Symbolism In The Scarlet Ibis

James Hurst, the author of “The Scarlet Ibis”, uses death and birds as symbols to show how Doodle is fragile and could die at any moment. Red is a color that is often associated with evil and other times it represents love. Birds also represent death and fragility, but they also mean freedom and change. This shows how Doodle’s and Brother’s paradoxical relationship changes from Brother being evil and selfish, to him being an extremely helpful and caring brother.

“The Scarlet Ibis” shows that what is perceived to be may not always be true. For instance, Doodle was born in a caul, so many people had little hope for his survival. Even when he attempts to sit upright, the doctor fears that with his “weak heart this strain would kill him…”(Hurst 555). However, they do not count on his mental strength, and with a lot of perseverance “He learned how to crawl...For the first time he became one of them [us]” (Hurst 555). This proves the appearance vs. reality theme because even though Doodle’s body was shriveled up and doctors said he would die, Doodle lives. He shows that even though he is physically abnormal, his internal strength is much greater than that of any average boy, and he can do anything he puts his mind to. Another example of this theme in the story is when they start to train more after Brother teaches Doodle how to walk. Everything is going well until “the winter,” where Brother says they “didn’t make much progress for I was in school and Doodle suffered from one bad cold after another” (Hurst 560). This is a sign that Doodle is slowly dying and getting worse. However, everybody overlooks that, and thinks that he is improving. Once Doodle recovers from the terrible colds he suffered from during the winter, they push him even harder to make up for the lost time which, as a result, expedites his approaching death. The tone in this story develops from being positive to negative. In the beginning, everyone assumes Doodle will die, but fortunately he does not. Conversely, in the end, everyone believes he is

The Scarlet Ibis bird symbolizes Doodle; this symbolism can be seen by the authors description of both Doodle’s and the Scarlet Ibis’s appearance after death. After the Scarlet Ibis fell from the bleeding tree his

In the scene of the scarlet ibis’s death, Hurst establishes a melancholic mood throughout the section. As the scarlet ibis falls from the bleeding tree to its death, Doodle observes that "the bird was still" (10). The stillness of the ibis heightens the melancholic mood in the scene, as readers might imagine a time where they witnessed a death and felt a sense of sadness, thus creating a melancholic mood in the section. Additionally, as the author compares the dead scarlet ibis and a broken vase, he states, “for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers” (10). As the author distinguishes the similarities between the scarlet ibis and the broken vase, it highlights how the ibis is

In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” The author uses symbolism to represent the stories main ideas. Hurst uses the symbolism of the grindstone, the casket, and the scarlet ibis to reveal theme in the story. One subtler symbol is the grindstone. The grindstone is symbolic because it reminds the narrator of Doodle like it says on the page (1 Hurst ) “as I sit in the cool green-draped parlor, the grindstone begins to turn and I remember Doodle.” He remembers Doodle at the grindstone because the grindstone took place of the bleeding tree where the scarlet ibis died. One thing that also reminded the narrator of Doodle is the casket. It reminded him because that casket was built for him and the narrator made him touch it on pg (2 Hurst ) “ His hands

One example of Hurst showing symbolism in the story is through birds. Doodle and the scarlet ibis are both graceless and very weak. The scarlet ibis tries to fly, but fails to do so. “At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of feathers, it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud” (Hurst 321). Doodle is comparable to the scarlet ibis. He is very clumsy, and looked down upon by his family. They believed that he was not going to live. He is shown through the scarlet ibis because the bird is also very weak, like Doodle. They both have come over many obstacles to be alive. But still, you never know if something so little to you, could break something so fragile like a Scarlet Ibis. In the story after Doodle dies. It talks about how empty the house was. “...the oriole nest in the elm was untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle” (Hurst 315). Now that the birds are gone and the tree is not occupied, it is like the empty cradle in the house now that Doodle is gone. He is shown through the birds. Doodle is just like the birds leaving their home. And now that Doodle is gone, it is a very empty sensation lingering in the home he once lived in. Doodle is symbolically a bird in the story the Scarlet Ibis because he is very weak and fragile, just like the bird.

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 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

The color red symbolizes a strong motif throughout this short story. “The Scarlet Ibis,” and scarlet is a shade of red. Doodle and the scarlet ibis are connected to each other. They both are damaged and die in a windstorm. As the ibis fell and hit the ground, he had blood coming from it’s mouth. When Doodle dies in the storm his brother treats him as if he were sick. Then Doodle symbolically overtakes the Scarlet Ibis.

