Theme Of The Scarlet Ibis

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.

¨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.

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.

Pride is a leading theme in most of the short stories in the unit. All show that your pride can endanger you or someone else.

“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

When Doodle is first born and after about three years he is being taught how to walk like normal people walk and his brother is not to thrilled about it he is just doing it because he does not want to drag him around and be dead weight so he does this so he does not have to deal with him as much.

Setting can affect a characters outcome drastically which directly affects the theme. The Other Wes Moore utilizes the environment to show the dis-advantages that Wes faced in order to get out of the poverty ridden area he was in. “Cherry Hill wasn’t built as a sustainable community for its families… over half of the eight thousand residents lived below the poverty line” (Moore, p.29). This quote shows how the author intended for the reader to use this setting later in the book to compare Wes’s life to what it was back then. In the poem if, the author presented the problem of how doubt holds you back. “If you can trust yourself when all omen doubt you,” (Kipling). This shows how the author brings the reader’s attention to this problem, therefore, making them ponder over it. This provides awareness to the problem and shows the reader how breaking out of this mindset could be beneficial to your success. Both of these texts display a use of setting to cause the reader to, in if’s case, consider the problem, thus making it more aware, and The Other Wes Moore uses it to piece together certain parts of Wes’s Life.

Some people can get blinded by their pride and engulf them in a world that makes them unaware of other people and controls their actions and for this reason it lead to cold blooded murder. “The Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurst is a story of a silent war between two brothers. The setting takes place at a farm during World War 1 a caul baby was brought into this world. The Narrator’s little brother was named Doodle, and he was born with a disability. The Narrator was embarrassed to have a brother that was not normal. The Narrator's pride drove him to make Doodle a normal, ordinary brother. Doodle was never expected to live, but he ended up living to the age of six, however, he still had heart

It is impossible to find a family that is problem free and does not go through its ups and downs. Seasons often marks a progress, here it not only sets the way for Doodles progress of becoming like a normal boy, but it is used as a way to show the growth of the sibling relationship between the two brothers. Seasons and weather play an important role in setting the tone and mood of the story. An example of the motif of seasons and weather is seen in the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst as doodles progress goes along with each season. This motif is used to develop the relationship between Doodle and his brother as evident through the clove of seasons, summer, and storms.

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

After Doodle dies, Brother throws his body on top of him crying and “sheltering [his] fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.” Brother grows up with Doodle, teaches him how to walk, and is proud of how much he has accomplished. Brother even calls Doodle as his, showing possessiveness. Nevertheless, he feels guilty, that he was the reason his brother died. The act of sheltering Doodle also shows his guilt because previously, Brother did not protect him or show his love. Nonetheless, now that he is dead, Brother is protecting Doodle because he had not done so before. Another example where a remorseful tone is present is as Brother is hearing the oriole singing, he feels sorrowful as the song “seems to die up in the leaves.” The tone the author sets is opposite to what emotions are typically felt about a bird singing. Instead of making Brother feel happy, it is the opposite, creating a feeling of sorrow and remorse. Hurst’s word choice contributes to this. The word “die” gives off a negative connotation, seeming as if the happiness of the song is fading away in the leaves of the tree. The elm tree also has a direct relationship with Doodle, and this reminder causes sadness and guilt in Brother. Clearly, the tone is impactful in conveying Brother’s

(HOOK) How can such a substantial relationship between a character and a reader fully conjure an affinity? (CI) Throughout the course of short stories I read, there were multiple essential characters who I relate to in my everyday life. (GS1) I ultimately relate to a protagonist, who shares the valuable trait, commitment. (GS2) Meanwhile, there is another character who I passionately feel connected to based on the outstanding quality, persistence, which shows true strength within oneself. (GS3) There is also another character who impersonates me best in a unique way because we both share the features of kindness, which is a weapon to win the hearts of many, especially the antagonists. (THESIS STATEMENT) I can best relate to the short story

In most stories the setting is just the place and time period it takes place, but setting is the most influential element of this short story. The setting in the story by James Hurst is very dynamic. Since the setting is dynamic it causes the mood change as well; while also developing a constant theme about how pride can cloud judgement, and foreshadowing important events related mostly to the character Doodle. Weather foreshadows many important events that occur in the story.

What's the first thing that comes to people's mind when they think of pride? There are many different opinions and words they can use but mostly people say that pride is the feeling of hope, joy, delight, gratification, happiness, honor, pleasure, pridefulness, satisfaction, self confidence and so much more. It's the feeling that you get when you did something right or when you did good in a competition or sport. Everyone needs pride in their life or their life would just be boring filled with no surprises of joy, your life would be filled with things that you did wrong not right. We need to fill our reputation and minds with things that we did right and that way if we ever did something bad the good would out weight it.

The author throughout the story persists on painting the setting of the story to be dark or even unseeing, dirty and miserable. Joyce