In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” one brother’s selfishness caused the demise of the other. Authors typically use literary elements in order to establish and portray an advanced and complex theme. This technique can be seen in the story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. This sorrowful story centers around a young boy, William Armstrong, also known as Doodle, who was born with a life-threatening medical condition. With the help of his older brother, the narrator, Doodle overcomes obstacles and breaks down barriers, that no one ever expected him to get past. Unfortunately, in the end, Doodle is driven to his death by his self-centered older brother, who only ever wanted Doodle to get better so that he wouldn’t be an embarrassment to him.
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Hurst reveals this in the text by writing “”It’s a scarlet ibis,” he said, pointing to the picture. “It lives in the tropics-South America to Florida. A storm must have brought it here.” Sadly, we all looked back at the bird. A scarlet ibis! How many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree” (Hurst 9). This fallen beauty of a bird had traveled so far only to die right before Doodle’s eyes. It was then, in this moment, that both Doodle realized the significance between him and the Ibis. The event of the bird’s death had greatly impacted Doodle’s emotions. For instance, Doodle had missed out on his favorite dessert just to bury the Ibis. Digging the hole was extremely difficult for Doodle, especially in his condition. Both Doodle and the Ibis had come so far in an attempt to escape an inevitable fate that eagerly awaited them both. Doodle, with the pressure from his older brother, was trying to become a normal person who could do normal things such as walking, and rowing a boat. In relation, The Scarlet Ibis was flying away from a tropical storm that would have ended its precious life. In
Hurst reveals this in the text by writing “”It’s a scarlet ibis,” he said, pointing to the picture. “It lives in the tropics-South America to Florida. A storm must have brought it here.” Sadly, we all looked back at the bird. A scarlet ibis! How many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree” (Hurst 9). This fallen beauty of a bird had traveled so far only to die right before Doodle’s eyes. It was then, in this moment, that both Doodle realized the significance between him and the Ibis. The event of the bird’s death had greatly impacted Doodle’s emotions. For instance, Doodle had missed out on his favorite dessert just to bury the Ibis. Digging the hole was extremely difficult for Doodle, especially in his condition. Both Doodle and the Ibis had come so far in an attempt to escape an inevitable fate that eagerly awaited them both. Doodle, with the pressure from his older brother, was trying to become a normal person who could do normal things such as walking, and rowing a boat. In relation, The Scarlet Ibis was flying away from a tropical storm that would have ended its precious life. In