Symbolism In The Scarlet Ibis

The narrator uses the scarlet ibis as a way to cope with his grief, while also making Doodle’s death look honorable as he refers to Doodle as his “fallen scarlet ibis” (Hurst 441). The scarlet ibis was ethereal in Doodle’s eyes; therefore, the narrator calls Doodle a scarlet ibis to revere him by referring to something Doodle himself revered. The narrator envisions Doodle as the beautiful, majestic scarlet ibis that they witnessed die in their front yard as a way of deflecting the guilt Brother feels about Doodle's death. James Hurst utilizes the color red to symbolize the guilt that Brother feels as it says about Doodle before he died he was bleeding from multiple places and the front of his shirt “were stained a brilliant red” (Hurst 441). The narrator attributes Doodle’s blood as a brilliant red indicating that he found his death somewhat beautiful since the word brilliant carries a positive connotation. By finding beauty in Doodle’s horrible death, the narrator has found yet another way to overcome the misery he feels for the death of his beloved brother. Symbolism proves vital for the reader to understand the different methods the narrator applies to withstand the guilt that overwhelms

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

The narrator of James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis” feels proud of Doodle’s accomplishments, but at the same time his pride makes him disappointed because of Doodle’s disability. “The Scarlet Ibis” has many dark and complex metaphors and similes in a “heart warming” story. For instance, "It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead, but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree." This is one of the darker examples because, this metaphor is explaining how the narrator describes summer as being "dead" and autumn soon to be "born." The seasons dying and coming back to life fits with how death surrounds the story.

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.

In “The Scarlet Ibis,” a short story written by James Hurst, foreshadowing had the greatest impact on the reader in the short story. The story begins with a flashback, the narrator recalls the scent from the graveyard. He says, "The last graveyard flowers were blooming and their smell drifted across the cotton field and through every room of the house, speaking softly of the names of our dead." The narrator uses this to foreshadow Doodle’s death. The author wants the reader to think about who might die, and what will happen in the following part of the story, hence creating suspense. In addition, the author also uses many death related objects to foreshadow Doodle’s death. For example, in the story it states that, “Daddy had Mr. Heath, the

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.

Because of his selfishness, he has taken the life of his brother, torn apart his family, and haunts his own life with guilt as he tells the story as an old man, unable to forgive himself. By claiming that Doodle is his “fallen scarlet ibis,” the narrator allows himself to compare Doodle’s death to the beauty of nature and cope with his heavy conscience (183). Despite the elegance associated with the situation, Brother cannot escape the fact that his selfishness had brought on the death of his red, fragile

In the story, James Hurst is foreshadowing the death of Doodle. Foreshadowing is when the author signals the reader about a future event. According to Hurst, “The last graveyard flowers were blooming, and their smell drifted across the cotton field and through every room of our house, speaking softly the names of our dead” (462). This quote describes graveyard flowers and we can infer that a person has died. While Brother is reflecting on how he treated Doodle, he realizes that his pride got the best of him and he feels regret and sorrow. Another quote that represents foreshadowing is when Aunt Nicey says, “Dead birds is bad luck” (Hurst 474). This quote shows that when the bird died, Doodle would die shortly after. The bird and Doodle had