Normality In The Scarlet Ibis

In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” James Hurst, through the characterization of the narrator, demonstrates that it is crucial to meticulously think before performing actions that may negatively scar someone for the rest of their life. After the narrator taught Doodle how to walk and when they were going to demonstrate the great feat they had accomplished, the narrator felt a moment of realization and “...began to cry... 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” (9). Ironically, the narrator reflects on his actions after he performs them rather than doing it before. He not only does this

The brothers overcame the struggles one by one, pushing themselves to the limit. Doodle’s characteristics of being cautious, receptive and frightened proves that one should not lose hope in oneself or anyone else. Doodle took every move with caution,

The narrator’s pride in Doodle is both good and bad, it is good because it made them teach Doodle learn how to walk, but it is bad because they have cruel expectations of Doodle that comes out and acts harsh. Doodle’s disability affected the narrator by giving them a streak of cruelty towards Doodle. It was when the narrator stated, “One day I took him up to the barn loft and showed him his mahogany casket, telling him how we all had believed he would die”(Hurst 164). That was the effect of Doodle’s disability on the narrator, it made the narrator do harsh actions towards Doodle from embarrassment and

In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst the concept of survival is demonstrated. The narrator 's brother was born with a disability which caused him to not be able to do normal things a child would do. Later on the narrator would begin teaching his brother, Doodle things so he could be like the others at school. The narrator taught Doodle how to walk, so shortly after Doodle was walking the narrator decided to teach him other things.

Winston Churchill once said, "Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." In other words, Churchill stated that it is not the act of success that matters, it is the journey that made you successful that counts. In the book "The Scarlet Ibis" and the film Simon Birch they tell the story of a physically impaired boy who puts his disability aside to defy the odds and triumph before ultimately dying. Doodle and Simon were alike and different in various instances, the main themes were; their brother figure, their parents, and the major symbols in the story.

Hurst shows the narrator’s remorse of leaving through his use of somber words. After the narrator discovers Doodle’s deceased body, he uses cacophonous, and sorrowful, words, such as “weeping,” “tear-blurred,” “crying,” and “fallen,” to describe the massive regret he had for leaving behind Doodle. The narrator fell into hysteria as he was unable to control his intense crying, so the diction used only could be cacophonous. As a result of Doodle’s death, the narrator and his family left their house at some point in time after the event because the loss of a family member must have had a depressing effect on the atmosphere within the home. After an extended period of time, the narrator returned to his childhood home, despite the painful nostalgia

In the story, “The Scarlet Ibis” author James Hurst uses indirect characterization through the thoughts and feeling of the protagonist towards his little brother Doodle to establish a meaningful theme. The theme is that being ashamed of those close to you often makes you lose sight of what that person may be going through, leading to regret in the future. In the beginning of the story, the protagonist talks about how his baby brother’s crawling made him resemble a doodle bug. This is why he calls his brother Doodle. “Renaming my brother was perhaps the kindest thing I ever did for him, because nobody expects much from someone named Doodle,” (3) the protagonist proceeds to explain.

Special treatment due to a physical or mental challenge reveals the strength and true character inside, When a challenge, or adversity comes up, a good character is usually revealed, although in some cases a person isn’t caring or selfless inside. Adversity can cause the bad inside someone to come out. In “The Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator teaches his physically disabled brother to walk. “Once I succeeded in teaching Doodle I began to believe in my own infallibility, and I prepared a terrific development program for him, unknown to Mama and Daddy of course” (Scarlet Ibis, Hurst). After succeeding he keeps trying to get Doodle to be more like everyone else.

Have you ever read The Scarlet Ibis? James Hurst wrote the fictional story "The Scarlet Ibis" that has a lot of elements mixed into the story. A few of these elements inside this story include characterization, imagery, and foreshadowing. The Scarlet Ibis uses characterization, imagery, and foreshadowing to create a beautiful, well-written story that can mess with the audience's feelings.

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.

Embarrassment can make us do things that aren't always right. In the end The narrator's embarrassment killed his little brother. Next time you are embarrassed of somebody or something, think of this story and Watch your actions. Before doodle died, the two brothers found a dead scarlet ibis in there yard. The Scarlet ibis was forced with the storm to go where it wasn't supposed to be, The bird represents doodle and the narrator/older brother is the storm, forcing doodle to do something that isn't meant to be.

5. What are the narrator ’s purposes for telling these stories? How do their reflections add to the theme of the stories? Use specific quotations to support your ideas.

In “The Scarlet Ibis”, Hurst uses the theme of peer pressure to argue that the normative conformity with one’s reputation leads to death. In providing rationale for his brother, Doodle, the narrator exclaims “It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him… (Hurst 176). The narrator statement explains his embarrassment of having a handicapped brother. The narrator didn’t get the normal brother with whom he could share his love of the outdoors. When he finds out he has an “invalid brother” he feels it's “unbearable”.

Due to his hurtful actions, inflicted upon Doodle throughout his life, the Narrator feels deep shame for what he has caused. Through the elements of foreshadowing and dialogue, Hurst’s narration reveals the protagonist’s guilt, emphasizing his deep regret over his actions regarding his crippled brother. The Narrator foreshadows the eventual climax of the story through his words regarding his views of pride. He states, “But all of us must have something to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine.

Such ending of The Scarlet Ibis is surprizing for both the narrator and the reader. In fact, the death of Doodle after growing up is unexpected by neither the narrator nor the reader. (Hamdi, DeAngelis, 2008, Page