The Scarlet Ibis Paper

595 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character development introduction

When I read “The Scarlet Ibis” a driving passion for success comes to mind. This non-fiction book written by James Hurst is about the determination of a boy that can be pushed to because he is ashamed of his brother. “The Scarlet Ibis” is a book about a boy who is unhappy about his handicapped brother Doodle. Brother pushes Doodle to accomplish his goals but does he push him to far? Brother does not want to be known as the kid with the handicap brother, so he teaches him to do all the things a normal person can do. When Brother is teaching Doodle to walk at Old Women Swamp, this marks the determination of Brother to teach Doodle to walk, but is it because he doesn’t a crippled brother. “ Every day that summer we went to the pine beside the stream of Old Women Swamp, and I put him on his feet at least a hundred times each afternoon” (Hurst 112), just so Brother won’t have a crippled brother. When I think of someone who tries to teach someone something and takes every day of the summer, that is that is what I call determination. Sadly Brother is not doing this for Doodle but for himself. Therefor Old Women Swamp marks the determination of Brother. He wants to teach Doodle to walk but at the same time he just doesn’t want an odd brother. Brother, “It seemed so hopeless from the beginning it’s a miracle I didn’t give up” (Hurst 110). The hopelessness that Doodle has is no match for Brothers determination to overcome the challenges Doodle faces though it is for himself. When I think of a swamp I think of green water and just a bad place, but in the story it is used to show the place where Doodle learns to walk. Just as a swamp can be a fun place it can also be a bad place where bad things can happen. The wagon can symbolize Brother helping Doodle but also shows that Brother pushes Doodle to far just so he won’t have to push him around. Brother “I’m going to teach you to walk Doodle … Why?... so I won’t have to haul you around all the time” (Hurst 112). Brother is only trying to help Doodle but because pushing him around is an annoyance. Doodle depends so much on the wagon that when Brother takes it away he denies he can go without.

Show More
Related

  • The Dynamic Character in "The Scarlet Ibis"

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    Who is the dynamic character in “The Scarlet Ibis?” To answer this question, one must first know what a dynamic character is or means. A dynamic character is one who changes by the end of the story. In “The Scarlet Ibis” the narrator is the one who is the dynamic character. How? First of all, the reason why the narrator is dynamic is he feels atrocious of how he has treated Doodle, his brother. The second reason is the narrator comprehends he should have appreciated his brother more. The last reason is the narrator feels fallacious of what he has done to Doodle; which has possibly led to Doodle’s death.

    Read More

  • Doodle's Brother In 'The Scarlet Ibis'

    501 Words  | 2 Pages

    Doodles brother had wanted him to be a normal kid like himself because he didn’t like having a brother who couldn’t walk,because it was embarrassing and didn’t want the other kids to make fun of him. So he had pushed his brother to walk do things that he never done before and they had set a goal that Doodle would walk,run,swim by the end of the summer. Doodle had agreed with his brother that he

    Read More

  • Simon And Doodle Essay: The Scarlet Ibis, By James Hurst

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Doodle and Simon have many similarities. They both have heart conditions and have to adjust to their lives but that is really the only similarity. In the movie Simon Birch by Mark Steve Johnson, the character Simon never has a completely normal life because of his disability. In the book “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, Doodle never came close to normal because of his heart condition. Doodle and Simon have similarities but are different in many ways.

    Read More

  • The Scarlett Ibis by James Hurst and A Separate Peace by John Knowles

    1385 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Old Woman Swamp, society is left behind by Doodle and his brother, and they achieve a feeling of equality. Doodle’s brother always wants to fit in with society; consequently, he is constantly embarrassed by his disabled brother. Doodle’s brother considers Doodle to be “invalid” at a first glance, but when the boys go to Old Woman Swamp, he treats Doodle almost as an equal (Hurst 1). The prejudices forced upon Doodle because of his disabilities vanish, and Doodle’s brother no longer needs to act as a superior to blend in with other people. Doodle’s brother is not ashamed by Doodle when they are alone; therefore, this is the only time he really sees Doodle as what he is, a human. This change in Doodle’s brother causes Doodle to feel welcome in the swamp, and even though he still knows his brothe...

    Read More

  • Scarlet Ibis Pride Quotes

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, the narrator went through the pride cycle before realizing that he loved Doodle for who he was and not for what he couldn’t do. In the end, the narrator was too late and he had gone past Doodle’s barriers and limits. This caused Doodle’s body to be worked too hard thus causing Doodle to

    Read More

  • Pride In 'The Scarlet Ibis' By James Hurst

    835 Words  | 2 Pages

    No matter how malicious he is, like all siblings, he has some love for his brother. The narrator showed Doodle Old Woman Swamp

    Read More

  • Doodle In The Scarlet Ibis

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although Brother had told Doodle multiple times that walking was an important task that he must learn how to do for himself, the underlying reason why he pressured Doodle to integrate into the norm was that he wouldn’t have to deal with the embarrassment of having a crippled brother.

