The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst: Literary Analysis

Imagine having a brother who is incapable of doing anything for himself. James Hurst’s short story tells the tale of a young boy in this position and the way his mindset is. In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” James Hurst uses imagery, setting, and motif to convey Brother’s feelings of guilt. By using these literary elements, Hurst allows the readers to take a deeper look into Brother’s perception towards Doodle at the time.

The older brother is a round and dynamic character because he has many details/ characteristics and he develops and changes throughout the story. In the beginning of this story Doodle’s older brother made “plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow” because he resents his brother and thinks of him as “unbearable” (176). Then, as the older brother starts to connect with Doodle as he teaches him how to walk and thrive, but he “embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn’t walk” even though he was able to start accepting him, he still struggled with Doodle hurting his pride (178). Just after the older brother runs back to find Doodle dead, on the ground, he shelters his “fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of the rain” which represents how he realized his pride took over and he fully loved his brother because the pride would never be enough because it was not real love (186).The brother is affected by his pride all throughout the story, and only when Doodle dies does he really want to protect, love and teach him without his pride pushing him to act. Thus, showing how if people are not careful, they can let the bitter side of pride control them and cause death, both physical and emotional.

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

Symbolism is used in literature as a visual representation of something invisible, which provides deeper meaning to the writing beyond what is being described. In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, various examples of symbolism are incorporated into the story. The plot and action that take place in the excerpt can be thought of as one level, while the symbolism of certain things in the writing act on another level to enhance the story. Birds are of extreme symbolic importance within the narrative, and encourage a reader to think below the surface of the text.

¨At six years old, when his brother is born, the narrator tells the reader that from the first, Doodle was "a disappointment." When he learns that Doodle is possibly mentally and physically challenged, the narrator begins his plan to kill his brother; however, his plans are soon discarded after Doodle smiles at him¨. (James Hurst) The main conflict of "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst is Brother's inability to deal with Doodle's disabilities.

Many years later, later in the story, when Doodle is around five years of age, it occurs to the narrator that it may be a good idea to teach Doodle to walk so that he fits in with his peers. After finally convincing him, they both secretly set out to teach Doodle how to walk. During this process, the narrator thinks, “There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction...” (10). In this part of the story, Hurst again uses indirect characterization through the narrator’s thoughts, to demonstrate, once again, the theme that disabilities are not flaws, and that they should be respected and embraced. By saying, “...borne by the stream of love,” the narrator is trying to bring out what they have in common instead of their differences, and he is saying that Doodle’s disability does not change the fact that they are connected and share the mutual love of two

The narrator regrets how he pushed Doodle far beyond his limits. Now that the Brother is older, he knows how pride can affect him. “I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.”(4) When the Brother got Doodle to stand, he was confident in Doodle to accomplish any physical movement. So he expected more and more out of Doodle. But he didn’t know the pain and the danger of trying to exceed the limit of one’s body. Now, after all the years have passed by, the narrator realize that his love for Doodle. “But sometimes (like right now), as I sit in the cool, green-draped parlor, the grindstone begins to turn, and time with all its changes is ground away--and I remember Doodle.”(1) The years have taken away the cruelty and selfishness in the Brother’s early year and he was sorry for how he forced and threatened Doodle. The narrator looks over the cruel moments he had with Doodle and blames Doodle’s death on himself. “They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all the other voices, and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.”(5) The voice here is very regretful of his sins, and wants to fix what he had already

Symbols are used to represent something else deeper than the actual meaning either in real life or in literature. In the story “The Scarlet Ibis”, Doodle who is mentally and physically disabled was not expected to live. Although, he did live, however, he could not do things other children could do such as walk or talk. Therefore, his older brother set out to teach him because he was embarrassed to have an abnormal brother. However, many years later Doodle is soon overworked until he can no longer go on, and he sadly dies. In “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst uses the caul, the oriole nest, and the blood od Doodle as symbols to offer greater insight into abstract ideas that are difficult to understand on their own.

How far would you take your ‘love’ for someone? Would you kill them? Would you work them till they turn black and blue, or make them touch their own casket just to punish or scare them? Brother seemed to have no limits for Doodle, in “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. In this short story, Hurst showed the relationship between a crippled child and his older, forceful brother. Brother pushed Doodle to his maximum, trying to get him to walk, swim, run, and become a ‘normal’ child. Yet, becuase of his embarassment, Brother took his training to great lengths, killing Doodle in the end. This passage uses several important literary devices that advance the story, such as help the readers gain a better meaning of the symbols and what Hurst is trying to convey.

The despondent mood at the beginning of the story, mirrors the loss of innocence of the narrator because he had to face the responsibility and guilt of Doodle’s death.

The author of “The scarlet Ibis,” James Hurst, suggests through the actions of his characters and his use of language the theme that too much pride can lead people to do things that can have devastating results. James Hurst quoted, “But all of us must have something or someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine.” The narrator has a need to make Doodle better to give himself something to be proud of and receive recognition for his actions. The narrator is talking about an event that happened in the past when he tried to teach his brother, Doodle, to walk. He looks back on it with the insight of an adult who has struggled with the consequences of his prideful actions.

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.

In the story "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst a young handicapped by is born with a large head, a small body, and a weak heart. As time goes on, Doodle overcomes many obstacles with the help of his older brother.

He also begins to realize that, “pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.” (6). Throughout the story, the narrator also stresses how pride is double-sided as a “wonderful, terrible thing.” Pride has two different outcomes and often leads to unexpected events. It pushes one to achieve one’s goals, but can also be destructive if one loses sight of what the true aim of the task is. As the protagonist’s pride pushes Doodle further from isolation, he becomes obsessed with his desperate need for the “ideal” sibling, resulting in Doodle’s untimely death. The narrator’s thoughts represent the unawareness he has of the disastrous effects of his pride. He compares pride towards a seed, something that grows over time. When he says, “life and death,” the brother is referring to the life of his pride and death of his brother. To allow for his pride to live on, the life of Doodle is

Many of the story’s readers will sympathize with Doodle because possibly at some point in their life, they have accomplished something others wouldn't think they could. This establishes trust between Doodle and the reader. He surprised his family by living much longer than 3 months like they said he was, but he also surprised his older brother with wholehearted love and adoration even through everything his brother put him through. Without much question, Doodle pushed his body to the limit to please his brother. Doodle was also on the verge of taking a stand against his brother.