“The Scarlet Ibis” is a short story about a big brother who accidentally contributes to the uneasy death of Doodle, his younger brother. The entire story consists of the narrator’s flashbacks to his childhood with his younger brother. The brother compares Doodle to a scarlet ibis because of how rare and beautiful he is. The theme throughout the story is that pride is sometimes good and sometimes bad. Doodle overcomes his older brothers high expectations by learning “normal human things.” Doodle went through triumphant and challenging times in his life, but he always pushed himself to become the best person he could be. Eventually, Doodle was overworked by his older brother, and gave in. Throughout the story, readers see the narrator’s pride slowly destroy Doodle’s wellbeing. Pride …show more content…
creates distance between the narrator and Doodle. The narrator’s pride overcame him and consumed him. Doodle should not have been put through what he was. Doodle was pushed to be something he could not be. The narrator knew he could not be pushed hard because the doctor said, “He mustn't get too excited, too hot, to cold, or too tired and that he must always be treated gently” (Hurst 465). The narrator did not put all of this into consideration because he forced Doodle to do things his disability would not allow him to do. Doodle’s life was challenging because his older brother was not considerate of him. Even when Doodle learned to walk, the narrator said, “They did not know I did it for myself; that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices, and Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother” (Hurst 468). Pride consumed him to do what he wanted, not what was best for his little brother. Although his life was challenging, it was also triumphant in a sense; he overcame his disability and proved himself and his family wrong.
Even though Doodle had many challenges in his life, he overcame many of them. The narrator taught Doodle how to walk, run, talk, and basically act like a normal human. The narrator put his disability aside, and showed Doodle that he was actually worth something. The narrator showed Doodle that he was apart of the family, and nothing would change that. The narrator’s pride was positive because he showed Doodle how much he meant to him. He taught him to do all these things so they could have a friendship, and so they could bond. As the narrator pushed him to be the best he could be, it also had an effect in the long run that would change his life forever. Doodle finally felt a part of the family when he first learned to crawl. The narrator said, “...he learned to crawl (it was his third winter), and we brought him out of the front of the bedroom, putting him on the rug before the fireplace. For the first time he became one of us” (Hurst 464). The narrator’s pride was good because he is the one that gave Doodle value as a family member and a
human. Eventually Doodle was pushed so hard, and over worked that he gave in. Doodle was left all alone in the cold. Laying there, he felt the rain pierce his skin. The narrator said, “He lay very awkwardly, with his head thrown back, making his vermillion neck appear unusually long and slim. His little legs, bent sharply at the knees, had never seemed so fragile, so thin” (Hurst 475). Doodle was not supposed to be over worked, but to stay calm. He was supposed to be treated gently, and not get tired and cold. The older brother should have been there for him. He should have waited for him. The narrator's pride consumed him. In just a short time, Doodle passed away. The older brother finally came back to get him, but it was too late. The narrator held him in his arms, protecting him from the rain. At that moment, the older brother realized he should have been their for him like that all his life. In today’s world, it is great to have pride. It is great to push yourself to be the best you can be, but you always need to know your boundaries. Do not just think about yourself in life, you also need to be considerate of how other people are. You need to appreciate what you have in life, and respect and cherish who matters to you. There will be ups and downs. There will be challenges in life, but always have pride in you, or your other acquaintances.
in life and earn respect for ourselves. However, pride also has a negative aspect. Pride can cause misunderstandings and conflicts to erupt between two people and can lead to becoming hurt. For example, in "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan, Waverly and her mother are constantly fighting and disagreeing with each other because her mother always openly exhibits her pride. And in "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst, Brother's pride compels him to constantly push his sick little brother, Doodle, to become a normal child. Waverly and Brother handle their pride differently since Waverly runs away from her problems, whereas Brother faces his problems head-on and tries hard to fix them.
Have you ever had a sibling that you were jealous of or disliked? In “The Scarlet Ibis” The narrator reminisces about his feeble and sickly brother, their time together, and how he felt about. In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis”, author James Hurst uses Doodle’s brother to show that Doodle’s brother can be kind and cruel to Doodle.
In the two texts “Sonny Blues” by James Baldwin and “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen, the authors focus on relationships between family members. The stories are narrated by the brother in “Sonny Blues” and mother “I Stand Here Ironing”, therefore the story are only told through the point of view of the family member. Olsen conveys to readers that the mother does not have control over how her daughter, Emily, is raised and the internal conflict that comes along with mother. However, Baldwin shows a lack of family ties between Sonny’s and his brother. As a result, conflicts arise between the brothers in “Sonny’s Blues”. The conflicts in Baldwin and Olsen stories determine the stagnation relationships between families.
In “The Scarlet Ibis” the positivity of pride prevails in the characters. I think that judgement is influenced by pride, and it can change the whole outcome of a situation. Pride that has wonderful consequences, counts more than pride that ends
Some people are selfish in such a way that affects only their own selves, but others’ selfishness can hurt those they care about. One of these such people is Brother in “The Scarlet Ibis”. In James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis”, Brother is selfish and only teaches Doodle to walk to benefit himself.
