Angus Bethune, a big kid with gay parents. Doodle’s brother, a relation to an invalid sibling. Who would have thought that these two boys could have anything in common? In “A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune,” by Chris Crutcher, the main character, Angus Bethune, is an adolescent full of insecurities. In “The Scarlet Ibis,” by James Hurst, the narrator is a boy who has trouble with his own pride. Each of these boys change their view on life by the end of their stories, one due to a conversation, the other because of a horrible event that takes place. In “A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune” and “The Scarlet Ibis,” the conflict of the story shows that people can change considerably as a result of a revelation.
Angus Bethune, “the Fat Kid with Perverted Parents”(Crutcher 1), starts off in a state of self-doubt, but by the end of this moment in his life, he learns to accept himself and be confident of who he is. Angus has always been teased and has no friends, causing him to build up an aggressive personality shield, so when he is chosen as Senior Winter Ball King, he suspects that someone is playing a joke on him, so he tries to refuse the title, but is told not to by his grandfather. All of Angus’s fear comes back, however, in the few hours before the dance when he is supposed to get ready and wear his maroon tuxedo. Along comes his stepfather, who remarks in his sensible and somewhat confusing way that “Superman’s not brave”(Crutcher 4). This reveals to Angus that the brave people are those who have vulnerabilities but face life head on anyway. Superman is invincible, so he has no reason to fear anything. Therefore Superman is not brave, unlike Angus, whose largeness and parental situation have brought on much t...
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...as in his pride. From “The Scarlet Ibis,” one learns that although pride can be exhilarating, one should always be wary of it. As revealed to Doodle’s brother, there is a rotten side to pride, which, if not careful, can bring disastrous results.
Whether it was by a dance with his crush or by a tragic turn of events, Angus Bethune and Doodle’s brother have both had a life-changing insight into who they were, leading them to change their character completely. Angus learns to be accepting of the flaws in his makeup and so becomes more self-assured. Doodle’s brother discovers the double face of pride and loses his inner cruelty. All humans should look inside of them and see whether they are like Angus and Doodle’s brother. If they are, learning the lessons and stories of these two boys can impact the understanding of many people and change how the world works forever.
Bobby, a nine year old boy, expresses his admiration for his older brother by mimicking his every move and recalling places which he shares their fondest moments. He wants to be just like his brother in every aspect. Michael Cunningham won for the “The Best American Short Stories 1989” for this short story. In his story “White Angel”, Michael Cunningham uses narrative point of view and symbolism to demonstrate an effect of having intense adoration for an influencing person in one’s life.
The narrator whose name is unknown finds out that his brother Sonny was incarcerated for the use of and dealing heroin, raised in a society where being afraid of fear is constantly affecting both of their life’s in turmoil. “He was frightening me a little” (Baldwin 19). Fear shaped the older brother in becoming an Algebra teacher, endeavoring to save his younger brother from a lifestyle of street habits, influence specifically on drug abuse. According to the narrator, he expects Sonny to follow his footsteps in finishing an education because “If you don’t finish school now, you’re going to be sorry later that you didn’t” (Baldwin 20), in addition the narrator describes the life of Sonny “weird and disordered” (Baldwin 21). The narrator uses his fear to form a communication with his brother, however Sonny’s decision of freedom in becoming a professional musician, and escaping misfortunate moments is not in communion. Thus, Sonny feels neglected by his older brother’s expectations and judgments based on his own future. “I think people ...
For instance, Doodle figures out how to walk, run, swim, fight, and climb, before his misfortune. Doodle feels proud that he can start to be a typical kid, and is content that his brother is proud of him. Brother is also upbeat that Doodle can move like an average child and that he finally has a playmate. Furthermore, Doodle and Brother “share” Old Woman Swamp together. Doodle is pleased that he and Brother can spend quality time together and have fun. Brother is enjoying Doodle being somewhat normal, and helping and helping him be even more normal. To conclude, the effects of pride can have pleasant effects.
The narrator reflects,”I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two things life and death,”(Hurst 3).This quote showed that at first the narrator thought pride was good but later he became self centered and ashamed of his disabled brother and pushed him far beyond his limit.The short story called The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst is a drama where the narrator, or older brother, wishes his younger brother wasn’t disabled. Because he is so fueled by pride, the older brother ends up pushing his brother beyond his capabilities to his death. In this story, we will learn how the narrator’s pride led to the tragic death of Doodle.
A person’s life is often a journey of study and learning from errors and mistakes made in the past. In both James Joyce’s Araby and John Updike’s A&P, the main characters, subjected to the events of their respective stories, are forced to reflect upon their actions which failed to accomplish their original goal in impressing another character. Evidently, there is a similar thematic element that emerges from incidents in both short stories, which show maturity as an arduous process of learning from failures and a loss of innocence. By analyzing the consequences of the interaction of each main character; the Narrator in Araby and Sammy in A&P; and their persons of infatuation, Mangan’s sister
“Pride that dines on vanity, sups on contempt”-Benjamin Franklin. When pride, a gained sense of importance, within a person reaches a point where one deludes oneself with a sense of infallibility, then any sense of consideration for others will be scorned. Similarly, in the book, The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, the narrator drags Doodle into the depths of his pride, ignoring any pleas for help, and left him to drown. Though the narrator showed some forms of love, he is undoubtedly and ultimately responsible for Doodle’s death because of the unrealistic expectations he sets upon his little brother.
