The Scarlet Ibis Analysis

What is the definition of pride? If someone were to search the definition they would find that pride is “a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.” People can experience pride from many things like success, or intelligence, and even simple petty things being the first to turn in their test in a class. In the story the character Brother has a different type of pride, instead of being prideful of his actions his pride is a character trait. Brother is prideful of himself and having his crippled brother Doodle damaged his pride which is a dangerous thing when pride is a trait instead of a feeling. People often forget about how important a family member, especially siblings, are because they haven’t matured enough to understand the complexity and importance of life and family. In James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis” brotherhood is a very big topic throughout it and the character “Brother” demonstrates how complicated and strange being prideful, being a sibling, and being a person, is. Through the story he is characterized as considerate and hurtful through his actions and inner thoughts.

In the story “The Scarlet Ibis” the theme is something very intense to think about. Sometimes, by the time we realize what we have done wrong, we can no longer fix the mistake; people have dealt with this sort of conflict in their lives before, many times. Personally, I have dealt with situations like this before in my lifetime. It’s difficult, because by the time we realize our fault, it’s too late to repair the damage.

James Hurst is the author of the heart breaking short story entitled “The Scarlet Ibis”. “The Scarlet Ibis” is a short story about two brothers; one brother is healthy, while the other is physically handicapped. The short story is centered on the idea that the older, healthier brother’s selfishness and pride ultimately led to the death of his younger brother, Doodle. Numerous quotes throughout the story demonstrate Hurst’s use of symbolism and foreshadowing to portray and predict Doodle’s untimely and heartbreaking death.

“The Scarlet Ibis” is a short story written by James Hurst that is a short story about adolescent born with a medical condition who is ultimately dead due to his brother’s lack of ability to accept the positive features and alternately focus on the negative features of his brother, William Armstrong, who he later renamed Doodle as he perceived that the fact that his parents “named him Armstrong...was like tying a big tail on a small kite”( Hurst NP). There are numerous subjects in the story such as pride, brotherhood and selfishness that can demonstrate a theme that states that pride and selfishness can interfere with brotherhood by convincing us to commit cruel things to the ones we love. In the beginning of the story,

In the the story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James, Hurst shows his audience that self pride is a positive aspect in this story, it can help people get through difficult obstacles they have in life, but when people worry too much about their self pride it can lead to hurting others physically and mentally.

“Nothing hurts more than trying your absolute best and still not being good enough.” -r.t Everyone in our society wants to be accepted into this world so they try and try until they think they are good enough but sometimes it still isn’t enough, like with Doodle in “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. Doodle was born into the world expecting to be a normal child, but turning out to have disabilities. His whole family never really accepted him because of his distinction. His brother would try to teach Doodle everything he would need to be to become a normal person, but only for himself, which hurt Brother in the long run when selfishness and rejection become him. Some people may say that James Hurst views difference as a way to become closer to the one that is diverse. This makes sense because Brother would act as if he accepted his brother as much as he would try to change him. However, in the story Brother was very selfish because he was embarrassed about having a brother with disabilities so he never accepted him, he merely approved of the brother that Brother made him.

In the story The Scarlet Ibis it shows how one of the character is disable to do anything. How do you think you’ll feel if you couldn't use your legs in life? Well his brother helps Doodle out with anything he wants because he can't walk. But it shows how Doodle can’t live without his brother because he helps him all the time.

In many cultures, coming of age is often celebrated because children become young adults who grasp self-awareness and accountability. At the same time, childhood is threatened by responsibility, which is dreaded because there is an unpredictable world of adulthood waiting with no guarantees. James Hurst demonstrates the journey of growing up through life experiences everyone goes through in the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”. Throughout his use of mood, setting, and symbolism, Hurst shows that maturing requires reflecting on past experiences and losing innocence, which then can transform one’s outlook on life.

In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” James Hurst uses motif, tone, and flashback to convey the guilt Brother feels when Doodle dies. Hurst uses motif to emphasize important moments, while portraying a remorseful tone, yet also sharing Brother’s thoughts by using flashback.

“The Scarlet Ibis” is the story of a boy, Brother, and his younger brother, Doodle, who has a disability. They go on many different adventures together and share a very strong bond. James Hurst, the author, includes a bird in the story and symbolically relates the scarlet ibis (the bird) and Doodle (the child with the disability) together. Throughout the book, James Hurst compares the bird and Doodle together through physical details, non-physical details, and even their deaths. By symbolically comparing Doodle to the scarlet ibis, James Hurst emphasizes his point that even if a child has a disability, they should be valued and loved the same way as a normal child.

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is a story of a boy who lets pride get to his mind. The story follows Brother, who longs for a brother to play with but instead has with a brother who is invalid. He taunts his little brother, Doodle, in many ways, such as making him touch his own casket. Because he is embarrassed of Doodle, Brother makes a point to teach him how to walk; in addition, he also tries to teach him how to run, swim, climb trees, and fight. He does this solely for himself. One day, the brothers’ family finds a scarlet ibis, but no one is interested in it except for Doodle. After this event, Brother forces Doodle to exert all of the energy he has into physical activities, such as rowing, until he becomes exhausted. At this point, Brother has bottled up so much embarrassment that he begins to run away as far as he can from Doodle. He comes back only to find that what he has already caused cannot be undone. Brother demonstrates a variety of character traits such as pride, embarrassment, and shame.

Brother in James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis” and the narrator in Tillie Olsen's “I Stand Here Ironing” are determined.

“But a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.” (Ernest Hemingway) The Scarlet Ibis is about a boy who wants to teach is disabled brother, Doodle, to do normal things, but the boy does not know when enough is enough. Brother pushed Doodle so hard, it eventually to his death. Brother and Doodle did not accept defeat, but only Doodle was destroyed. In the story, The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, the theme ego cannot accept defeat is revealed through symbolism and rising action.

When some people are born they have disabilities like being weak or missing a limb. The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst is about a young boy named Doodle who has a weak heart and body and has a small chance of living. In the story Doodle displayed strength and perseverance

In the short passage, The Necklace, Madame Loisel is similar to other characters in the short story, The Scarlet Ibis. The characters that are similar to Madame Loisel in The Scarlet Ibis may be Doodle’s brother, Brother. Doodle’s brother was like Madame Loisel in a way because when Doodle needed help and was disabled mentally as well as physically. Brother did not want to have to care for him for the rest of his life, so he thought he would be helping him if he taught him to walk, swim, run, and so forth. Instead of helping him, he overexerted Doodle by becoming angry when Doodle couldn’t do everything planned by the deadline. So, Brother was only thinking about himself and just ended up destroying his life, killing his own brother. Further