The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst tells a story of two brothers, Brother and Doodle. Brother is narrating the tale from an adult perspective. Doodle’s life is very difficult, everyone thought he was going to perish; he pulled through because of love with a small twist of wickedness. Furthermore, Brother only wants to help Doodle to correspond with other children because he wants to avoid embarrassment of having a younger brother who cannot walk, this is only a battle with his self worth. As the narrative continues, Hurst utilizes three symbols to show the complexity of sibling relationships. The first symbol is the application of seasons. The story begins talking about seasons in this quotation, “It was in the clove of the seasons, summer was
…show more content…
A grindstone is used for sharpening working tools or objects. There is an idiomatic expression, “Keep one’s nose to the grindstone.” This simply means to work extremely hard, but when you place someone else to the grindstone it will only end in disaster. The grindstone is first introduced in this phrase, “A grindstone stands where the bleeding tree stood, just outside the kitchen door.” Now with this being said, the grindstone is not simply taking the place of the tree, but it is serving as a constant reminder of Doodle’s death. The symbolism of the grindstone is working great because remembering Doodle is very atrocious. Like the tools sharpen by the grindstone, the memory of Doodle has the ability to metaphorically shred Brother. On the other hand, a grindstone also holds a biblical meaning. Emphasized by Matthew, “Anyone who hurts a child should be punished with a millstone” (King James Bible, Mat. 28-6). A grindstone is also recognized as a millstone. Thus, the biblical meaning of this object is stating that brother should be punished because he is responsible for his brother’s …show more content…
In this narrative, Brother is trying to exploit the nature of his brother because he thinks of him as a disappointment. To be precise, Brother’s perspective of Doodle derives from his physical impediment and all Brother wants is a normal little brother. Furthermore, Brother is even annoyed that Doodle has to accompany him everywhere he goes. Not understanding Doodle is different from other kids, he is striving to teach him normal stuff but not for the sake of Doodle. The narrator is struggling with the compassion and hatred he has for his brother. The hatred he has leads to Doodle’s death; destruction that was waiting to happen. Hurst uses symbolism to reveal this meaning, love should never be a part of
A grindstone is used for sharpening working tools or objects. There is an idiomatic expression, “Keep one’s nose to the grindstone.” This simply means to work extremely hard, but when you place someone else to the grindstone it will only end in disaster. The grindstone is first introduced in this phrase, “A grindstone stands where the bleeding tree stood, just outside the kitchen door.” Now with this being said, the grindstone is not simply taking the place of the tree, but it is serving as a constant reminder of Doodle’s death. The symbolism of the grindstone is working great because remembering Doodle is very atrocious. Like the tools sharpen by the grindstone, the memory of Doodle has the ability to metaphorically shred Brother. On the other hand, a grindstone also holds a biblical meaning. Emphasized by Matthew, “Anyone who hurts a child should be punished with a millstone” (King James Bible, Mat. 28-6). A grindstone is also recognized as a millstone. Thus, the biblical meaning of this object is stating that brother should be punished because he is responsible for his brother’s …show more content…
In this narrative, Brother is trying to exploit the nature of his brother because he thinks of him as a disappointment. To be precise, Brother’s perspective of Doodle derives from his physical impediment and all Brother wants is a normal little brother. Furthermore, Brother is even annoyed that Doodle has to accompany him everywhere he goes. Not understanding Doodle is different from other kids, he is striving to teach him normal stuff but not for the sake of Doodle. The narrator is struggling with the compassion and hatred he has for his brother. The hatred he has leads to Doodle’s death; destruction that was waiting to happen. Hurst uses symbolism to reveal this meaning, love should never be a part of