Discussion Questions For The Scarlet Ibis

5. What are the narrator’s purposes for telling these stories? How do their reflections add to the theme of the stories? Use specific quotations to support your ideas.

There was a strong sense of guilt coming from the older brother from the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” and perhaps that was the reason that he constantly recalled Doodle and told his story. This inference was made possible from the line “But sometimes (like right now), as I sit in the cool, green-draped parlor, the grindstone begin to turn, and the time with all its changes ground away-and I remember Doodle.” The text’s context, as well as the text, sent a message that the narrator reminisced whenever he was alone and since a person is not continuously surrounded by people,

If it was wholly acceptable by society to have a crippled brother or a mentally unstable sister, then the stories would not have even occurred in the first place. Shame and how the siblings were a burden was a reoccurring idea. It was seen when they “tried to hide her” and how Maman made up excuses to her guests or acquaintances that came over to see Alicia saying that she was stricken with fever, even though she was not. The reason behind that was once again shame. As for “The Scarlet Ibis,” the burden and social stigma could be seen when the narrator stated, “I was embarrassed at having a brother that age who couldn’t walk” and, “Do you want to be different from everybody else at school?” Being disabled was treated as a negative thing and that it was bad to be different even though Doodle had no power over that aspect of his life. The stigma allowed an opportunity for depth to be added to the characters. It also let us know why some characters acted the way they did, for example the Maman who came from a wealthy family, an inference that could be made from the translation of Rue Deschambault, would find it a disgrace to be associated with Alicia and her deteriorating