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The scarlet ibis essay
Statement thesis for scarlet ibis by james hurst
What is the authors use of symbolism in the scarlet ibis
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In “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst shows that one should not take the easy way out by submitting to one’s obstacles because in the end, it won’t be worth it. “I heaved him up again collapsed… ‘I just can’t do it.’ [Doodle says]” (Hurts 598). An example of the theme is when Doodle submits to his obstacle, which is his brother setting a goal for him he doesn’t care to achieve. By not facing his problems, The narrator’s younger brother’s problems get worse, and somewhat lead to his death.
In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the older brother is responsible for Doodle’s death because he let his cruelty get the best of him. To start, the older brother admits that he has a hatred towards Doodle. The older brother was disappointed with Doodle because Doodle was so different from everyone due to his health. Which created a love-hate relationship with Doodle. He says, “There is inside me a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love.”
The narrator of the story, The Scarlet Ibis, Doesn't give his name, but he tells about his time with his brother, Doodle. Doodle is a complex character in many ways, he was born a cripple but was, by some accounts, blessed, and Doodle also had the element of being a genius for his circumstances. On October 8, 1911 Doodle was born with a heart condition that left him physically and mentally disabled, and wasn't expected to live past infancy, but, by defying the odds, Doodle survives his first few years of his life. Some of the characters believe that this is because when he was born, he had been born in a caul. Which leads to the fact that, Doodle, was very smart and soon learned to talk and even walk.
Even the strongest, most determined people have their breaking point. In James Hurst’s short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” the narrator tries to lift his disabled brother, Doodle, to his impossible expectations. His hard work, dedication, and his tough ways benefit and damage his brother. The narrator’s pride makes selfish and cruel sometimes, but very determined.
In the “Scarlet Ibis”, the scarlet ibis is a metaphor for Doodle because they both share similar traits and circumstances. When Doodle and his brother first see the bird, it was in a tree with its “long legs... perched precariously. Its wings hung down loosely, and as we watched, a feather dropped away and floated slowly down.” Similar to the bird, Doodle has problems moving his lower body and his legs are awkward until his brother teaches him how to walk. In addition, the bird doesn’t seem to be healthy and normal, just like Doodle.
He felt selfish when he realized this was mostly for him and not for Doodle. He was being self-centered, and only think of the benefits for himself rather than
In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the narrator describes his past experiences with his younger brother Doodle, whom he prevents from being left behind in society. Initially, the narrator does not accept Doodle, who was born physically disabled, as his brother, but gradually, love and pride led him to teach Doodle how to stand, walk, and perform feats that normal people could do; however, it was this same love and pride that eventually twisted into a “knot of cruelty” and killed his brother. When the narrator coaches Doodle to walk, he demonstrates cruelty in his love and pride for his brother. The narrator disregards Doodle’s physical limits in an attempt to prevent his brother from being left behind in society. If this was not because of the narrator’s love for Doodle, he would have accepted his brother’s physical state and would not have bothered to teach Doodle to walk like the other kids.
Enabling pride to take charge of life not only affects the person which pride controls, but also allows them to suffer emotionally and physically. In James Hurst’s short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” The narrator's control over his little brother, Doodle, fosters him to be pushed over the edge by his older brother, leaving Doodle suffering at the cause of the narrator’s pride. Doodle’s disability leads to the narrator becoming ashamed of him and soon, he sets out to teach him to walk because he is embarrassed that Doodle is so weak and frail. After teaching Doodle to walk, the narrator pushes Doodle to be just like everyone else by teaching Doodle to swim, run, climb, and fight. One day, while the Narrator and Doodle were eating lunch, they both
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.
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
Arab Open University Faculty of Language Studies Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA) EL121: The Short Story and Essay Writing Fall Semester 2015-2016 Part (I): STUDENT INFORMATION (to be completed by student) 1.
James Hurst, the author of the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” uses the scarlet ibis to symbolize Doodle. Both the bird and Doodle both stand out in their own ways. Doodle was born with a bad heart, and his parents were told, when he was first born, that most likely he wouldn’t live and if he were to live, he would never be able to walk. Doodle’s brother is ashamed of having a crippled brother, that he can’t play with, and tries to help Doodle learn how to walk for his own pride and ego. After many months of constant success, Doodle’s brother tries to push Doodle a little more than Doodle can endure by leaving him, after he has fallen, on the way home during a strorm.
The short story “Scarlet Ibis” tells about two brother, one is unnamed while the other one is nicknamed Doodle. The unnamed brother is embarrassed that Doodle cannot walk so he pushes him to the limit, and helps him walk. This give the brother pride, so he pushes doodle to strive to achieve bigger goals like swimming and running. Eventually Doodle is pushed to hard and starts to get sick. One day while Doodle and his family were eating a bird from Brazil fell into their lawn and died.
During the conflict of the story, the narrator abandons Doodle to try to help him by leaving him behind to learn to catch up on his own but the opposite happens, and Doodle collapses and perishes. The narrator admitted that “at times [he] was
Symbolism in the Scarlet Ibis The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst is a short story full of symbolism between the antagonist Doodle and The Scarlet Ibis. Doodle’s family didn’t really want Doodle because he wasn’t as fortunate as most kids in term of his physical and mental health. The Scarlet Ibis symbolizes Doodle in his struggle to communicate and interact with the rest of society with his disabilities. The death and the color of the Scarlet Ibis represents Doodle and how he was alone just like the bird was alone and far from home.