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story, the narrator's pride sometimes takes him over and eventually kills his brother Doodle. At the end of the story, the narrator "…as I [He] lay sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain" (176).

    Read More

  • How Does Brother Is Responsible For His Death

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    “They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices; and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.” (Hurst 50). This supports the claim that this is Brother’s fault, because if he were never ashamed of Doodle in the first place, he wouldn’t be given all of the extra stress running has brought his body. The narrator was very strict, and hard on Doodle because he wanted a brother that was “all there.” Brother would have been much nicer, and understanding if his decision to teach Doodle to do things like the other children was based on

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Ibis Symbolism

    184 Words  | 1 Pages

    James Hurst, author of the short story "The Scarlet Ibis", writes how the Scarlet Ibis symbolizes Doodle's life with the complications of his toxic relationship with Brother. Birds are creatures that can fly, yet they do not intrigue that many people, but the beautiful hue of scarlet from the Scarlet Ibis caught the eyes of Doodle's family. It was one in a million to see a bird as angelic as the Scarlet Ibis in their own front yard. Brother's pride would have never allowed himself to help the fallen bird, or in this case, Doodle. Doodle carried the "red dead bird" to its grave as the "fallen Scarlet Ibis fell from the heresy of rain" all on his own. Doodle became like the Scarlet Ibis and its death before a rain storm when Brother lacked

    Read More

  • James Hurst's The Scarlet Ibis

    497 Words  | 1 Pages

    Doodle's brother was never able to accept him for who he was. Even very early in the story, shortly after Doodle was born. His brother's unhappiness with Doodle was mostly because he wanted a brother with whom he could play and run. The thought of a brother who could barely move and probably never walk was embarrassing. He even states that Doodle, "....

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Ibis: Discussion Analysis

    294 Words  | 1 Pages

        An intriguing concept introduced in Tuesday’s discussion was the purpose of leaving the narrator anonymous.  Jared Collins truly stressed the importance of the author’s intent.  He reasoned with the other students that James Hurst wanted the reader to be able to connect with the narrator and his thoughts.  Another key speaker was Sophia Zaprianov.  In the discussion, she shared clever insight in confirming the good and grim effects of pride, and made me reconsider what the story was.  I knew that The Scarlet Ibis was a recollection of events from the narrator’s perspective, but not that it may be a confession, written to make the reader understand guilt.

    Read More

  • Thesis For The Scarlet Ibis

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    (Support) He states, “ When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn’t walk, so I set out to teach him.” (166)(Textual support- 2). This shows that brother didn’t want to teach Doodle how to walk to help him, but he wanted Doodle to walk so Doodle wouldn’t embarrass him. Brother is selfish and doesn’t care about Doodle, he cares more about himself and this is a character trait for Brother that runs throughout the entire story. (Commentary)

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Barn Burning By William Faulkner

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    The wagon expressed how the family relationship was in the story. In the story the wagon on moving day was broken and hard to use when they moved from the country and also wants to connected the broken wagon to the broken relationships between the family. “The boy could remember-the battered stove, the broken beds and chairs, the clock inlaid with mother-of-pearl, which would not run, stopped at some fourteen minutes past two o 'clock of a dead and forgotten day and time, which had been his mother 's dowry (Faulkner 227)” explains the condition of the wagon and with the condition of the wagon creates some conflict during the beginning of the text. In the story, “The wagon went on, the store with its quiet crowd of grimly watching men dropped behind; a curve in the road hid it. Forever he thought. Maybe he 's done satisfied now, now that he has ... stopping himself, not to say it aloud even to himself. His mother 's hand touched his shoulder (Faulkner 228) explains the conflict that happen with the wagon and the effect it had on the family. According to Hans H. Skei ‘s Article “The description of the wagon, loaded with the family’s belongings, with two hulking sisters and a crying mother, is indicative of what sort of life Ab Snopes has created for the family from which he expects total loyalty

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Ibis Analysis

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...verything” (Hurst 1). The brother only cared about himself and having fun, and did not think about the affect his actions had on Doodle. The brother decides to “teach him [Doodle] to run, to swim, to climb trees, and to fight” (Hurst 3). Readers can begin to infer that the brother’s careless actions will later lead to serious injury or the death of Doodle.

    Read More

More about The Scarlet Ibis Paper

Open Document