Foreshadowing In The Scarlet Ibis

The short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” was written by the author, James Hurst. The main character was six years old when he became a brother. His new brother, Doodle, was expected to die, but he ended up living and was disabled his entire life. The main character was unaccepting of Doodle’s disabilities, and attempted to train Doodle to be a fully capable child. The author uses imagery and foreshadowing to reveal Doodle’s sensitive and servile nature.
The use of imagery shows how Doodle is sensitive because it helps describe his responses in a more visual format for the reader. For example, when Doodle first views the beauty that is Old Woman Swamp, “he began to cry.” This shows that the extravagant scenery of Old Woman Swamp can make Doodle cry. This is because sensitive people usually cry at sights that are, “so pretty, pretty, pretty,” just like Doodle did, showing that he is sensitive. In addition to Old Woman Swamp, Doodle is also sensitive when he witnesses the

An example of this is when the narrator convinces Doodle to touch his old coffin. This shows that no matter how cruel the narrator is, Doodle will obey. This is an example of foreshadowing because when the narrator eventually forces Doodle to over exert himself, Doodle will oblige, even though the training was harsh and cruel. In addition, Doodle is to attached to the narrator, he even wants to, “live in Old Woman Swamp,” with the narrator, “and pick dog tongue for a living.” This reveals Doodle will consistently want to be with the narrator, even if the effort is too much. The reason why Doodle is like this is because he is servile and will always need someone to have the dominant role in his life which is the narrator. The use of imagery and foreshadowing by the author are important because it can help the reader imagine a scene and predict the perfect