Scarlet Ibis Human Struggle Quotes

People can naturally feel out of place and fearful in their world. This is a struggle present in the human experience. Using emotions such as being fearful or feeling out of place is a method that authors use to draw from a vulnerable place in the human struggle. This creates a window of connection based on emotions that better develops in-story characters. James Hurst uses these ideas that are present in the human struggle in "The Scarlet Ibis" to help the readers connect with the plot. "The Scarlet Ibis" depicts a young, crippled boy named Doodle. His lack of physical ability leaves him out of place. Brother pushes him to extents in order make him fit in. Brother does not accept Doodle's limitations and causes his death. Characters like Doodle …show more content…
The coffin was an indication that Doodle was expected to die young which isolates him from everyone else. The family had kept Doodle's casket as they originally thought he would die at a younger age. One day Doodle's brother decided to show him his casket. When they reached the barn, Brother "took him up to the barn loft and showed him his casket, telling how we all believe he would die" (Hurst 387). Doodle was never expected to live past the early stages of his life. However, by surpassing every doctor's expectation, he did the extraordinary. This came with the adverse effect of making him distant from everyone else. Doodle's entire life was not necessarily an accident, but it was a freak of nature. This left him in a world where people felt he was fragile because of his life expectancy. On not only a literal level but also a figurative level, Doodle is out of place. When the scarlet ibis arrives in North Carolina, it is clear that the bird is out of place similar to how Doodle is. Doodle opened a bird book and found the bird in the backyard and he exclaimed "'It's a scarlet ibis,' he said, pointing to a picture. 'It lives in the tropics- South America to Florida. A storm must have brought it here'" (Hurst 393). A hurricane caused the scarlet ibis to travel a large distance to a place that it does not belong. The bird is not figuratively out of place like Doodle, however, the ibis is physically in a place that it does not belong. The bird comes much later in the story but shows it is out of place very quickly. This is directly done to have the bird indicate how quickly Doodle's internal isolation is recognized. Doodle, being handicapped, can not participate in many of the activities that his brother can do with ease. This disheartens and makes Doodle feel left out more than he already is. It is clear through most of the story that Doodle is out