Selfishness In The Scarlet Ibis

As a kid, would you ever get in a fight with your sibling making it seem like you two would never be friends again, but then, hours later, you’re sharing a special moment with each other? Well, in the story “The Scarlet Ibis”, the main character had the same dilemma. He went through phases of being cruel and kind to his brother, Doodle. Doodle was born a weak baby and was not thought to survive for very long. He did, but because of his disadvantages as a child, he was very offbeat from other kids. James Hurst uses Doodle’s brother to exhibit how he is both cruel and kind towards his younger brother, Doodle, in his short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”.

Pride is a problematic emotion that can lead to unpleasant conclusions if important things are left out of focus. The Scarlet Ibis explored a variety of facets of pride from the perspective of the Brother, whose pride evolves into a detrimental force. To go on, in this story, pride is often associated with the shame and embarrassment of Doodle’s restrained limitations. Pride is closely related to a pleasure derived from a skill, although, The Scarlet Ibis realizes that although it is nice to be please for the things we care about, there is limit that must be placed in their best interest.

This is shown when it says “So I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow.”(Hurst 595)Since the beginning he didn’t want an invalid brother. He even thought and male plans to kill him. If Doodle wasn’t bothering him or doing anything to him then why would he want to kill him? Doddles brother was just thinking about himself the whole time.” They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices, and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.”(Hurst 599) He did not do it for Doodles good, he never even thought of how Doodle felt. His pride was stronger than him. Because he was ashamed of Doodle , that made him push doodle way too hard for someone like him. Until the end is when he realizes that what he did to Doodle was wrong but it’s too late. The author shows this when he says “I ran as fast as I could, leaving him behind …Finally I went back and found him … “Doodle! Doodle!” I cried, shaking him, but there was no answer…” (Hurst 604) He ran as fast as he could to make

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.

In James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis”, the Brother pushed Doodle to learn how to walk, swim, run and various activities so that Doodle would not seem to be crippled. Through the Brother's characterization, conflicts and eventual resolution, Hurst suggested that one's overwhelming selfishness, pride and cruelty can result in the death of a loved brother.

In the text the narrator states ¨It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow¨ (Hurst, 351). This quote from the text proves the narrator hated his younger brother, and even went so far as to make plans to kill him because he could not stand to have a disabled brother. The narrator even went so far as to say, “The knowledge that Doodle’s and my plans had come to naught was bitter, and that streak of cruelty within me awakened” (Hurst, 360). This textual evidence helps demonstrate the contempt and anger the narrator felt for his brother. This anger, contempt, and shame that the narrator felt for his brother, Doodle, was the reason that the narrator killed his

“The only difference between a hero and the villain is that the villain chooses to use that power in a way that is selfish and hurts other people” (Chadwick Boseman). In Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator chooses to use his power in a way that hurts his invalid brother, Doodle. While living in a time period where different is improper, the narrator cannot mentally handle the fact that Doodle is different from others. Being the older sibling, the narrator takes on the responsibility to help Doodle become ordinary. He teaches Doodle to walk, run, climb, and swim, because he is ashamed of having a brother with disabilities. As a result, the narrator serves as a villain by forcing his invalid brother, Doodle, past his limitations, which ultimately causes the

The older brother of Doodle was ashamed of Doodle ever since he was born he actually made plans to kill Doodle when he was a baby. He was rough with Doodle on purpose so Doodle wouldn’t want to go with him. He didn’t do anything for Doodle out of love he did it so he wouldn’t have a crippled brother.

In a world of empathy and selfishness, one must always prevail. The short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst tells a tale of a young boy and his disabled younger brother, Doodle. The narrator, also known as Brother, recalls the life of his brother and how his own actions and emotions affect his brother’s experiences. Brother’s pride determines whether he acts empathetic or selfish towards his sibling. In “The Scarlet Ibis” Hurst uses diction, symbolism, foreshadowing, and imagery to fabricate a remorseful mood as Brother looks back on his past, a compassionate feeling when the ibis dies, and a regretful mood when Doodle dies.

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

Oscar Wilde once said, “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live” and this quote perfectly represents the “The Scarlet Ibis.” The Scarlet Ibis is a tale of selfishness that leads to the harsh, cutting guilt of death. The narrator of the Scarlet Ibis is a selfish child, who pushes his special needs brother, Doodle, to his furthest limits. Teaching Doodle to run, the narrator and his brother are caught in a furious storm. This storm leads to the narrator making the ultimate sacrifice, leaving his brother to fend for himself in the storm. Leaving the narrator to deal with the consequences of his actions, Doodle eventually dies a tragic death. Abandoning his

The story explains, “... Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.” (347). This to me means that brother only taught Doodle how to walk and swim and other things only because he was embarrassed of having a brother with disabilities. Brother also says, “ It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who was not there at all was unbearable.” (345). This proves him guilty because he said having an invalid brother was unbearable. This is because of pride being a destructive

James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis” is a fictional short story about a boy with a disabled brother named Doodle. He is ashamed of Doodle’s physical errors, so he teaches his brother to walk not for Doodle’s sake but so that he will have more pride in himself. He gives Doodle several challenges and pushes him too hard. When Doodle fails these challenges, the narrator leaves Doodle behind out of anger, and as a result, Doodle dies. The theme of this story revolves around the narrator’s pride and how it influences his actions.

On page 347 it says “When the brother told the younger brother to shut up, I’m not going to hurt you.” That gave the other character probably a weird feeling. Then as you read on to page 354 when it says “He was sitting on the ground, his face buried in his arms which were resting on his drawn up knees.” This can show physical emotions because the brother that can do everything normal people can do acts like everything's okay but Doodle just have to live while being different. In a short fable called “The Stag at the Pool” can also show an example of the unnamed character and Doodle. In the text it says “The Stag betook himself to flight, and kept himself with ease at a safe distance from the Lion, until he entered a wood and became entangled with his horns.” The Stag is almost like the narrator he doesn't care about the Lion or in this case Doodle..he prefers to stay away from him and teach him to do things that people like him can't

There are multiple themes throughout “ The Scarlet Ibis”.The strongest theme in the story is that you should not do things for the benefit of yourself all the time, you should do things for the benefit of others also.His selfishness is shown in this line of the story “ they did not know that I did it for myself; that pride,[...] and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother” (Hurst 468).Even though Doodle finally walked, his brother helped him for his own good, which shows his need to help himself before others.He taught Doodle how to walk for his own selfish reason that he was “ashamed” of him (Hurst 468). This shows the reader that doing things for your own benefit can have a negative effect on you.