Symbolism Paragraph In The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

The Scarlet Ibis Symbolism Paper Have you ever broke past your limitations so far you thought you were going to die? In the story The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, an ordinary boy’s only dream was to have a little brother and he got just that. However, the boy’s little brother, is not ordinary. The family decided to name the baby Doodle because of the way he crawled backwards and looked like a doodlebug. This was just one factor that led to believe Doodle could not completely function like other boys could.

Bittersweet’s definition can vary to everyone according to personal experience, but to put it in layman's terms, it means a split between something appreciated and something unpleasant. In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, bittersweet is put into context through its theme: pride is bittersweet, it can either create life or cause death if you let it control you. This short story intends to leave the reader reflecting on its theme through its point of view and narrator, foreshadowing and flashback, and round and dynamic characters. “The Scarlet Ibis” intends to leave the reader reflecting on its theme through its point of view and narrator.

British politician, Iain Duncan Smith once said ‘“ Do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man.’’ Determination is one thing that can get people farther in life. It can help accomplish any job or goal that they want to achieve. “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is a story about a brother and his determination. He helped his younger brother do things that everyone didn’t know he could do. When his brother, Doodle, was first born, he had been embarrassed to have a brother that could do so little. He then decided to push his brother to do things that would surprise people. Although, others argue that “The Scarlet Ibis” doesn’t have a good story because it's boring. Although, others argue that in “The Scarlet Ibis”, Doodles brother pushed

“-The wings were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it tumbled down... Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still… ‘It lives in the tropics-South America to Florida. A storm must have brought it here.’” Doodle and the scarlet ibis both have physical weaknesses; their fragile legs and arms. Specifically, the bird exhausted itself to death, and Doodle will eventually do the same thing by being overworked during the rainstorm. Besides, the bird is in the wrong region since it’s native to the tropics, and Doodle is in the wrong environment as he cannot live up to his brother's expectations and generally doesn't fit into society. “How many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree… [I] found [Doodle] huddled beneath a red nightshade bush… He had been bleeding through his mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red… with his head thrown far back… His little legs, bent sharply at the knees.” In addition, they both die relatively due to the storm, under a red plant, necks both twisted, and are red after they've died. Altogether, these are all clear indications that the scarlet ibis symbolizes

The narrator’s brother, affectionately nicknamed Doodle, wasn’t supposed to live for much more than a day after he was born. “Everybody thought he was going to die- everybody except Aunt Nicey,” (Hurst 1) Doodle was born with a specific disability that perhaps was untreatable then. Yet, they called him a disappointment, and no one believed that he had a single choice. “He was born when I was six, and was, from the outset, a disappointment.” (Hurst 1)No one else tried to find a way to support him even after he lived beyond Aunt Nicey’s expectations. Neither of his parents cared to help or even attempt to love him, presumably they just avoided him all the time. Doctor’s assumed that Doodle wasn’t going to make it, because his heart was too small and his body too big to be supported by it. “The doctor said that with his weak heart this strain would probably kill him, but it didn’t.” (Hurst 2) The narrator tried to treat his brother like a normal kid and make him learn things, to make him closer to normal than

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

As an introduction, Hurst uses the caul in the beginning of the story to represent or symbolize hope and life. This is because Doodle’s Aunt Nicey claimed that he would live even when everybody doubted it. To continue, she knew he would live because cauls are supposedly made out of Jesus’ nightgown. Continuing, Aunt Nicey was correct when she believed that Doodle would live, so, “when he was three months old Mama and Daddy decided they might as well name him,” which meant that not only his aunt had hope that Doodle would live (Hurst 385). The caul doesn’t only stand for hope and life but in Doodle’s case, it also symbolizes the belief that Doodle would live and the assurance of his life. On a different subject, if the caul was not used to symbolize anything, the story would be more difficult to fully understand. Also, the use of the symbolization makes the story have a deeper meaning with more depth to it. Therefore, the caul’s symbolism is a huge addition to the story and its meaning.

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

What symbolic roles do birds play in our lives? What roles can they play? Are doves always peaceful? Are chickens always scared? How are birds used as symbols in literature? Or more importantly, what is symbolic about the birds in The Scarlet Ibis? While many readers have different ideas on what the birds represent, after reading meticulously it can be seen that they stand for Doodle and his death. The short story The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst is about two brothers named Brother and Doodle. The birds in The Scarlet Ibis represent Doodle and his death because death are mentioned when birds are, Doodle and his death is connected to the birds in many ways, and Doodle is comparable to and even called a scarlet ibis.

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

Doodle was described almost as a wrinkly old man.  He wasn't quite the normal color either because his heart was so weak.  HIs head was a lot larger than the rest of his body, too.  He just did not look like a normal little baby as he should have.

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. *

Although the hurricane conveys how the brother’s relationship is focused around Brother’s destruction due to his expectations of Doodle, Hurst uses the symbol of the scarlet ibis to further amplify the havoc Brother causes. The first time Hurst utilizes the scarlet ibis to show Brother’s destruction is when Brother explains how the scarlet ibis is dying. “At that moment the bird [begins] to flutter, but the wings [are] uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it [tumbles] down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud. It’s long, graceful neck [jerks] twice into an S, then [straightens] out, and the bird [is] still… Sadly, we all [look] back at the

This tone is established as stated, through symbols such as the scarlet ibis and the storm.The​ ​scarlet​ ​ibis​ ​in​ ​the​ ​story​ ​is​ ​a​ ​symbol​ ​for​ ​Doodle.​ ​Hurst​ ​writes,​ ​​​​ ​​“​A​​ ​​scarlet​​ ​​ibis!​​ ​​How​ ​many​ miles​​ ​​it​​ ​​had​​ ​​traveled​​ ​​to​​ ​​die​​ ​​like​​ ​​this,​​