Overcoming Barriers In The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

Foreshadowing, symbolism, and image are all elements which compose style.  All are very important; foreshadowing adds suspense, and symbolism contributes to interpretation.  Image contributes "visual aids" which, also, aid interpretation.  In this classic short story, "The Scarlet Ibis," by James Hurst, foreshadowing, symbolism, and image combine to create a true literary masterpiece.

Have your parents ever told you that you needed to improve at something? It could be a sport, activities, or even how well you do in school. This is a vile thing for parents to do to their children. Sometimes parents just need to back up a few steps and let you be yourself. The same can happen with an older sibling! That is the case in The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst. The narrator of this story has a younger brother called Doodle, who has some health issues. Big brother pushes little brother to be better than he is. In The Scarlet Ibis, Doodle strives for the goals that his brother sets for him for many reasons, which reflects the conflict in the story.

The narrator of James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis” feels proud of Doodle’s accomplishments, but at the same time his pride makes him disappointed because of Doodle’s disability. “The Scarlet Ibis” has many dark and complex metaphors and similes in a “heart warming” story. For instance, "It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead, but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree." This is one of the darker examples because, this metaphor is explaining how the narrator describes summer as being "dead" and autumn soon to be "born." The seasons dying and coming back to life fits with how death surrounds the story.

In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” the author, James Hurst, uses the words, “a wonderful, terrible thing” to describe pride. The narrator learns that while pride motivates people to move past their limitations to do fascinating things, pride can also lead them to do horrible actions, or worse. Pride is a positive emotion that humans feel when they achieve a goal or accomplish a difficult task, or in other words, pride represents one’s dignity.

“I did not realize then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.” The narrator of the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”, by James Hurst, showed very clearly that there are 2 different sides to pride.” The author s“There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.” This is a quote from John C. Maxwell about good and bad pride. This topic of good and bad pride comes from the book “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. This book explains how having too much pride in one’s self can create a negative product, or a positive product, as shown by the character Doodle and his brother. This is a story that shows how two younger brothers both have a heap of pride in themselves and each other and eventually learn how it can affect a person. The author of “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, proclaims that “Pride is a wonderful, terrible thing” to own. He shows the reader this through the two main characters, Doodle and his

According to Karl A. Menninger, “Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.” In “Scarlet Ibis”, Brother and Doodle shared a special bond by the activities and lessons Brother taught Doodle. Brother out of love taught Doodle how to walk, run, and jump even though Doodle was never supposed to be able to do any of those activities. Doodle recieved Brothers love through his actions and Doodle grew in his abilities. In “Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, Brother feels love, pride, and guilt for how he treated his brother Doodle.

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is a story about two brothers, one who had physical and mental disabilities and wasn’t able to do most things that other kids his age could do. Brother would constantly try to make Doodle “normal” by forcing him to do things that he wasn’t supposed to be doing, all because he didn’t want to have a brother who was different. One night during a hurricane Brother and Doodle were running home and Doodle couldn’t catch up so he ended up getting left behind and shortly died. Brother is responsible for Doodle’s death because in the story he admits that he tried killing Doodle before, and he was always rude to him.

A scarlet ibis is a tropical red bird, found in areas between South America and Florida. Birds in the past have been commonly used to symbolize freedom, and soaring beyond human limits, but they also project an aura that is light and delicate. “The Scarlet Ibis” is the title of James Hurst’s short story in which he uses symbolism between the bird and Doodle, an “invalid” younger brother of the narrator. Hurst uses the scarlet ibis as a symbol of Doodle by mirroring their situation, weakness, and beauty to foreshadow the ending of the story. What's created are two characters that hold deeper meaning than what is apparent.

In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, characters Brother and Doodle have a complex relationship. Most of their problems come from the ableist Brothers pride, towards Doodles disability. Before Brothers influence Doodle was perfect content with himself and his life, until pride started to effect their relationship for better and for worse. Brothers pride was both damaging and reviving for Doodle and his relationship.

In the short story “Scarlet Ibis” James Hurst uses indirect characterization to reveal the narrator’s inner selfishness and embarrassment towards his medically disabled brother by the use of dialogue and thoughts of the narrator which advises readers to accept who others are disregarding their physical features and abilities. For example, the narrator states that “it was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having [a brother] who possible was not all there was unbearable” (Hurst 2). The narrator expresses his selfishness by stating how having a disabled brother was horrible and how “it was bad enough.” However, he goes on saying having Doodle, his disabled brother, is better than not having a brother at all. Because of the embarrassment from Doodle’s disability, he sets out to find a way to get out of the shadow.

In James Hurst’s short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,“ James Hurst shows that pride can be both a positive and harmful force by showing how the narrator's pride both positively and negatively affects Doodle. The Scarlet Ibis is about Doodle, a young boy who was born with a defect that stops him from being able to be active like a normal boy, and the narrator, who is doodle’s older brother trying to get doodle to be like a normal boy. Although the narrator is able to get Doodle walking, he pushes Doodle too hard to be like him, and Doodle dies. When Doodle’s family is elated celebrating Doodle’s birthday and him being able to walk because of the narrator, the narrator is ashamed of himself because of the reason why he taught Doodle to walk. “They

In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” there are two main characters throughout, Doodle and his older brother. The entire setting of the story was based around Doodle’s brother, when he comes back home, he remembers Doodle, and how he blames himself for Doodle’s death. Doodle’s older brother; though not mentioned how old he is, and where he is now; is portrayed as a mean, naive teenager, who ¨killed¨ his younger brother, but he is still just a teenager. Majority who have read the story, have different perspectives/opinions about the characteristics of the brother. The author, James Hurst, of the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” uses social qualities and moral qualities to prove the character of Doodle’s brother, is caring, insecure, and very driven.

Most authors use the elements of fiction to create their short story. James Hurst writes a short story called, The Scarlet Ibis, in which he uses several elements of fiction. Hurst uses symbolism, theme, and conflict to develop his short story, The Scarlet Ibis. Hurst uses symbolism to create his short story, The Scarlet Ibis.

Brother reminds us throughout “The Scarlet Ibis” that pride can help us yet also hurt us. We often use our own pride to push not only ourselves as well as other’s over the limits. Brother demonstrates this particular task as his pride pushes Doodle past the limitations. The conflict exhibited in

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is a short story about a man looking back on his childhood and his experience with his little brother, Doodle. The author uses simile to foreshadow the ending of the story and to show the theme. One of the first examples of is when the protagonist’s parents decide on a name for their child, “They named him William Armstrong, which was like tying a big tail on a small kite,” (Hurst) The simile foreshadows the ending because it is exactly what happens in the ending. After the protagonist teaches his brother how to walk, he decides to train Doodle to fight, run, and swim.