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
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In the earlier parts of the story, the narrator, otherwise identified as Brother in his later years, states that he disparaged a professional’s advice and, indeed, continued the inhumane route to Doodle’s uniformity. As explicitly read on page 159, “He was a burden in many ways. The doctor said that he mustn’t get too excited, too hot, too cold, or too tired and that he must always be treated gently.” Nonetheless, Brother enunciates his disobedience of these guidelines in this next quotation: “A long list of don’ts went with him, all of which I ignored once we got out of the house.” In addition to this, Brother acknowledges on page 158 that the doctor presumed “with [Doodle’s] weak heart, [the heart problem] would probably kill [Doodle], but it didn’t,” miraculously, that is. In the aforesaid situation, such serious advice should’ve been taken into more careful consideration; however, it was not. Instead of this, Brother took the initiative to teach his younger brother to walk, and, as stated on page 162, “to run, to swim, to climb trees, and to fight,” all of which are highly energy-consuming activities, and these activities were not at all beneficial to his health. The narrator on page 164 states that he made his younger brother “swim until he turned blue and row until he couldn’t lift an oar.” He continues, adding that “wherever [he and Doodle] went, [he] purposely walked fast, and although he kept up, his face turned red and his eyes became glazed. Once, he could go no further, so he collapsed on the ground and began to cry.” In essence, Brother’s complete defiance of a medically-adept professional’s advice played an immense role in contributing to Doodle’s
In the earlier parts of the story, the narrator, otherwise identified as Brother in his later years, states that he disparaged a professional’s advice and, indeed, continued the inhumane route to Doodle’s uniformity. As explicitly read on page 159, “He was a burden in many ways. The doctor said that he mustn’t get too excited, too hot, too cold, or too tired and that he must always be treated gently.” Nonetheless, Brother enunciates his disobedience of these guidelines in this next quotation: “A long list of don’ts went with him, all of which I ignored once we got out of the house.” In addition to this, Brother acknowledges on page 158 that the doctor presumed “with [Doodle’s] weak heart, [the heart problem] would probably kill [Doodle], but it didn’t,” miraculously, that is. In the aforesaid situation, such serious advice should’ve been taken into more careful consideration; however, it was not. Instead of this, Brother took the initiative to teach his younger brother to walk, and, as stated on page 162, “to run, to swim, to climb trees, and to fight,” all of which are highly energy-consuming activities, and these activities were not at all beneficial to his health. The narrator on page 164 states that he made his younger brother “swim until he turned blue and row until he couldn’t lift an oar.” He continues, adding that “wherever [he and Doodle] went, [he] purposely walked fast, and although he kept up, his face turned red and his eyes became glazed. Once, he could go no further, so he collapsed on the ground and began to cry.” In essence, Brother’s complete defiance of a medically-adept professional’s advice played an immense role in contributing to Doodle’s