Theme Of Pride In Brother By Hurst

Improved Essays
A person's pride can get the best of their feelings and emotions and this story is evident of that. Brother loved Doodle in many different ways, but he never fully loved how unique Doodle was. In the end of this story it is apparent that Brother realizes his wrong doings, but he knows he can never change the way things turned out. Hurst’s message in this story was that pride can be constructive or destructive based on who you are, and along with this Hurst was trying to tell of the harmful consequences that come with too much pride.
Brother had wanted a younger sibling that could be similar to him for a long period of time. When Brother is blessed with a younger brother he is not pleased. When Doodle is two he is taken to the doctors and the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    At the very beginning of the story the narrator is telling about doodle early life before he could walk. “When doodle was five years old, i was embarrassed at having a brother who at that age who couldn’t walk. ”(hurst 466) Instead of showing compassion for his brother who is very ill he despises him for it. Another example is when doodle's Brother is selfish because he puts his pride brother doodle…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In the short story "The Scarlet Ibis" James Hurst is showing the reader that Brother is more concerned about his pride than he is about Doodle. His embarrassment of Doodle made Brother push Doodle to his death which caused him to feel regret. First, it didn't take many miles for death to come to Doodle because he was crippled and weak. Second, death was with Doodle from beginning to end, and Doddle's family showed regret when they thought Doodle was going to die, and when he was born they made a coffin for him. In this image it shows that Doodle's family was already prepared for their goodbyes for Doodle's death.…

    • 201 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pride can be a very destructive force, and it was so destructive that it ended a child’s life. In James Hurst’s short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”, Brother is guilty of Doodle’s death because he is ashamed of Doodle, he was intentionally mean to Doodle, and he overworked Doodle. One reason Brother is guilty is that he is ashamed of Doodle. Brother has always been embarrassed of Doodle. He says, “I was embarrassed at having a brother of that age who couldn’t walk…”…

    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It led him to becoming characterized as sadistic, through his refusal to accept his disabled brother for who he is. As the story progresses, he begins to realize the disastrous effects of pride and toll it took on Doodle’s life. The protagonist begins to recognize that there are no words to “solder” the tear pride ripped together again. Once something is broken, it will forever remain apart. You can not make it the same as it once was ever…

    • 1332 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Brother’s actions, the plot, conveys the theme throughout the story. One of his actions that conveys the theme is at the beginning, Brother decides to teach Doodle to walk: “When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a brother of the age who couldn’t walk, so I set out to teach him” (Hurst…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In James Hurst’s story, The Scarlet Ibis, the narrator’s excessive obsession with self image and pride is shown through the characterization and symbolism of himself and his disabled little brother, Doodle. The story starts when the narrator’s little brother, Doodle, is born. He was expected to not be able to do much because he born extremely disabled. Throughout the story, the narrator characterizes himself and Doodle in many ways.…

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Some believe that it is repugnant to be unique–that it is necessary to conform to the ideals and values of society in order to be accepted as normal. In James Hurst’s short story, The Scarlet Ibis, Doodle’s older brother, known as the mononym “Brother” throughout, can be considered someone of such character, a child that couldn’t accept or respect his younger sibling’s idiosyncrasies. He pushed Doodle, a physically-disabled child, to his absolute limits, whether it be walking, running, swimming, and even rowing, Brother believed that his work on his younger sibling would be infallible and for Doodle’s good, but when looking at the text, it can be seen that Brother’s selfishness in attempting to morph Doodle into the idyllic person ultimately…

    • 1540 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Doodle was just about the craziest brother a boy ever had.” When the narrator is six, Doodle is born and born crippled. The narrator pushes Doodle to do things that were not thought possible for a boy like Doodle, just not for the right reasons. In this short story Doodle is symbolized by the Scarlet Ibis, in more ways than one. Another piece of symbolism Hurst uses is the color red.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Brother pushes Doodle to the point that was not in his best interest. His pride causes destruction of his brothers life. A society cannot long exist without this sense of trust in each other, without…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Doodle relied on brother for teaching him how to be normal and to be his friend. Brother relied on Doodle to be his brother and his student he could teach and bond with. Brother took it to his own pride he was going to make Doodle his “normal” brother. He did everything he could do to help Doodle even if it was tough…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Have you ever heard of a person killing his brother? Have you ever been so embarrassed of somebody that you wanted to kill them? In the “Scarlet Ibis,” the brother, Doodle, was born with problems and just wasn’t a normal child. His brother, the Narrator, didn’t like having a brother who wasn’t normal. The narrator is to blame for Doodle’s death because at the beginning of the story he makes a plan to kill his brother.…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Scarlet Ibis Argument Essay Some people are selfish in such a way that they only affect themselves, but others’ selfishness can hurt those they care about. In the story, The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst, brother was one whose selfishness not only affected him, but everyone surrounding him, especially his brother, Doodle. Doodle was not like most kids, he had physical disabilities that were not hard to miss if one was looking at him. Brother didn’t want Doodle to be different, he wanted him to be a normal boy who ran, played sports and everything that he was not.…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Innocent vs Guilty People often have pride in themselves, someone or something. Pride can be a wonderful thing and push someone to be all they can be but it also can be a destructive force. How can pride be a destructive force? In James Hurst’s short story, The Scarlet Ibis, Brother is innocent of Doodles death because he teaches his brother Doodle how to walk, and he becomes proud of Doodle. Brother is a seven year old boy with an infant brother Doodle.…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    and he was proud of Doodle. Brother cares for doodle but not out of the kindness of his heart, or to be a good person, he cares because he is selfish and does not wish to have a “crippled brother”. As the story progresses their bond strengthens and developed…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In The Scarlet Ibis by James hurst, shows how the narrator's irresponsible actions have a harmful impact on Doodle. Responsibility is a big a thing and obviously the narrator does not have this aspect of life, clearly, this is why Doodle’s brother is the cause of Doodles…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays