The theme in short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is being too prideful can hurt your loved ones because of your selfishness. This theme is shown throughout the short story, and is first introduced when the narrator begins to help his brother because he is ashamed of the disabilities he has. Doodle, the narrator’s brother, was not born healthy and normal as he should’ve been. No one had hope that Doodle would survive past three months. The narrator had thought “It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who was possibly not all there was unbearable” (Hurst 2). This begins the embarrassment that the narrator has of his brother. Later in the short story, the narrator decides to teach his disabled brother how to walk after …show more content…
After many weeks of practicing, for a few moments, Doodle stood up by himself. Eventually, Doodle could walk for a few seconds. One morning the narrator and Doodle decided to show their family that Doodle could walk. The narrator helped Doodle up and “Doodle walked slowly across the room and sat down at his place at the table” (Hurst 5). The narrator took pride in teaching his brother how to walk. Later on, he began to teach Doodle other abilities. But the narrator had only taught his brother how to do other activities for his own benefit. During a storm the narrator and Doodle got trapped in, the narrator left Doodle behind. The narrator was too prideful to turn around and help his brother, and his brother ended up dying. The narrator was selfish in teaching his brother how to walk and more out of embarrassment, and since he got paraded for teaching his brother he continued to help his brother, only to have his brother die. Having too much pride can hurt your loved ones because you are not aware that you have become too selfish to care for others, like your own
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.
The author of “The scarlet Ibis,” James Hurst, suggests through the actions of his characters and his use of language the theme that too much pride can lead people to do things that can have devastating results. James Hurst quoted, “But all of us must have something or someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine.” The narrator has a need to make Doodle better to give himself something to be proud of and receive recognition for his actions. The narrator is talking about an event that happened in the past when he tried to teach his brother, Doodle, to walk. He looks back on it with the insight of an adult who has struggled with the consequences of his prideful actions.
In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, Hurst illustrates the struggle of one boy with his disability and his and his brothers expectations.
This causes the Narrator to be embarrassed of his brother and want to fix the issue by pushing him to learn to walk. This shows that he is being selfish because he's fixing an issue that may seem like he's benefiting Doodle, although this is true, he is really doing it for himself. Most people do not do, or try to do selfish things to people they know or love. This shows that the Narrator does not care or love Doodle and think he's annoying. At the end of the Story when Doodle dies, we see that the Narrator is very sad and want Doodle back. So he went from being selfish, using Doodle, and treating him badly to loving him and being mournful.This is clear change in the Narrator, further proving that he is a dynamic
Doodle’s brother taught him these things because he was tired of having a brother who couldn’t do anything. So he taught him, and he pushed Doodle harder and harder so that he didn’t have to deal with him. Showing his family that Doodle could walk, and Doodle’s brother realized what he could accomplish. Doodle’s brother continued to push him until one day, he pushed too hard. He knew a storm was coming, but hesitated at returning home because of Doodle’s failed attempts of running and walking. The brother recognized that a, “streak of cruelty within me awakened. I ran as fast as I could, leaving him far behind” (Hurst 117). This revealed the side of pride that resulted in death. That too much pride will fill you up, and you will keep continuing it until it
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
Doodle was born prematurely, so early that he was severely disabled, which his brother never failed to remind him every chance he got. He was made a casket shortly after he was born, as he wasn’t expected to live for a long period of time. The narrator highly disliked is brother, so much that he made him touch his casket, leading to him to realize how he could use Doodle. ‘Doodle was paralyzed, so I put him on my shoulder and carried him down the ladder, and even when we were
Could pride take over a person's life? In "The Scarlet Ibis" written by James Hurst, the Narrator was the only son of the family, as far as he was at the age of six, the Narrator had a brother. He loved his little brother, but the Narrator's family has thought that Doodle would not survive the main issue of his life and not being able to do stuff. The Narrator and his family finally had seen that he could talk, and there was no sign of walking. The Narrator had to take his bother everywhere he had to go in his little go-cart. Which though the Narrator had been tired of carrying him around in the the go-cart, which, made him think that he can teach Doodle how to walk. Everyone was amused that Doodle could walk and now the Narrator for his pride of making him walk had consumed his mind and pressured Doodle to do more thinks before summer was over and start school. In the last week, before school started, in the bloody tree there was a Scarlet Ibis and fell down with no coordinated and died fragile, feathers everywhere. After that afternoon the Narrator's pride had vanished and ran home and left his brother who had fallen down.The moment that the Narrator had realized that he had pressured him and look for Doodle, he had died so similar to the Scarlet Ibis, delicate, blood all over ad with no coordination. For this reason, the Narrator is innocent and had not having nothing to do with his brother recognizing
