Symbolism In The Scarlet Ibis And Marigolds

Many novels have used symbolism to express certain feelings and emotions in discreet ways. What is symbolism? "The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships" (Dictionary.com). Numerous authors use the same denotations to illustrate different thoughts or ideas. Mark Twain uses various symbols, such as the river and the land to expose freedom and trouble in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

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

“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 same fashion, the swamp was also used as a symbol to enhance the theme. The swamp was where the boys could go to feel at home in the story. So much happens in the swamp, from Doodle learning how to walk, to the final moments of Doodle’s life, that in the end it represents a safe haven. This symbol enhances the theme because during the time that Doodle was alive, neither one of them really appreciated the beauty of it. However, once the protagonist couldn’t go out there with Doodle anymore, he realized how precious it was to both of them. Arguably the biggest symbol in this short story, the scarlet ibis symbolizes Doodle. After the scarlet ibis dies, the text says, “Sadly, we all looked back at the bird. A scarlet ibis! How many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree” (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2003, p. 5). This quote directly relates to Doodle because after coming so far in his physical and mental abilities, it all comes to an end faster than anyone could

The use of symbols helps create a deeper tone and meaning to the overall story. Through out the “Scarlet Ibis”, the author describes Doodle as a very weak “invalid” brother to the narrator. Doodle and the narrator had spent a great deal of time in achieving their goal for Doodle to finally become normal. However, at the ending, Doodle could not be strong enough and died like the scarlet ibis, stained in a “brilliant red” (pg. 13). The author also describes how the scarlet ibis had traveled so far just to “die like this”, showing the comparison between the Doodle and the scarlet ibis. Doodle had worked incredibly hard in order to discard the label of being a

Next in “The Scarlet Ibis” Doodle was born with a red body and also the bird was red. In addition, another similarity they both got caught in a horrific storm that caused their death. This quote “Dead birds is bad luck,” (352) supports the thesis because it means that Doodle had the same problems as the bird, and Doodles condition was certain he could die of it. Another quote is “It's dead,” (352) this supports the thesis because, when the bird died it symbolized that most

This is the third and final symbol in the story. It is dark, lightning, and pelting rain. Brother has pushed Doodle to his limit by making him run and climb the unforgiving hills of Old Womans Swamp. Doodle is tired from being overexerted and is also frightened by the upcoming storm. During the storm, Brother leaves Doodle behind, begging him not to abandon him.

As a bird not native to the setting of the story, the scarlet ibis symbolizes those who are out of place and seemingly lost and in some cases, even death. The scarlet ibis is very similar to doodle. It is small, weak and out of place, almost even lost. In one scene of the book, Doodle dies and his brother is standing over him crying and realizes that Doodle looks very similar to the scarlet ibis in death.”For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain” (Hurst, 12). In this moment, the scarlet ibis is a symbol of death.

Symbolism is often used by authors to get an idea or theme across to the readers. In “The Scarlet Ibis”, Brother has an ill sibling named William Armstrong, or as Brother would call him, Doodle. When Doodle was born everybody thought he was going to die, until he seemed coherent to what was going on around him. Brother then wanted to teach him to walk and run before school started, so he was normal like other kids. He succeeded in doing so, but he was ashamed because he did it for selfish reasons. One day while they were eating lunch, they saw a beautiful ibis outside their window. They went to go see it and discovered that it was dead, Doodle decided to bury it. Brother was pushing Doodle too hard and consequently, his body could not take

Portrayal of Symbols and its Usage in Literature A brilliant story by James Hurst, “The Scarlet Ibis” has many examples of symbols and use of symbolism. The short story is about two brothers, the narrator and his brother, Doodle. Doodle faces critical problems with his health, and the story tells the tale of his struggles of their few years together. The author cleverly uses symbols often to show profundity in their journey. Symbols in literature are where an object or a figure represents an idea that is used in the narrative to further develop plot as well as giving depth into the story.

James Hurst establishes “The Scarlet Ibis” by using multiple literary devices such as symbolism. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. The main symbol utilized in the short story is the Scarlet Ibis itself. The bird, Scarlet Ibis, is not the only symbol throughout the story though. The color red is mentioned a couple times throughout the book linking it back to blood and death. Another symbolic object in the story is the coffin.

The symbolism from the scarlet ibis when the red bird’s “...long and graceful neck jerked twice into an S,” (6). This is comparable to what happens when Doodle is found dead. This is shown when Brother describes, “His head thrown back making his vermillion neck appear gracefully long and slim,” (7). The author must have included these small details so that the reader was able to make the connection between the ibis and Doodle since they both look red during this instance, and in these short descriptions, both have long slender necks. This example of symbolism proves to the reader how they had similar deaths and the recurrence of the deaths in the same story gives the event more effect towards the reader’s reaction. The author’s goal during this event in the short story was to bring attention to it despite there already being such an unforgettable

In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis”, by James Hurst, Symbolism plays an important part in this story. There are so many symbols comparing Doodle to the examples in the story. The Scarlet Ibis symbols those who are lost and out of place. Doodle is a crazy little brother that has a weak heart condition. All of his family believed he was going to not make it except for Aunt Nicey.

What is the use of symbolism in writing? Is it merely to confuse the reader or is its true intent to make the reader think about the meaning of the story? A symbol is a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning (Meyer 220). In Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants," Hemingway uses a plethora of symbols to convey the idea that the young girl, Jig is ambivalent to having an abortion and that her older American boyfriend does not want to have the baby. Although the word abortion is never used in the story, the reader understands the concept through Hemingway's symbolism.

Symbolism is a way for an author to show the reader something without saying it. It can be used in many different ways. Charles Dickens uses symbolism to foreshadow events in the story, Tale of Two Cities. Tale of Two Cities takes place in San Antoine, France, in the midst of the French Revolution. In our first example of symbolism, Monsieur the Marquis is riding in his carriage back to his home.