Similarities Between Doodle And The Scarlet Ibis

Most people would come to believe the fact that an ibis cannot relate to a human being, but that can be proven wrong. Throughout the story, Doodle and the ibis were persistent, yet active, due to the fact that they never gave up. In the story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurth, Doodle is a boy who has physical weaknesses, so it is difficult for him to do things that a normal child would be able to do. Most ibis are able to fly, however, the scarlet ibis is not capable because it has its own weaknesses. As Doodle grows up, he gains these negative energies from his surroundings that makes him feel as if he won’t be able to survive as long.

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

¨At six years old, when his brother is born, the narrator tells the reader that from the first, Doodle was "a disappointment." When he learns that Doodle is possibly mentally and physically challenged, the narrator begins his plan to kill his brother; however, his plans are soon discarded after Doodle smiles at him¨. (James Hurst) The main conflict of "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst is Brother's inability to deal with Doodle's disabilities.

Hurst’s diction at the beginning of the short story foreshadows the later death of Doodle. Hurst starts by setting a gloomy scene as the narrator is speaking. The narrator, Doodle’s old brother, soon states, “But sometimes, as I sit in the cool…I remember Doodle” (Hurst 1). Hurst uses the word “remember” to emphasize the fact that Doodle is no long around. Readers do not know what happened to Doodle, but begin to suspect the answer. In the next paragraph the narrator says, “Doodle was just about the craziest brother a boy ever had” (Hurst 1). In this quote, Hurst uses past tense words such as “was” and “had” to once again show that this was in the past. Hurst’s word choices foreshadow Doodle’s death and sparks interest in the readers at the very beginning. Foreshadowing is used at the beginning of the story to draw readers into the story and help keep their interest.

On the other hand, another huge piece of symbolism that the author uses is the oriole nest described in the beginning of the story, which is also used to show that Doodle will live. Hurst correlates the nest with the little mahogany coffin Doodle’s father makes when they believed he would not live. To continue on, this is because Hurst emphasizes that “the oriole nest in the elm was untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle,” (384). When he claimed that it was like an empty cradle, it is in correlation

If the words of Isabelle Norton are true and that “In a friend you find a second self,” then the character of Doodle in James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis” uses his lie of an imaginary friend, Peter, to find comfort in his “second self.” Trying to cope with being less than perfect, Doodle, like many young children, creates an imaginary but psychologically-fulfilling friend whose significance is about providing Doodle with limitless ability and limitless protection. Representing everything that Doodle cannot be, Peter is a symbol of the life that Doodle wishes he could live and allows Doodle to cope with the stress of being different.

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 author’s use of flashback is most effective. First, Hurst employs it to evince the narrator's actions of guilt in retrospect to Doodle. The narrator recollects a scene where he had done a cruel injustice to Doodle where he has felt “ within [him]” something he has seen only from others before “ a knot of cruelty borne from the stream of love” (557). In addition, there is an admission of his

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is a realistic fiction about these two brothers, Doodle, and Doodle’s brother who was the narrator of the story, many symbols are used. A symbol is a materialistic object being put in place for an abstract or complex emotion, or idea. For example the emojis you use when texting are symbols you use to express how you are feeling. In this story, Doodle is being symbolized by the Scarlet Ibis, the Scarlet Ibis is a bird and a symbol for Doodle because of their many similarities. An example of the Scarlet Ibis symbolizing Doodle is when Hurst describes the physical health of Doodle and the Ibis. He describes Doodle as being very sick and weak at the beginning of the story by saying “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-everybody except Aunt Nicey….” (Hurst page 1). Later on in the story when the Scarlet Ibis is introduced, Doodle’s father describes the bird as: “It looks tired, or maybe sick”(Hurst page 5). By giving Doodle and the Scarlet Ibis such similar physical features, it insinuates that whatever happens to the Scarlet Ibis will more than likely happen to Doodle. Another example of the Scarlet Ibis being a symbol for Doodle is when the Scarlet Ibis dies.” 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

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.

The first and one of the most important literary devices you can detect in this writing, is the usage of flashback. Hurst uses flashback to develop the whole story, relationship between Doodle and Brother, and explain what happened to Doodle. A majority of “The Scarlet Ibis” is told through this flashback and past tense. The flashback improves the story and is used in a way to show Brother at the beginning and how much his past with Doodle still affects him. We really get to see that guilt and even his maturity when he is older, because he goes back to all these places where him and Doodle played and grew up. Yet even though it's so far in the past, going to his old home and fields brings back painful memories. *

To emphasize the positive, high points of Brother and Doodle’s relationship, Hurst utilizes the symbol of Old Woman Swamp, their shared safe haven. Brother introduces his limited

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.

I know that in the book “The Scarlet Ibis” there is a connection between Doodle and the bird Scarlet Ibis. Did you know even though someone tells you, you can't that you can and you should exceed the standards they contain you by. Doodle and the Scarlet Ibis choose to exceed those boundaries and standards, but was it worth the price they had to pay when they pushed themselves to hard to exceed? The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst is about a disabled boy making himself a miracle of life with the help of his family.

James Hurst foreshadows Doodle’s death in many ways.An example of foreshadowing in the story “The Scarlet Ibis” happens when the narrator says “One day I took him up to the barn loft and showed him his casket, telling him how we all believed he would die” (Hurst 466).This is not a coincidence written by the author, he made this a part of the story to bring up the topic of Doodle dying.The author said that “we all believed he would die” to show how he was weak and could not possibly survive (Hurst 466).There was more foreshadowing when James Hurst killed off the red bird saying “ Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase[… ]we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty” (Hurst 473). This