities in spite of the treatment, until one day, Doodle dies from being pushed too hard. Moreover, the tired and weary bird which lands on the tree in the yard foreshadows what will happen to Doodle when Hurst reveals, “Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still.” (9). By this happening, it

There were several instances of foreshadowing which indicated the possible ending of the story, indicating the son’s death. First of all, the wife always wears black dresses and black is usually worn whenever a person passes away. Second, the twitching bird is a possible foreshadowing of the son’s situation. The bird was seen under a tree and it can be inferred that the bird fell. Since one of the son’s attempts in committing suicide was learning how to fly, the twitching bird can foreshadow the son’s successful attempt in