ipl-logo

Symbolism In The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

203 Words1 Pages
In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurst creates Symbolism Between the Scarlet Ibis and Doodle. In the beginning, Doodle was born and no one thought he would make it because he was born week, but he made it and soon learned to crawl, and walked when he was 5. But one day when Doodle’s older brother started to run to the out in frustration that his plans did not work to make Dootle like normal children and left him behind. When he went back for him Dootle had died. In this part of the story Doodle’s family hears a bird outside to find a bird. “‘It looks tired,’ daddy added, ‘or maybe sick.’... At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated, and amid flapping and spray of feathers, it tumbled down, bumping
Show More
Related
178 Words | 1 Pages

There are many ways that the “Fallen Scarlet Ibis” can be a symbol of Doodle. Doodle is very unique in many ways just like the Scarlet Ibis. Doodle was born with a tiny body and very delicate, just like the skinny red bird the Scarlet Ibis. Another way that the ibis can represent doodle is that they are both very fragile and weak. Doodle is described as having thin weak legs as the ibes is also described as being weak and having thin weak legs.

Read More
518 Words | 3 Pages

Why do people hurt the one’s they love? People everywhere do things to family that they reget, same as in this story. The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, a young kid has a baby brother. He is very happy because he wants someone to play with him. When his brother is born, he is a cripple.

Read More
185 Words | 1 Pages

Abbie Scepurek Mrs. Kapsner English 10 hour 1 17 May 2024 Pride and Death In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, he uses death/dying to symbolize the selfish pride of a brother. One example is, Brother is making plans to kill Doodle by smothering him with a pillow because Doodle has special needs. “I began to make plans to kill him with a pillow”(Hurst 1). This shows how Brother is only thinking of himself and his pride because he doesn't want a disabled brother.

Read More
298 Words | 2 Pages

In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the selfish narrator set a mission for himself to make his invalid brother become “normal” to fulfill his own personal pride. At one point in the story, the author illustrated a scene in which Doodle and the rest of his family were drawn outside to observe a scarlet ibis as it sat unstable on a branch of a tree, and tumbled to the ground at their feet when it tried to take flight. The scarlet ibis symbolizes Doodle because both Doodle and the bird could be described as vulnerable, weak, and uncoordinated, yet they both still tried to push themselves past their limits. To begin, the precarious way the bird perched itself high up in the tree, represented Doodle because they both share vulnerabilities.

Read More
264 Words | 2 Pages

The symbol that best represents doodle in ”The Scarlet Ibis” is I think is love and compassion which is also the Scarlet Ibis. I think that it is compassion because he has love and compassion towards the things that he does and towards his family because he had love for the bird. For my first example I have. “Brother, Brother, don’t leave me!”” (Hurst 132)

Read More
592 Words | 3 Pages

How the narrator killed his own brother without knowing it Don't ever go against the doctors orders or you will face the consequences of your choice. The reason I say this is if you do decide to go against the doctors orders, you or a relative will face severe consequences or even death. You will understand more as you read "The Scarlet Ibis" written by James Hurst. The story is based on the narrators choices and determines the fate of his brother. The narrators name is Henry and his brother,doodle are the main characters in the story along with their parents.

Read More
977 Words | 4 Pages

In James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator’s remorseful attitude towards Doodle’s death is illustrated through the utilization of foreshadowing and flashback. This is made evident through the passing of the scarlet ibis and the narrator’s own prideful behavior and faith in his infallibility. The scarlet ibis that symbolizes Doodle with its death is incorporated into the foreseeable outcome of the end of Doodle’s life, and the indication of the narrator’s future guilt is manifested through his reminiscence of cruelty he displayed towards Doodle in his past. The significance of the appearance of the bird is emphasized alongside specific characteristics to foreshadow Doodle’s own fate, followed by the narrator’s guilt.

Read More
131 Words | 1 Pages

The symbolic scarlet ibis represents Doodle with its sickness that ultimately leads it to death and the significance of the appearance of the bird is emphasized alongside specific characteristics to foreshadow Doodle’s own awaiting tragedy. When the ibis makes an entrance into the story, its scarlet feathers and the sickly state it was introduced in were accentuated to stand out. The bird was “perched precariously” (561) on the topmost branch as the narrator and his family watch “a feather [drop] away and [float] slowly down through the green leaves” (561). The scarlet ibis’s sickness is employed to illustrate Doodle’s inability to walk, just as the bright red feather depict the end of Doodle’s life as the narrator cradles him in his arms,

Read More
707 Words | 3 Pages

The scarlet ibis symbolizes Doodle. “It lives in the tropics. How many miles it has traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree,” (424). Doodle, like the scarlet ibis, does not belong in his environment. He is mentally and physically impaired, which makes him different and stand out.

Read More
770 Words | 4 Pages

The quote said “he was looking up into the tree”. “It’s a great big red bird” he called”. Later after Doodle said that, the bird fell through the tree and died. While everyone looked at the Scarlet Ibis, the reader can see a similarity in the bird and Doodle. They were both weak and Doodle was born a shade of red, as the Ibis is.

Read More
522 Words | 3 Pages

Doodle became fascinated with this bird in Old Woman’s Swamp. The bird looked exotic, as if it belonged to another environment. I did some research on the newfound animal and discovered that its name was the Scarlet Ibis, a species of birds that live in tropical areas. That’s when I realized a connection between Doodle and the Ibis. Just as the Scarlet Ibis was different from the dank, bland landscape of Old Woman’s Swamp, so was Doodle when he was born into the family.

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
640 Words | 3 Pages

The Scarlet Ibis shows how fragile Doodle was, and how the bird came so far from home like Doodle did when he learned to walk. When Doodle was first born his family was already prepared for him to die. The Scarlet Ibis and Doodle represent each other because they were both struggling to survive in an environment they weren’t in tune with. The Scarlet Ibis had trouble flying the same as Doodle had trouble with walking.

Read More
793 Words | 4 Pages

Relationships are one of the most important things in our lives whether it be family, friend, or God, and though many things will try to disturb those relationships, we must do everything we can to keep them secure and close to our hearts. “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is a great short story that represents several universal themes throughout in which readers can identify. The main conflict of the story is between Brother and Doodle because Brother desperately wants Doodle to be able to live and function just like him, even though Doodle was born different from most people living in society, especially at that time. Three of the main themes that are defective in the story are man’s struggle with pride, his desires to please others, and his struggle to love and accept others for who they are.

Read More
577 Words | 3 Pages

Literary Criticism: “The Scarlet Ibis” “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it then the next man… It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone” (C.S. Lewis). Pride can be a dangerous thing if someone can not keep it under control.

Read More

More about Symbolism In The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

Related Topics

Open Document