ipl-logo

'Pride And Cruelty In The Scarlet Ibis'

366 Words2 Pages
In this short story “The Scarlet Ibis” depicts the relationship between two brothers. A story, that filled me with sadness and tears as I was reading it. As I contemplated the relationship between big brother and Doodle, the pride, cruelty, and selfish behavior that big brother portrayed was cruel. Reading more in depth into the story, I couldn’t help myself, I felt horrible for Doodle. Pride and malice play a big part in this story. As humans, I came to realize how cruel the human mind can be, in perspective of others might be acceptable to accomplish a goal. Big brother, couldn’t bear with the fact that his younger brother had a disability. In fact, he felt his brother to be a burden. Majority of the time, admitting “To discourage his coming
Show More
Related
375 Words | 2 Pages

In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst conveys his theme to the readers in order to discuss the issue of pride and how having too much pride can negatively impact another individual. Within the story, James Hurst brings forward his message when Brother is beginning to teach Doodle how to walk at Old Woman Swamp. After some innumerable attempts Brother feels a strong urge to give up but his pride over Doodle would not let him give up. Shortly after Brother starts thinking to himself, “I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.” (170-172)

Read More
586 Words | 3 Pages

How could someone be responsible for their own brother’s death? In The Scarlet Ibis the element pride was a destructive force because the older brother had plans and dreams of how he wanted a brother to be. Unfortunately that isn’t how it turned out at all. His brother was born disabled and limited him of the brotherly things he could participate in such as running, fishing and all the fun things brothers do.

Read More
918 Words | 4 Pages

Less than 200 people die in storms each year. William Armstrong also known as doodle just happened to be one of those unfortunate few in the story” The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurts a week boy was born into a strong family Doodle was born with a weak heart and was on able to walk. His brother had an unacceptable behavior towards him causing his selfishness to take over and teach his brother to walk for the wrong reason doodle unaware of his brothers sour moves looked up to him and then odd fashion. The pair would explore together now that doodle was able to walk. On one of their explores a strong storm came through they began to run through the woods to get back to their house but Doodle lacked behind calling for his brother to come back but

Read More
247 Words | 1 Pages

The narrow- mindedness of society in The Scarlet Ibis is portrayed through Brother’s prejudiced attitude towards Doodle. “It was bad enough having an invalid brother..... (pg. 2)” Since the disappointing birth of his younger sibling, Brother has been preoccupied with a major obsessive thought; how shameful it is to have a crippled brother. The need to not be seen as inferior, alongside Doodle, by society motivates Brother to teach his younger sibling to behave normally.

Read More
442 Words | 2 Pages

Thesis Statement Despite the fact that pride is considered an incredible feeling of motivation and happiness, the author James Hurst through his characters, Doodle and the older brother, in his story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” proves ,it is in fact, a masked detrimental and beneficial feeling of selfishness and guilt. II. First Thesis Point- Topic

Read More
446 Words | 2 Pages

Losing Doodle “It's okay to lose your pride over someone you love. Don't lose someone you love over your pride. ”(Unknown) Pride is a powerful thing. It can kill and raise up, it can keep you from admitting your wrong.

Read More
822 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
707 Words | 3 Pages

The narrator’s pride wants Doodle to be an ordinary brother, and kills him in the strive for perfection. “For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis,” the narrator reveals (426). For the first time, the narrator notices the connection between the scarlet ibis and Doodle. When Doodle dies, his neck is twisted identical to the scarlet ibis’ neck as it dies under the bleeding tree, along with the fact that they are both weak and fragile. The scarlet ibis and Doodle has come a long way, dodging many obstacles and achieving many goals, but in the end, both fall short of

Read More
520 Words | 3 Pages

Pride can be a positive or negative element in someone's life. It can help them succeed in their efforts or cause them to become greedy and selfish. In the short story "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst, the main character Brother shows the theme of pride through his persistence and love for Doodle. Brother had pride in Doodle, considering his brother as "his"; he always persisted in working tirelessly with him on his successes. "

Read More
1049 Words | 5 Pages

In The Scarlet Ibis, the author revealed finally the real feelings of Brother toward his brother Doodle. During the whole incidents of the short story, Brother is not accepting Doodle as a brother because of the abnormality which Doodle suffered from and so Brother feels ashamed. The last scene in the short story is so tragic. The scene is portrayed as Brother returned back to Doodle who was found dead, having bled from the mouth and his neck is covered in blood. The act of crying and screaming by Brother for the death of his brother Doodle is a pure tragic scene and by such scene the reader makes the readers feel that Brother loves his brother Doodle and for such love he tried to protect him from an outside world.

Read More
770 Words | 4 Pages

In a person’s life, many situations transpire and make them feel pride over one’s self. Readers can see this in the short story,” The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. “In his spare time Hurst wrote short stories and plays, but The Scarlet Ibis was the only work of his that become famous “(gradesaver.com)”. In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” James Hurst uses red to symbolize warning, death, and guilt to show the change the older brother goes through, as he takes care of Doodle. The first instance when red is used, is to express warning and the older brother’s attitude, is at Doodle’s birth.

Read More
867 Words | 4 Pages

“The Scarlet Ibis” Literary Analysis Essay As the protagonist unfolds his tale, he paints a picture of himself initially as a malevolent force, planning the smothering death of his crippled brother, to a bully, force-teaching Doodle to walk to satisfy his own ends, and finally a neglectful older brother whose acts lead to Doodle’s demise. It is the central event of his brother’s death that gives full meaning to the title, “The Scarlet Ibis.” In this short story by James Hurst, the author conveys the Narrator’s guilt over Doodle’s life and, more importantly, his death.

Read More
827 Words | 4 Pages

The Complex Relationship between Brother and Doodle Pride, will always be the longest distance between two people, the reason of betrayal, and even death. In the Scarlet Ibis, James Hurst describes Brother as a slave of pride unable to establish a real relationship with Doodle. The Scarlet Ibis, narrates the complex relationship between the narrator and his physically ill brother Doodle. Pride always invades the weak bond between the two brothers and leads them to a tragic end.

Read More
1062 Words | 5 Pages

“Pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death” (Hurst 2). This is how James Hurst describes pride in his heart-wrenching short story, “The Scarlet Ibis.” What speaks to me most about this quote is its profound truth. For the majority of people, pride is either a positive or negative thing, but what Hurst and I seem to agree about is the fact that pride can be both. It is an undeniable symptom of the human condition, a tool that can either create or destroy, and is responsible for the best and worst parts of history.

Read More
1174 Words | 5 Pages

"The Scarlet Ibis" searches for the conflict between pride and love in the protagonist, Brothers’ bond with his mentally and physically disabled brother, the antagonist Doodle. Brother appreciates and loves Doodle, as is seen when the two brothers visualize about existing in Old Woman Swamp, when a Brother is overawed by the splendor of the imaginings that Doodle brings

Read More

More about 'Pride And Cruelty In The Scarlet Ibis'

Related Topics

Open Document