Dante Alighieri once said, "Avarice, envy, pride, three fatal sparks, have set the hearts of all on Fire." In the short story "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst, it shows how pride can be beneficial in some ways, and harmful in other ways. The story starts out as the narrator of the story has a recollection of his past when his younger brother Doodle was still alive. The narrator tells how everyone believed Doodle is crippled mentally and physically. However, Doodle is a normal human being mentally, but has some difficulties physically. The narrator wants Doodle to become a "normal" boy, so he teaches him to practically all the activities any boy Doodle's age would do. One day, Doodle and the narrator were playing in the fields. A large storm came and both had to run home before it became too hard to handle. Doodle started running after his brother, but couldn't withstand it, and eventually, his stamina died down and had to rest. The narrator felt ticked off by Doodle and deserted him. A few minutes later, the narrator discovered Doodle under a tree, blood trickling from his mouth, dead. In the short story "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst, it shows how pride can be beneficial in some ways, and harmful in other ways.
Blood is thicker than water, but sometimes pride is thicker than both. Such is the case with James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis." This is a dramatic short story about two brothers, in which the older brother manipulates and is later responsible for the death of his younger brother, Doodle. These actions proved that he did not love Doodle.
Since the beginning of time, mankind has sheltered their fragile egos, in which is driven by one main attribute, pride. If mankind’s ego is placed in harm's way, their lousy judgment takes over thus causing them to conceive loathsome ideas which their greed feeds upon. When mankind reflects on their dishonorable actions, a wave of regret and disappointment washes over them. This wave of resentment is what Doodle’s brother, the narrator, in the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” written by James Hurst, is currently causing him to reflect on his past actions towards Doodle. As the narrator recalls how his pride was more important than his relationship with Doodle, the reader will realize the theme of this short story, do not let pride cloud your judgment. Hurst illustrates the theme through the usage of internal conflict, man vs man conflict, and
In James Hurst's short story “The Scarlet Ibis” the author describes the life of Doodle and the relationship he shares with his brother. During the story he has some happy moments with his brother, but his brother is also very selfish. Doodle pushes himself to his limits to try to please his brother. Doodle’s brother lets his pride get the best of him and forgets about the wellbeing and feelings of Doodle. (Summary) Throughout the entire story the central message is, Pride can lead people to do terrible as well as wonderful things.(thesis)
Have you ever thought about murdering one of your siblings, or close family members? Brother took it all the way in “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. Doodle, Brother’s younger sibling, was expected to die since birth; he was a premature child. The family didn’t name him for three months because they were afraid that he was going to die any second. Doodle learned how to talk way before he could walk, forcing the narrator to pull him around in a gocart everywhere he went. Brother became embarrassed of Doodle and taught him to walk. Doodle dies at age six, and Brother is responsible for his death. The narrator is responsible, because he knew about Doodle’s undeveloped organs, and over-worked him. Brother’s only motivation to teach Doodle to run, swim, climb and walk was the fact that he was embarrassed to have a crippled sibling. Finally, he was aware that Doodle was afraid of being alone and left him to die.
In James Baldwin’s short story, Sonny’s Blues, he describes a story of pain and prejudice. The theme of suffering makes the reader relate to it. The story is told from the realistic point of view of Sonny’s brother. The setting and time of the story also has great significance to the story. From beginning to end, the story is well developed.
Humans are never perfect, and their emotions often conflict with their logic. In “The Scarlet Ibis”, the narrator receives a physically disabled brother, Doodle, thus trains Doodle physically so that he could live a normal life. Throughout the story, the narrator’s actions and thoughts reveals his true personalities to the audience as he slowly narrates the story of himself and his scarlet ibis, Doodle, whose existence he dreaded. In the story written by James Hurst, pride, love, and cruelty, these conflicting character traits all exists in Doodle’s brother. And the most severe of all, pride.
James Hurst is the author of the heart breaking short story entitled “The Scarlet Ibis”. “The Scarlet Ibis” is a short story about two brothers; one brother is healthy, while the other is physically handicapped. The short story is centered on the idea that the older, healthier brother’s selfishness and pride ultimately led to the death of his younger brother, Doodle. Numerous quotes throughout the story demonstrate Hurst’s use of symbolism and foreshadowing to portray and predict Doodle’s untimely and heartbreaking death.
for dark, mysterious, and bizarre works of fiction. His works sometimes reflected his life experiences and hardships he tried to overcome. Examples of the troubles in his life include alcoholism, having his works rejected over and over, being broke, and losing his family, even his beloved wife to tuberculosis. There is no wonder why his works are so dark and evil, they were taken from his life. A theme is defined as the major or central idea of a work. Poe’s short story, “The Black Cat”, contains six major themes that are discussed in this paper. They include the home, violence, drugs and alcohol, freedom and confinement, justice and judgement, and transformation.
Essay on Themes Pride and Prejudice. In this novel, the title describes the underlying theme of the book. Pride and prejudice were both influences on the characters and their relationships. The.