Symbolize Expectations In The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

“The scarlet ibis fell from the tree, crashing through every branch, and landed at the family’s feet” (Hurst 137). A special child named Doodle was born and his brother wanted to make him fit in with the rest of the world. A scarlet ibis came to the family’s house one day and died. Shortly after, Doodle had a heart attack and died. In the “Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst uses foreshadowing to portray Doodle’s future death with the death of the ibis.

In the story The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, the author shows many similarities between the narrator's little brother Doodle and an exotic bird. While reading through the story the young boy is not thought very highly of. No one including, the doctors, ever thought Doodle would live past a couple days. But Doodle did just that, he lived for 6 whole years. His parents even named him William Armstrong, because they thought it would look good on a tombstone. His brother later renamed him Doodle because with that kind of name no one would expect much from him. Doodle had many obstacles growing up and didn’t really fit it. While going through life Doodle was constantly trying to prove that there was a reason for his life. Doodle’s brother tried very to have a normal little brother, so he pushed him in many ways to enable him to do normal things. Doodle could not stand up or crawl and when he did he crawled backwards, earning him the name Doodle. The brothers says to Doodle, “Aw, come on, Doodle,” I urged. “You can do it. Do you want to be different from everybody else when you start school?”

In The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, the narrator tells a tale about growing up with his disabled brother and how he died. Doodle had a heart condition that led everyone to believe that he would never walk. The day the narrator’s brother, Doodle, died, a Scarlet Ibis appeared in their yard. The Ibis was a symbol of when Doodle was pushed too far, Doodle would die too. On page 28, the narrator writes about the Scarlet Ibis and “How many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree.” The narrator infers that a recent hurricane, very far away, had brought the exotic bird to their yard. This quote demonstrates the idea that the Ibis was simply pushed too far, was too fatigued, and died. Also on page 28, when a storm

Beyond the Ibis In the story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the Scarlet Ibis portrays how people must learn to leave those they love alone through representing Doodle and his struggles in life. To begin, in the middle of the story the Scarlet Ibis sits on a tree in Doodle's backyard, and his parents think how “a storm must have brought it [there]” (Hurst 473). First of all, this quote shows how the storm pushes the bird physically since it ends up in a different region from where it typically lives; symbolizing how Brother pushes Doodle out of his comfort zone, which would represent the bird's typical habitat. Furthermore, this push causes Doodle to perish; Brother forces Doodle too much with his teaching, when he should be letting Doodle rejuvenate.

Brother gets a little brother and they didn't think he would live long. But after a few months they named him William Armstrong. Then Brother names him Doodle, Doodle was surrounded by death ever since he was born. In “The Scarlet Ibis” Brother was a mean brother who didn't like his little brother at first, than when Doodle got an older, brother wanted to teach him to run, fight, and to swim because of his pride, and then Brother starts to feel regret because he pushed Doodle so hard.

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

When he fell, I grabbed him in my arms and hugged him, our laughter pealing through the swamp like a ringing bell”(***). Doodle also decided to decide by burying the Scarlet Ibis, which shows that Doodle never gave up on the Scarlet Ibis just like Doodle's brother didn't give up teaching Doodle how to walk. By highlighting these similarities, the author encourages us to find connections and meaning in the world around us. The author's skillful storytelling reminds us that even the most unlikely of connections still serve a meaningful purpose. Lastly, I will explore the symbolism of the Scarlet Ibis, which represents the character of Doodle in the story.

“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

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.

In “The Scarlet Ibis,” Hurst narrates how Brother’s pride and selfishness ultimately leads to the death of his disabled brother Doodle. As Doodle grows throughout the story, his brother teaches him how to be normal so he does not feel embarrassed about having a disabled brother. The selfish narrator pushes Doodle to the limits, blinded by his own pride, to have Doodle trained and ready for kindergarten. There are many pieces of text in the story which show the author’s use of foreshadowing and symbolism to portray Doodle’s terrible and despairing death. Primarily, Hurst hides clues in his text which establish that pride and love can end up being harmful.

At the end of “The Scarlet Ibis”, the narrator thinks to himself, “The knowledge that Doodle’s and my plans had come to naught was bitter, and that streak of cruelty within me awakened” (Hurst 425). Doodle’s brother possesses a short fuse when dealing with troubling issues. His reactions occasionally lead to problems later on due to his tendency towards cruelty. In this case, Doodle’s brother becomes angry that he does not reach his goals and this anger leads to destruction, and then turns to sorrow.

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

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.

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

(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,