Ambition's Folly In The Scarlet Ibis

Ambition’s Folly in the “Scarlet Ibis” “It’s only hubris if I fail”-Julius Caesar. This attitude is mimicked by the nameless narrator in the “Scarlet Ibis”. He is the lense that Doodle’s death is seen through. He is a mere boy pushed to passive homicide through the folly of man and civilization's progress pushed on his adolescent shoulders. He is the accidental killer of his brother pushed to this state by his and societies best and worst qualities. The Brother (the narrator) is compelled to teach and kill Doodle by the two pillars of his character; and the character of man: ambition and arrogance. The narrator is annoyed from the beginning of Doodle’s birth, he holds only contempt for his new sibling. Not because he does not want a sibling, but because he wants one the that can lend to his ambitions and further his goal of progress and greatness. Brother

The narrator is a representation of society. He is civilians that will not wait for the less fortunate or challenged individuals. He is people who do not want to deal with realities because they are inconvenient. He eventually realizes Doodle is not a hurdle in his life but his brother to be embrace. He puts effort into teaching Doodle to walk and swim, but even then he is cruel to his brother. He is not helping Doodle out of compassion but because it is more convenient in the long run. However he can not abandoned Doodle quick enough when Doodle fails his expectations. Ambition can be valuable but ambition is most valuable in the face of adversity. If the narrator had handled his disappointment in Doodle with poise his brother would not be dead. Hubris is only evident in failure. If the narrator society, and Doodle it's “lesser” members; then according to Mr.Hurst we have failed and our childrens empathy will continue to be the casualty of that