Symbolism is used to signify ideas and qualities about an object or idea and is used when the author wants to give those objects or ideas meanings different from their literal sense. Symbols are often used in literature to bring a deeper meaning to a story or work. These meanings can emphasize or intensify feelings of anything from love and hope, to danger and sadness. James Hurst uses symbolism in his work, “The Scarlet Ibis”, to convey and emphasize some of these feelings and ideas in his story. “The Scarlet Ibis” centers around the lives of Brother, a very driven and determined child, and his younger brother, Doodle, an innocent and naive individual with a heart condition that causes doctors to believe that he

Each of these things inside the coffin show how it still has elements of growth and development in it, even though it was left behind, much like Doodle. When Doodle finally touches the casket “a screech owl flapped out of the box into [their] faces, scaring [them] and covering [them] with Paris green” (112). Symbolizing Doodle’s death that is soon to happen, imitation plays a key role in the author’s portrayal of selfishness. Playing off of the idea that the casket shows death as scary yet beautiful, Doodle’s death ends up much the same way. Doodle and his brother are left covered in his blood, while this time the narrator is the one left behind, afraid of what will come next. Showing Doodle the coffin is the narrator’s way of secretly getting rid of Doodle from his daily life, without anyone noticing how selfish he was being. Imitation in symbolism is also key with the main symbol of the story, the scarlet ibis itself. As soon as Doodle and his brother began their training, “Doodle began to look feverish” and “at night he didn’t feel well” (115). Doodle was struggling to belong and he simply

A symbol represents something other than itself. Hurst demonstrates an elaborate use of symbolization between the Ibis, a bird, and Doodle, the child. Both the Ibis and Doodle where in some senses born alone. The narrator states this by saying “He was born when I was six and was, from the outset, a disappointment” (Hurst 462). Both are fragile in the sense that both are easily vulnerable to their surroundings, and easily susceptible to death. When doodle dies his older brother notices the similarities between the Ibis and Doodle; Doodle died like the scarlet ibis, almost exactly the same, as they both died in a storm. As Doodle’s body lay lifeless amid the swamp, the narrator recognizes the blood trickling out of Doodle’s mouth and how the blood resembles the pristine scarlet color if the ibis. This shows how the ibis is a symbol of

The metaphors and similes in The Scarlet Ibis create the drama and ironies that effect the characters. “For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis, from the heresy of rain” (6) The Scarlet ibis. The Ibis most prominently symbolizes Doodle because both were weak and beautiful in their own way and taken down by a storm, the storms that represent something else. Brother conveys the storms, like the hurricane and the ibis, Brother is Doodle’s storm, the one that makes him weak. He is like the storm because he takes Doodle so far in strength and distance, but leaves him, like the storm left the Ibis. Whether or not it was intentional or conscious. Brining the story further out the two brothers, symbolize mankind as a whole and the misunderstanding that causes war and silent loathing. There are more simple representations in The Scarlet Ibis, for example on the first page; “The last graveyard flowers were blooming, and their smell drifted across the cotton field and through every room of our house, speaking the names of our dead.” (1) The Scarlet Ibis. The graveyard flowers symbolize memories and that things always come back. The symbolism create this atmosphere and struggles between the characters that accrue the

After the ibis falls out of the tree, Brother depicts the bird as exquisite and says “Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty.” (6). Even in death, the ibis did not fail to show its grace and its magnificence. When Doodle dies of overwork, the text describes Doodle’s body as “ had never before seemed so fragile, so thin.” When Doodle dies, Brother finally realizes Doodle’s limitations and how all this time Doodle has been exceeding his limits because of him.

(Topic)(I)An ibis (MA) shows up one day, by motivating itself to travel more than it ever has, similar to Doodle, who has to walk, swim, and run, but (MB) Doodle and the ibis end with the same fate. (Rewording of MA) The scarlet ibis and Doodle motivate themselves to do more than expected and overcome the odds. They exhaust themselves, but still keep pushing. (m1MA) Aunt Nicey foreshadows Doodle's fate by stating, "Dead birds is bad luck... Specially red dead birds!" (Hurst 5). (m2MA) The scarlet bird means danger is coming Doodle’s way. (Rewording of MB) The ibis and Doodle accomplish a lot with motivation, but end with the same destiny. (m1MB) When the ibis dies, “Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still... Its legs were crossed and its clawlike feet were delicately curved at rest” (Hurst 5). Similar to the Ibis’ death, when Doodle dies, “He lay very awkwardly, with his head thrown far back, making his vermilion neck appear unusually long and slim. His little legs,