Helen On Eighty-Sixth Street Character Analysis

“To be human is to be beautifully flawed.”(Eric Wilson). All humans are flawed. That is what makes them human. Flaws sometimes are hurtful, but they make the character interesting. In most stories, all developing characters have flaws. Many problems are caused by a character’s personal flaw. They can also be what draws the reader in, and it can be what connects the reader to the character. A certain fatal flaw is the inability to let go. In the stories, “Helen on Eighty-Sixth Street”, “The Cask of Amontillado”, and “The Scarlet Ibis” all of the characters are related because of their inability to let go.

In the story “Helen on Eighty-Sixth Street” the narrator, Vita is flawed in her inability to let go of her jealousy and hatred for Helen

In the story “Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator is flawed in his inability to let go of his desire to have a normal brother. The narrator has a little brother named Doodle, with an extreme amount of disabilities. Before Doodle was born, the narrator fantasized about having a little brother who would be his playmate. Doodle, however, was not the ideal brother. He could not walk or do much on his own. Eventually the narrator taught Doodle to walk, then decided to teach Doodle other abilities that would make Doodle be considered “Normal.” The narrator was so engrossed in this task that he did not notice that Doodle could not keep up. “I made him swim until he turned blue and row until he couldn't lift an oar. Wherever we went, I purposely walked fast, and although he kept up, his face turned red and his eyes became glazed. Once, he could go no further, so he collapsed on the ground and began to cry.” (Hurst, 47). The narrator worked Doodle way past his limit. He knew he was, but he could not let go of the wish to have a normal brother. This was a flaw because he ended up working Doodle all the way to the point of death, just because he could not let go of his desire for a normal

Sometimes those flaws can be their downfall. For many, a major downfall is the inability to let go. In “Helen on Eighty-Sixth Street,” the character's flaw was her inability to let go of her hatred for Helen. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” the character’s flaw was his inability to let go of an insult. In “The Scarlet Ibis,” the character’s flaw was his inability to let go of the idea of a normal brother.” In all of these stories, their flaws were their undoing. It is not just these characters that have flaws; the whole human race does. Everyone has their own flaws, and that will never change. It can, however, be reduced. If there is one lesson that all humans can learn from these characters, it is to let go of what is bothering them. That will lead to a more positive and joyful