The older brother was pushing through with teaching Doodle to walk since he wanted so much to become proud of him. “Pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.” The older brother thinks. -Hurst 2. This metaphor compares pride to a seed that has two vines, one life and one death, meaning that sometimes good can come from pride, and sometimes bad can come from pride. In this story, the older brother has bad come from his pride, which he unfortunately lets cloud his judgment, and lets his pride make his decisions. He later realizes that pride does not always lead to the best path. They showed their family that Doodle could walk, and instead of feeling happy, the older brother felt guilty because he had not done it for Doodle, he had done it for himself, and his pride. “I did it for myself, that pride, whose salve I was.” Doodle’s older brother thought. -Hurst 3. He compares himself to a salve that belongs to pride, as if he was promoting pride. He was, because he had let it take over his actions,like when he taught Doodle to walk. In The Scarlet Ibis, the theme, it is not good to let pride influence decisions and actions, is shown another way through
If the narrator wasn't embarrassed by his brother and wasn't scared his pride would be hurt because of Doodle, they wouldn't have bonded and showed their love for each other. The narrator's Pride also leads to him pushing Doodle too hard. This Pride ultimately becomes a destructive force, highlighting the theme of pride: “Now come on, and I helped him up as we slipped through dog days, Doodle began to look feverish” (Hurst 47). Because the narrator was so embarrassed of his brother he tried pushing him to become “normal”, however, while doing this he ended up pushing Doodle too hard and hurt him. This shows how trying to save your pride can lead to cruelty and negative effects.
“At that moment 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). This particular quotation is a symbol of the narrator’s brother, which he was exhausted before death just like the ibis in “The Scarlet Ibis”, by James Hurst. The narrator has a disabled brother with an abnormally large head, Doodle, who embarrassed and damaged his pride. The narrator’s emotions lead him to teaching Doodle how to walk, run, and swim to achieve an equally talented brother. The narrator’s pride, however, lead to overworking his brother, too tired to flee from the approaching storm, ending in a tragic death. Through these characters’ perspectives, Hurst shows that it is acceptable to be proud of their loved ones, but pride can be harmful to them if people force them into acts that are not in their best interest.
He defied all odds and soon exceeded everyone's expectations. Also, on page five in the short story, "The Scarlet Ibis", the narrator tells how Brother teaches Doodle how to walk. At first, Doodle could not walk, but he kept trying, and soon learned the ability to walk on his own. " Finally one day, after many weeks of practicing, he stood by himself for a few seconds" ("The Scarlet Ibis" 5). This line on page five is where Doodle, after many tries, walked.
Is pride powerful enough to come between two brothers? "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst showes that the Narrator is thinking more about his own pride and less about his brother Doodle. He didn't like the facts that he would have a brother who wasn't all there or who is different from everyone else. Even when he showes Doodle how to walk he didn't do it to help Doodle but for his own pride. The Narrators pride taking over is what killed Doodle in the end and is why the Narrator is guilty of his brothers death.
He also begins to realize that, “pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.” (6). Throughout the story, the narrator also stresses how pride is double-sided as a “wonderful, terrible thing.” Pride has two different outcomes and often leads to unexpected events. It pushes one to achieve one’s goals, but can also be destructive if one loses sight of what the true aim of the task is. As the protagonist’s pride pushes Doodle further from isolation, he becomes obsessed with his desperate need for the “ideal” sibling, resulting in Doodle’s untimely death. The narrator’s thoughts represent the unawareness he has of the disastrous effects of his pride. He compares pride towards a seed, something that grows over time. When he says, “life and death,” the brother is referring to the life of his pride and death of his brother. To allow for his pride to live on, the life of Doodle is
Pride Overcomes Judgement James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis” is about the battle between love and pride and reveals that pride alters people’s perception of loved ones capabilities demonstrated by symbolism. James Hurst’s use of symbolism suggests that the Scarlet Ibis is a symbol of Doodle’s life and his journey to be able to walk, even though his disabilities challenge that. The narrator teaches Doodle to walk out of this embarrassment towards him, all because he isn’t like a “normal” six year old kid. After he successfully teaches his brother, Doodle, to walk he lets his pride and embarrassment alter his perception and pushed Doodle to his maximum capability.