Scarlet Ibis Literary Criticism

The author is trying to teach us that it is due to human nature that we try to change others to fit our own personal standards, and the consequences may be severe. In “The Scarlet Ibis”, the narrator presents this theory in a number of ways. In the beginning of the story, Doodle finally learns to crawl. His brother is genuinely pleased by this feat, and his reason being is typical. “For the first time he became one of us” (1). At this point, Doodle is only two years old. Despite this, the narrator still chooses to say this statement. Clearly, as soon as his brother was born, the narrator wanted him to be normal, and not disabled. His glee when he first starts to see signs of traditional human behavior in his sibling shows that he longs for …show more content…
Since human nature causes us to take pride in the “normal” aspects of our life, it is no surprise that the narrator wants to make Doodle walk. It would help to cleanse him, to make him pure and perfect. As sadistic as this idea sounds, it is simply human nature at work. A final example of the last part of this theory lays at the end of the story. The narrator had left Doodle, had “moved on”. “He had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red” (6). Distinctly, the fact that Doodle had blood coming out of his mouth, out of all places, is no coincidence. Earlier in the story it is mentioned that Doodle has a weak heart. Then, throughout the story, he continously begs for his brother to never leave him. During the end, the narrator does leave Doodle, and, in one sense, breaks his weak heart. This act explains all of the blood, yet it also explains the type of consequences that one faces when they fall to the grasp of human nature. All things considered, the author of “The Scarlet Ibis” teaches us that we consistently attempt to make unnecessary changes, and therefore suffer the great consequences as