Scarlet Ibis Theme Carelessness

The short story "The Scarlet Ibis" was written by James Hurst. This story is about a boy and his younger, disabled brother. Doodle was born and diagnosed as an invalid. Not being able to do certain things affected his life. The narrator set out to teach Doodle the things he never thought he could do. The narrator is described to be a prideful and determined person.

Doodle running may have been a cause of his death, in which Brother made him run knowing Doodle couldn't even walk. Since brother was disappointed and ashamed of doodle he obviously didn't love, much less like his brother or he wouldn't really be

At the time, Brother probably thought that Doodle was ailing from the weather. In reality, Brother was oblivious to the fact that his pride was making him push Doodle too hard, and that Brother’s pride was actually harming Doodle. Evidently, this contributed to what happened at the end, which said, “The knowledge that Doodle’s and my plans had come to naught was bitter, and that streak of cruelty within me awakened. I ran as fast as I could, leaving him far behind with a wall of rain dividing us… Soon I could hear his voice no more…I cried, shaking him, but

In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst writes about a troubling tale of two brothers, older and younger, living together on a small farm and the older brother trying to help his younger brother fit in with the world around him. Doodle, the younger brother, is a very sickly child, whom no one is expecting to live. As a result, the older brother is disappointed, since he wanted a brother that he could have fun with. Angered by the condition of his younger brother, the older brother becomes determined to change him, and he constantly pushes him toward becoming the brother that he had originally expected. Doodle learns a great deal of things from his brother, but all his learning comes at a dangerously high price to Doodle in the

By teaching him to walk. Doodle would have never been in the situations that caused his death if he never learned how to walk from the narrator. "Doodle stood on his own for a couple of seconds" (419). Doodle, previous to being taught how to walk, would have been doing something non-physical or being pulled around in his go cart in the field. Not running or walking out in the swamp with the

The reasoning behind the argument is that the narrator pushes Doodle to achieve more. The narrator pushes his younger brother to accomplish walking, something everyone thought to be impossible. On the contrary, the narrator’s pushing caused Doodle’s death. When it is evident that Doodle has failed what they set out to do, the narrator pushes him harder through the approaching storm. “... that streak of cruelty within me awakened.

He made doodle walk even though he didn’t have the physical ability. He made Doodle run through the storm which overworked his body. Brother made him show he was capable of doing things like other kids, so Brother wouldn’t be embarrassed.

Doodle’s death was not accident, it was murder, and there are three specific piece of evidence that prove that fact, despite the opinion of others who believe him innocent. The first reason is Doodle was to push too hard by his brother because Doodle couldn’t walk. The text shows, ‘I should have admitted defeat, but my pride wouldn’t let me’ (pg.601). His face turn red because he been too hard. The second reason is Doodle brother left him behind during a stormy weather. ‘I could leaving him far behind with a wall of rain dividing us’. (604). Doodle brother couldn’t handle it no more so he left him behind and Doodle died. The third is that his brother wanted to kill Doodle because he was crippled and couldn’t swim or do anything.

Brother taught Doodle how to walk this is why Doodle’s death was in Brothers hand. James Hurst says “The lighting was near now, and from fear he walked so close to me he kept stepping on my heels. The faster I walked the faster he walked”. “I heard Doodle, who had fallen behind crying out brother brother don’t leave me.(7) This shows good evidence that is was Brothers fault for doodle’s death. IT wasn't Brothers fault because Brother taught Doodle how to run so he could’ve ran fast and went with brother to avoid his death. Also nature was there for the accident so there was no possible way to avoid that

Why do people hurt the ones that they love? “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is a short story about a boy and his brother, Doodle. Doodle was not expected to live long, in fact, his parents had a baby casket made for him in the event of his passing. Doodle’s brother, the narrator of the story, is embarrassed to have a crippled brother and wants Doodle to be able to behave normally before he goes to school. The most powerful element that reveals the theme: “the things we love we must learn to leave alone” is the characters in the story.

As Brother’s deadline nears, Doodle is pushed past the zenith of his exhaustion, painfully portrayed in the story as,”School was only a few weeks away, and Doodle was far behind schedule. He could barely clear the ground when climbing up rope vines, and his swimming was certainly not passable. We decided to double our efforts, to make one last drive and reach our pot of gold. I made him swim until he turned blue and row until he couldn’t lift an oar. Wherever we went, I purposely walked fast, and although he kept up, his face turned red and his eyes became glazed. Once, he could go no further, so he collapsed on the ground and began to cry” (4). What Brother believes as improvement is doing far more harm than good, and is even farther from their goal. Too much strain can kill Doodle because of his weak heart; yet Brother is blinded by his own pride as he pushed Doodle to his absolute limit. Brother’s shattered pride is shown clearly in his devious actions displayed in the story such as, “When the deafening peal of thunder had d9ed, and in 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!’ The knowledge that Doodle’s and my plans had come to naught was bitter, and that streak of cruelty within me awakened. I ran as fast as

In families, it is very typical for the parents to tell their children to never leave your siblings, or family members, behind. Parents do this so the siblings, or family members, will protect each other from harm. However, the parents have not told the brother this since he leaves Doodle behind. In the story, the brother states, “The faster I walked, the faster he walked, so I began to run. The rain was coming, roaring through the pines, and then, like a bursting Roman candle, a gum tree ahead of us was shattered by a bolt of lightning. When the deafening peal of thunder had died, and in 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!’” He left Doodle on his own while a storm was drawing close to them. After running for a good distance, he turns back to go and retrieve Doodle. He calls his name out, and gets no answer. He gets closer and closer to Doodle, and eventually sees him curdled up. He tries to shake him to see if he will get up— no response. As he stands over Doodle’s body, he sees the blood running down his face. He was dead. Doodle may have injured himself when he fell, he may have had a terrible panic attack because his brother left him there, or both. After all, the parents should have taught the brother to not leave family behind, especially someone like

At the beginning, Doodle had been very hesitant to go along with his brother’s plans. He tried to argue with his brother. “I can’t walk, Brother,” Doodle said. “Who says so?” He demanded. “Mama, the doctor, everybody,” uttered Doodle. “Oh, you can walk,” The narrator said.” Shortly after that, Doodle began to follow the narrator’s orders and self ambitions. Soon, the narrator had acquired too much ambition, putting Doodle at risk. This is evident with Doodle’s constant cry, “don’t hurt me, Brother.” Little did the narrator know he would be pushing his brother too far. Later in the story, the narrator let his ambition overcome him and decided to keep on pushing his brother. He did not want a brother who could not do what other normal schoolboys could do. He admits to himself, “the knowledge that Doodle’s and my plans had come to naught was bitter, and that streak of cruelty within me awakened.” He believed what Doodle could not do would greatly affect him and his social

James Hurst is the author of the heart breaking short story entitled “The Scarlet Ibis”. “The Scarlet Ibis” is a short story about two brothers; one brother is healthy, while the other is physically handicapped. The short story is centered on the idea that the older, healthier brother’s selfishness and pride ultimately led to the death of his younger brother, Doodle. Numerous quotes throughout the story demonstrate Hurst’s use of symbolism and foreshadowing to portray and predict Doodle’s untimely and heartbreaking death.

The narrator feels the need to teach his brother these actions not for Doodle’s sake, but for his pride. In the text it says, “Black clouds began to gather in the southwest, and he kept watching them, trying to pull the oars a little faster” (6). It also states, “Doodle was both tired and frightened” (6). Doodle realizes that his brother won’t let him stop unless he tries intensively. This causes Doodle to be greatly tired as they run from the storm, ultimately causing his death.