Cruelty And Love In James Hurst's 'Scarlet Ibis'

Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between cruelty and love. This statement is clear in James Hurst 's short story, “Scarlet Ibis”. “Scarlet Ibis” is a tale written based on an assortment of memories a brother, the narrator of the story, has of his late, physically disabled brother, Doodle. When the narrator discovers Doodle is physically disabled, the brother feels great animosity toward him. The animosity remains a major internal conflict for the brother throughout the story. As the story progresses, the narrator’s embarrassment of his brother’s disabilities leads him to mold Doodle so that he is not as embarrassed by him. This is the point where the theme of the story becomes exposed to the reader, that love can make a person do cruel things. Hurst uses the conflict that the brother has with himself about accepting his brother, the cruel actions that the brother directs toward his brother, and the irony that is woven throughout the story to further emphasize the theme.

Hurst utilizes external conflict to further his message, that cruelty can sometimes, be a way that someone might express love. One specific example that expertly shows Hurst’s

An example of this internal conflict that the brother faces is when the brother must find a way to deal with the embarrassment he feels because of Doodle’s disabilities not allowing him to fit into society. One example of the brother’s internal conflict is when, the brother wants to change Doodle so that he will not ashamed when he goes to school, “ Do you want to be different from everyone else when you go to school?” (Hurst). This reveals the author’s message because it shows that he had conflict internally and that his cruelty is fueled by love because he does not want his brother to face