Use Of Doodle's Sympathy In The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

However, Doodle’s brother is also kind because he appreciated Doodle in his life and loved having him around. Doodle’s brother decided to teach Doodle how to walk because, at 5, Doodle could only crawl and this embarrassed his brother. As they progressed, Doodle accomplished standing and Doodle’s brother said, ”When he fell, I grabbed him in my arms and hugged him, our laughter pealing through the swamp like a ringing bell”(Hurst 558). Doodle’s brother wanted to be there for Doodle and would help him through the trials of his life. There is an abundant amount of meaning created here because it displays the bond between two people and the love they can share. A sense of joy is conceived and demonstrates how their relationship could have been in future years. Because Doodle’s brother wanted to become close with Doodle and bond with him like siblings in other families, he taught Doodle how to lie. Through his imagination, Doodle came up with a story about how he could marry his mom and how Doodle’s brother could marry his dad. Doodle’s brother explains, “Of course I was old enough to know this wouldn’t work out, but the picture he painted was so beautiful and serene, that all I could do was whisper Yes, yes”(Hurst 559). Doodle’s brother did love what Doodle could do and for what he brought into his life. As you can see,

Even though Doodle is just an infant, the narrator tries to kill him. Once Doodle gets a little older, the narrator forces Doodle to touch the coffin he was going to be buried in and was threatening him that if he did not do it, the narrator would leave him by himself. The narrator and Doodle’s parents make the narrator take Doodle wherever the narrator goes; pushing Doodle on a wagon. Therefore, the narrator desires to teach Doodle how to walk, so he will not have to take Doodle along everywhere he goes. Therefore, it is obvious that he teaches Doodle how to walk for his own benefit; not Doodle’s.

Hurst utilizes foreshadowing to demonstrate how the brother’s selfishness and pride leads to the death of Doodle. Not long after Doodle was born, the mother explains to the brother that Doodle might be mentally handicapped as well as physically handicapped. The brother could not accept the fact that his brother is different, so he “began to make plans to kill him [Doodle] by smothering him in his sleep” (Hurst 1). From the very beginning, Doodle’s brother is unable to except the fact that his brother is not normal and never will be. His selfishness and pride leads him to want to kill

In James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis”, the Brother pushed Doodle to learn how to walk, swim, run and various activities so that Doodle would not seem to be crippled. Through the Brother's characterization, conflicts and eventual resolution, Hurst suggested that one's overwhelming selfishness, pride and cruelty can result in the death of a loved brother.

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.

When a person feels remorseful, he feels guilty from actions he has done. This leads to self-reflection and then ultimately to one’s admission of his mistakes. In the short story "The Scarlet Ibis" written by James Hurst, the author employs the elements of flashback and foreshadowing to manifest the narrator's emotion of remorse surrounding Doodle's life and death. Hurst conveys the use of flashback in the story when the narrator is constantly having recollections of his actions, which evokes the remorse he feels surrounding these actions. Foreshadowing is utilized by setting descriptions and symbolisms related to Doodle's death and to also to convey the narrator's feelings surrounding death.

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. *

The setting of “The Scarlet Ibis” helps prepare the readers’ state of mind from the very beginning. In the first place, the story takes place at the end of World War I and represents the internal conflict the narrator has as he struggles between guilt of his younger brother’s death and the acceptance of his brother’s disabilities. With this in mind, the narrator is abashed over Doodle’s inability to walk because he thinks disabilities are shameful, and he wanted a brother who was athletic, outgoing, and adventurous. For this reason,”When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn't walk, so I set out to teach him (Hurst 417).” The narrator admits to going out of his way to train Doodle to walk because he has so much pride that it is getting in the way of more important goals, meaning he would rather have a “normal” brother than a happy one. The poor treatment of his brother ultimately leads to Doodle’s death. Furthermore, he forces Doodle to do things unwillingly, such as touch his own coffin and train him to be “normal”. The narrator traumatizes his little brother to think a certain way in order to become accepted by society. Even

Also, in page 6 it stated,”I stopped and waited for Doodle… Finally I went back” Pg 6 The narrator should have never left Doodle alone knowing his conditions he has. If the narrator knew why did he do it.

Doodle’s Brother’s selfishness causes him to be ashamed of Doodle’s disabilities. Doodle’s brother felt “embarrassed of having a crippled brother of that age who couldn’t walk so (he) set out to teach (Doodle). (132)” Doodle was born with a tiny body and a bigger head. Everyone believed he would die. Brother is embarrassed of Doodle because he is different than others. He wants Doodle to fit in society and does not accept Doodle for how he is. Brother is selfish because he was an only child, he never learned the correct way to share and accept others. Brother’s parents put a lot of pressure on him, so he

In the last part of the quote the narrator describes how “[he] was ashamed of having a crippled brother.” This selfishness in him shows how Doodle’s brother had cared about his image much more than his brother. Furthermore, another factor that comes from being prideful is harm, which can hurt the closest ones. As Doodle and his brother were coming back in the rain from one of their practices to get Doodle to be “normal,” his brother abandoned Doodle. “Brother, Brother, don’t leave

Using your passage annotations from “The Scarlet Ibis,” write an essay that shows how the author uses such elements as diction, plot, imagery, figurative language, or point of view to characterize Doodle or Brother in “The Scarlet Ibis”.

The narrator in "The Scarlet Ibis" causes Doodles death by leaving Doodle in the rain, teaching him to walk, and creating a sense of curiosity in Doodle. The narrator kills Doodle

Doodle is described by his brother, since his brother is narrating in first person. By the description of Doodle, he characterizes determination, love, willpower, dedication, and perseverance in every activity he participates in, which gives a very positive outlook on his personality. Doodle shows that he will do anything for his brother since he is his best friend. “When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn't walk, so I set out to teach him” (49). Doodle doesn't think he will be capable at first, however, since he thinks his brother is doing this out of the good in his heart, he pushes through all the pain.

Brother is caring and loving towards Doodle and these are the moments in the story that make the reader’s hearts melt. For example, when Brother finally helped and taught