Scarlet Ibis Indirect Characterization

In “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst utilizes indirect characterization primarily shown through the protagonist’s dialogue, thoughts, and actions to his brother to communicate the idea that a fear of embarrassment, which leads to an over-reliance upon one’s self-pride and confidence, can lead to undesirable and even deadly consequences if not corrected soon enough.
When the story begins, the protagonist, Brother, is dissatisfied by the fact that his brother, Doodle, is born with severe disabilities, which seriously affect his motor skills and his ability to walk. Since Brother becomes increasingly intolerant of having to carry Doodle wherever he goes, he ventures out to secretly train Doodle to use his legs without his parents’ approval and show Doodle’s improvements afterward. However, after Doodle demonstrates to the …show more content…
Because his program is failing and his brother does not meet the benchmarks he sets, Brother takes his brother to a perilous, faraway place named “Horsehead Landing” in a final attempt to boost Doodle’s capabilities. After Brother realizes that Doodle fails to keep up with his pace, Brother solemnly acknowledges, “The knowledge that Doodle’s and my plans [developmental program] had come to naught was bitter, and that streak of cruelty within me awakened. I ran as fast as I could ... Soon I could hear his voice no more” (15). In this passage, Hurst revealing Brother’s confession to us about his wrongdoings due to pride suggests that he eventually shows remorse for oppressing Doodle and placing undue pressure on him, and his thoughts depicts Brother as prideful, ignorant, and arrogant by running as fast has he could without even stopping and putting his perspective in Doodle’s opinions. Since Brother originally created his “plans” in fear of his own disgrace from having an “invalid brother”, the root