Two people with two completely different characteristics have something alike. Both Dally and Johnny are mentally tough because of their parents. Johnny and Dally’s parents both do not care for them and could care less about them. For example, during Dally’s childhood he went to jail, been in a gang, and has been in many fights and his dad still would not care for him even if he won the lottery. Dally also talks about his dad's disgrace towards him in the car with Johnny and Ponyboy, “‘ Shoot, my dad don’t give a hang whether I’m in jail or dead in a car wreck or drunk in a gutter...’”(88). Dally could easily live without his dad and he does for the most part. Dally just hangs around with his friends and stays at their place. Similarly, Johnny's parents use him like a rag doll to blow off steam, “his father always beating him up”(14). The gang knows what happenes in Johnny’s house. Once Ponyboy was witnessing, “Johnny take a whipping with a two-by-four from his old man”(33). Ponyboy talks about how loud and mean Johnny's mom is and,“you can...
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
Through Scott Momaday’s, Victor Joseph’s, and Macklemore’s struggles they find their true identities. Their despairs lead them to realize that they need to change themselves. On their journey when facing their pasts they do not let it destroy their future, instead they allow it to change their future. Through support, each protagonist overcomes life’s biggest struggles, or their monsters. Society makes it easy to lose sight of one’s true being and potential. The constant pressures of society impact people’s choices, but every person defines their own destiny. Scott Momaday, Arnold Joseph, and Macklemore all find their true purposes in life by changing their lives.
When two siblings are born together, and are close in age, many people wonder whether they will be the same or different altogether. A “River Runs through it” shows two brothers who grew up in the same household, and grew up loving to do the same activity fly fishing. Both brothers were raised in a very strict presbyterian household. Norman is the older brother, and he is much more responsible and family orientated. Paul is the irresponsible younger brother; Paul as an adult was not at home much anymore. Both brothers were loved equally as children, but how they view and use love is what separates them. Paul and Norman differ in behavior and character.
James Moloney's coming-of-age novel, A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove, illustrates the life of an adolescent boy called Carl Matt. Through the characters of Carl, Harley and Maddy, Moloney demonstrates how every human being needs love and acceptance. Carl and Harley experience similar things because they are brothers and have both received very little or no love, whereas Maddy gained love from her family though she didn’t realise, and so went elsewhere to find love.
Suffering from the death of a close friend, the boy tries to ignore his feelings and jokes on his sister. His friend was a mental patient who threw himself off a building. Being really young and unable to cope with this tragedy, the boy jokes to his sister about the bridge collapsing. "The mention of the suicide and of the bridge collapsing set a depressing tone for the rest of the story" (Baker 170). Arguments about Raisinettes force the father to settle it by saying, "you will both spoil your lunch." As their day continues, their arguments become more serious and present concern for the father who is trying to understand his children better. In complete agreement with Justin Oeltzes’ paper, "A Sad Story," I also feel that this dark foreshadowing of time to come is an indication of the author’s direct intention to write a sad story.
In conclusion, co-dependency and rivalry is very common in the world today. Though it is not a big issue out in the open, it is an emotional attachment that only one can define. In this short story the two main aspects of having siblings is the theme which revolves around codependency and rivalry. Having siblings is a part of everyday life and problems do occur which sometimes makes a person, or changes a person in ways. In this situation, Pete and Donald are completely different people but they are in fact very dependent upon one another.
Charlie and Holden both struggle immensely with fitting into people’s standards. This is hard for the two protagonists to deal with because they are non conformists and do not change to fit into society. The two feel trapped in a world where they will not be accepted for who they are and what they want to do. One cannot truly change who they are, so Charlie and Holden continue to be individuals. They struggle to form relationships in which they can be themselves. Although they go through many hardships throughout their teenage years, eventually they realize what is important to them, allowing them to form better relationships in the future. Charlie realizes that he needs to be more commanding in relationships and that he has to be himself. Furthermore, Holden realizes that he needs to appreciate people in his life because they have more value to him than he initially thinks. Holden and Charlie both need companionship and finally realize what it takes in order to achieve their goal. Throughout their journey of self realization, both Charlie and Holden go through many hardships with abiding to society’s social “norms”. However, being different from society allows Charlie and Holden to be able figure out what they
The Scarlet Ibis bird symbolizes Doodle; this symbolism can be seen by the authors description of both Doodle’s and the Scarlet Ibis’s appearance after death. After the Scarlet Ibis fell from the bleeding tree his “long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out,” (Hurst 4) and he died. After Doodle’s death his brother finds “him huddled beneath a nightshade bush beside the road,” (Hurst 4) where he lay dead. The way Doodle fell made “his vermilion neck appear unusually long and slim,” (Hurst 4). Much like the long legs of the Scarlet Ibis, “his little legs bent sharply at the knees,” making them seem “so fragile, so thin,” (Hurst 4). This description of Doodle allows the reader to imagine him like the Scarlet Ibis, with his seemingly long neck and thin, fragile legs. Both Doodle and the Scarlet Ibis have this appearance after they fall to their death. Hurst utilizes very similar descriptive words when describing both the Scarlet Ibis and Doodle’s appearance after death, so that readers can better see the symbolism of the two.